96 NATURAL HISTORY EN ANECDOTE. 



middle of a sentence concerning something else, 'I'm think- 

 ing, sir, the cow is in the potatoes.' Though he purposely 

 laid no stress on these words, and said them in a quiet, 

 unconcerned tone of voice, the dog, who appeared to be 

 asleep, immediately jumped up, and leaping through the 

 open window, scrambled up the turf roof of the house, from 

 which he could see the potato field. He then (not seeing 

 the cow there) ran and looked into the byre, where she was, 

 and finding that all was right, came back to the house. 

 After a short time the shepherd said the same words again, 

 and the dog repeated his look-out; but on the false alarm 

 being a third time given, the dog got up, and wagging his 

 tail, looked his master in the face with so comical an expres- 

 sion of interrogation, that we could not help laughing aloud 

 at him, on which, with a slight growl, he laid himself down 

 in his warm corner, with an offended air, as if determined 

 not to be made a fool of again." 



The well known story of Sir Walter Scott's dog, supplied 

 by him to Captain Brown, is another illustration. "The 

 wisest dog I ever had," said Sir Walter, " was what is called 

 the bull-dog terrier. I taught him to understand a great 

 many words, insomuch that I am positive that the commu- 

 nication betwixt the canine species and ourselves might be 

 greatly enlarged. Camp once bit the baker, who was bring- 

 ing bread to the family. I beat him, and explained the 

 enormity of his offence; after which, to the last moment of 

 h!s life, he never heard the least allusion to the story, in 

 whatever voice or tone it was mentioned, without getting up 

 and retiring into the darkest comer of the room, with great 

 appearance of distress. Then if you said, 'the baker was 

 well paid,' or, 'the baker was not hurt after all,' Camp came 

 forth from his hiding-place, capered, and barked, and rejoiced. 

 When he was unable, towards the end of his life, to attend 

 me when on horseback, he used to watch for my return, 

 and the servant would tell him ' his master was coming down 



