120 NATURAL HISTORY IN ANECDOTE. 



Naturalist's Library " : " My St. Bernard was brought home 

 direct from the Great St. Bernard, when he was a puppy 

 of about four or five months. His bark is tremendous; 

 so loud, indeed, that I have often distinguished it nearly 

 a mile off. He had been missing for some time, when, 

 to my great joy, one of the letter-carriers brought him back ; 

 and the man's account was, that in going along a certain 

 street, he heard his bark from the inside of a yard, and 

 knew it immediately. He knocked at the gate, and said to 

 the owner of the premises, 'You have got Sir Thomas 

 Lauder's big dog.' The man denied it. 'But I know you 

 have,' continued the letter-carrier; 'I can swear that I heard 

 the bark of Sir Thomas's big dog ; for there is no dog in or 

 about all Edinburgh that has such a bark.' At last, with 

 great reluctance, the man gave up the dog to the letter-carrier, 

 who brought him home here. But though Bass's bark is so 

 terrific, he is the best-natured and most playful dog I ever 

 saw ; so much so, indeed, that the small King Charles's 

 spaniel, Raith, used to tyrannize over him for many months 

 after he came here from abroad. I have seen the little 

 creature run furiously at the great animal when gnawing a 

 bone, who instantly turned himself submissively over on his 

 back, with all his legs in the air, whilst Raith, seizing the 

 bone, would make the most absurd and unavailing attempts 

 to bestride the enormous head of his subdued companion, 

 with the most ludicrous affectation of the terrible growling, 

 that might bespeak the loftiest description of dog-indignation. 

 When a dog attacks Bass in the street or road, he runs away 

 rather than quarrel; but when compelled to fight by any 

 perseverance in the attacking party, he throws his enemy 

 down in a moment, and then, without biting him, he lays his 

 whole immense bulk down upon him, till he nearly smothers 

 him. He took a particular fancy for one of the postmen who 

 deliver letters here, whose duty it was, besides delivering 

 letters, to carry a letter bag. from one receiving-house to 



