40 NEIGHBORS WITH CLAWS AND HOOFS. 



like his friend deserted her kittens and was howling of- 

 fensively inside his kennel. He died aged sixteen, healthy, 

 lean, and happy to the last. As for Perdita and her pups, 

 they brought large prices, the late Andrew Buchannan, of 

 Coltbridge an excellent authority and man, the honest- 

 est dog-dealer I ever knew having discovered that their 

 blood and her culture were the best." 



CHAPTER VI. 

 TRAINED AND FAITHFUL SERVANTS. 



1. ON the top of Mont St. Bernard, in Switzerland, 

 stands a hospice, or convent, inhabited by monks, in which 

 for many ages has been preserved a large noble race of 

 dogs specially trained to search for and relieve unfortu- 

 nate and benighted travelers. The dangers of the mount- 

 ain-passes, of the deep snows, and of falling avalanches, 

 beset the poor wayfarer, and, if night should overtake 

 him before he reached a human habitation, he often be- 

 came exhausted, lay down in the snow, and froze to death. 



2. On a stormy night these St. Bernard dogs are sent 

 in pursuit of hapless and snow-bound travelers. By their 

 strong scent they are able to find the spot where the vic- 

 tim of misfortune lay, when by their huge paws they 

 clear away the snow, wake the traveler, and by their deep 

 sonorous bark call the monks to the spot, bringing relief. 

 One of these noble dogs won a European reputation, and 

 wore a medal about his neck as a token of distinction, for 

 he had saved the lives of forty persons. 



3. The Scotch collie, or shepherd-dog, retains more of 

 the form and appearance of the wolf than any other spe- 



