38 NATURE STUDY AND LIFE 



biscuit or the coarser table scraps, bread crusts, brown 

 bread, oatmeal, bones with not too much meat, and vegeta- 

 bles. In severe weather or with much exercise in the open 

 air a dos: needs to be fed oftener and to have more food. 

 The best indication as to whether the feeding is proper 

 is the condition of the animal. He should be neither 

 lean nor fat, but sleek. One should be able to take up a 

 handful of soft, loose skin anywhere on the dog's body. 

 A gnawing-bone is the dog's toothbrush, and he should 

 be kept well supplied at all times, both for business and 

 amusement. Too much meat and lack of cleanliness is 

 apt to give rise to offensive odors, the ''doggy" smell of 

 animals not properly cared for. Fleas are the great bur- 

 den of a dog's life (see page 8i, under insects). To kill 

 every flea on a dog it is necessary only to lather him 

 completely with some mild, clean soap, castile or ivory, 

 let it stay on for two or three minutes, then rinse in 

 clean water or let the dog take a swim. A dog is thus 

 the best possible flea trap. He will pick up every flea 

 in the house or neighborhood, and they may then be 

 easily killed. If every one did this, which is no less 

 than he should wish to do for the health, cleanliness, and 

 comfort of his pets, a neighborhood might soon be rid 

 of these pests. For other matters as to the dog's health 

 and care, their owners should be referred to standard 

 authorities. 



The Horse. — Domesticated before the dawn of history, 

 probably by a branch of the Aryan race in the north of 

 Asia, no animal has exerted a more powerful influence 

 in human progress, either in war, in sports, or in the arts 

 of peace. To learn to control and ride a spirited horse is 



