310 DOGS. 



much from their dam ; yet they did not relish flesh 

 when they came to England. In the islands of the 

 Pacific Ocean, the dogs are bred up on vegetables, 

 and would not eat flesh when offered them by our 

 circumnavigators . 



We believe that all dogs, in a state of nature, 

 have sharp, upright, fox-like ears ; and that hanging 

 ears, which are esteemed so graceful, are the effect 

 of choice breeding and cultivation. Thus, in the 

 Travels of Ysbrandt Ides from Muscovy to China, 

 the dogs which draw the Tartars on snow-sledges 

 near the river Oby, are engraved with prick-ears, 

 like those from Canton. The Kamtschatdales also 

 train the same sort of sharp -eared, peak-nosed dogs 

 to draw their sledges ; as may be seen in an elegant 

 print engraved for Captain Cook's last voyage round 

 the world. 



Now we are upon the subject of dogs, it may not 

 be impertinent to add, that spaniels, as all sportsmen 

 know, though they hunt partridges and pheasants 

 as it were by instinct, and with much delight and 

 alacrity, yet will hardly touch their bones when 

 offered as food ; nor will a mongrel dog of my own, 

 though he is remarkable for finding that sort of 

 game. But, when we came to offer the bones of 

 partridges to the two Chinese dogs, they devoured 

 them with much greediness, and licked the platter 

 clean. 



No sporting dogs will flush woodcocks till inured 

 to the scent, and trained to the sport, which they 

 then pursue with vehemence and transport ; but then 

 they will not touch their bones, but turn from them 

 with abhorrence, even when they are hungry. 



Now, that dogs should not be fond of the bones of 

 such birds as they are not disposed to hunt, is no 

 wonder ; but why they reject and do not care to eat 

 their natural game, is not so easily accounted for, 



