254 THE BOOK OF A NATURALIST 



then to skulk home, smelling abominably of carrion 

 and carnage, and, hiding under their master's sofa, 

 or other dark place, to spend the time licking their 

 wounds until they are well again and ready to go 

 out in search of fresh adventures. For God hath 

 made them so. 



But this is by no means the view of the gentle 

 ladies and mild-tempered gentlemen who own them, 

 nor, I dare say, of any canophilist, whether the 

 owner of a dog or not. What these people want 

 is that their canine friends shall have the same 

 liberty enjoyed by themselves to make use of our 

 streets and parks without risk of injury or insult; 

 that they shall be free to notice or not the saluta- 

 tions and advances of others of their kind; to 

 graciously accept or contemptuously refuse, with 

 nose in air, according to the mood they may happen 

 to be in or to the state of their digestive organs, an 

 invitation to a game of romps. This liberty and 

 safety they do now undoubtedly enjoy, thanks to 

 the much-abused muzzling order. 



It is true that to the canine mind this may not 

 be an ideal liberty: "For on a knight that hath 

 neither hardihood nor valour in himself, may not 

 another knight that hath more force in him reason- 

 ably prove his mettle; for many a time have I 

 heard say that one is better than other." These 

 words, spoken by the Best Knight in the World, 

 exactly fit the case of the fox-terrier, or any other 

 vigorous variety whose one desire when he goes 

 out into the world is reasonably to prove his 



