The Scotch Co I ley. 201 



who write without practical knowledge, and concoct foolish stories about 

 him, which are merely the reflex of their own love for the marvellous rather 

 than for the truth. It would, indeed, be difficult to over-estimate the intelli- 

 gence of a good colley ; he thinks and acts for himself under difficulties 

 and conditions new to him, and in matters relative to his special duties 

 rarely fails to strike out the true path. That he feels the responsibility 

 of his charge and acts independently of special orders, all who have had 

 opportunities of observing him must have noted. Even the cottager's 

 dog, when he has been once initiated into it as a duty, will turn the 

 poultry out of the garden without bidding. I have seen a dog in charge 

 under the shepherd of a flock of white-faced sheep on the south aide of a 

 hill, and where the watershed was the boundary, and no fence to mark 

 it, over and over again, without the slightest hint from his master, get up 

 and leisurely pick out and drive back to the north side of the hill the 

 hardier black faces that had stolen over the crest and down the south 

 slope among their white-faced friends in search of the better bite they 

 well knew grew there. These are among the common duties and every- 

 day practice of trained colleys, which might be extended and illustrated 

 almost ad libitum, and are a sufficient proof of high intelligence without 

 intrenching on special doings of individual dogs, which in some instances 

 are certainly very remarkable ; but what higher display of that craftiness 

 and cunning with which the colley is credited can we have than in the 

 performances of trained specimens under the intelligent handling of the 

 shepherds at those sheepdog trials instituted by Mr. J. LI. Price, of 

 Rhiwlas, Bala ? The craft and cunning is of a high order, and to me 

 clearly indicates considerable reasoning power ; and, indeed, the highest 

 encomium a Scotch shepherd can pass on a colley is that he is " gey 

 wyse," i.e., very wise. 



Instances and anecdotes innumerable could be given illustrative of the 

 colley' s cleverness and fidelity to his trust and to his master, were this the 

 place for so doing, but I take it that my readers are fully aware of his 

 capability for marvellous displays of intelligence, and need neither 

 ancient saws nor modern instances to confirm them in their faith. 



It is just worth notice that the colley is one among other sheepdogs 

 that writers have credited with being the origin of all the varieties of our 

 domestic dogs ; but as each writer has selected the sheepdog of his own 

 country as the real original, the idea is considerably damaged, the sheep- 



