INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 85 



Their instinctive comprehension of the nature of 

 property, is evinced in the case of a lady at Bath 

 walking out, and finding her progress impeded by a 

 strange mastiff-dog, until, half alarmed, she dis- 

 covered the loss of her veil ; when, retracing her 

 steps, the dog went on before her, till the article 

 lost was discovered ; and then the animal hastened 

 after his own master. Again, when a lad, upon a 

 hard trotting horse, allowed the cakes he had bought 

 to be tossed out of his basket ; and he had scarcely 

 discovered his loss on dismounting, when the house- 

 dog, who had followed him, came home with the 

 greater part in his mouth : these he had no sooner 

 dropped, than, running back, he fetched the re- 

 mainder. 



But their capacity of understanding certain wishes 

 of man, is still more curiously evinced in the Pariah 

 dogs, belonging to the Sepoy soldiers in India. As 

 these men are of many different creeds, sects, and 

 castes, scarcely any two can cook together, or use 

 the same vessels ; they are even jealous of a defiling 

 shadow passing across their food. But their duties 

 not permitting personal superintendence, many have 

 dogs so trained, as to keep off all strangers : these 

 animals will stand on their hind feet, and, springing 

 in the air, drive away an argeelah, or a stooping 

 vulture ; being ever careful that their own shadow 

 does not cross the vessels. 



Their benevolent feelings, and prescience of im- 

 pending consequences, we have personally witnessed 

 in a water-dog, who, unbidden, plunged in the 



