8 The Collie or Sheep Dog. 



were certainly not so much used in connection with the 

 sheep and cattle as is the case to-day. 



The learned Ulysses Aldrovandus, who wrote a gigantic 

 ; work in Latin on Natural History, died in 1607, and some 

 part of his magnum opus was published after his death. 

 His allusions to the " villaticus canis," the farm dog, are 

 particularly interesting and valuable, for his critics said 

 " All his writings are marked by fulness of knowledge and 

 the most reverent spirit." Dr. Caius (1550) gives Cam's 

 'villaticus as the ban-dog, which he describes as a mastiff, 

 " terrible and frightful to behold, and more fierce and fell 

 than any Arcadian curre . . . They are serviceable 

 against the foxe and badger, to drive wild and tame swyne 

 out of medowes, pastures, glebe landes, and places planted 

 with fruite, to bayte and take the bull by the eare when 

 occasion so requireth." A good all-round dog; and if not 

 useful in this country at the time the learned doctor wrote, 

 ~Canis villaticus had been used for similar purposes centuries 

 before, a watch dog rather than the dog of the shepherd. 

 Of the latter Aldrovandus says, " In build he resembles 

 the hound ; he ought to be gentle to his own household, 

 savage to those outside it, and not to be taken in by 

 caresses. He should be robust, with a muscular body, and 

 noisy in his deep bark, so that by his bold baying, he may 

 threaten on all sides and frighten away prowlers. He 

 should have a fierce light in his eyes, portending the 

 lightning attack by his teeth on the rash enemy. He 

 should be black in his coat in order to appear more 

 fearful to thieves in the day-light, and being of the same 

 shade as night itself to be able to make his way quite 

 unseen by enemies and thieves." 

 V Aldrovandus next proceeds to tell us how to make a 



