90 , The Collie or Sheep Dog. 



sometimes tailless, more often with a three-inch stump 

 brought into the world jet-black, with his characteristic 

 white markings, and in a few weeks, chameleon-like, he 

 gradually assumes the silvery-lilac livery of his ancient 

 British ancestors, and makes his bow to the public as a 

 pigeon-blue and white English sheep-dog, 'breeder and 

 pedigree unknown.' 



" Does not all this point to his ancient purity, this 

 powerful concentration of sanguinity which is irrepressible? 

 One sees many theories put forward with regard to his 

 tailless heritage, but I am convinced that, originally nothing 

 but a sport, this peculiarity has been carefully selected 

 by shepherds and stockmen who preferably bred from a 

 naturally tailless strain, to save themselves the trouble of 

 docking their dogs, and so rendering them exempt from 

 the penalties of the Forest Laws. 



" With regard to the sagacity of this breed I consider it 

 has few equals, and certainly no superior. In a large dairy 

 farm I know of, there is a dog which will fetch up individual 

 cows as they are required to be milked, distinguishing those 

 which he has already fetched up, and after being milked 

 are allowed to mix with the rest of the herd. When quite 

 a lad I remember seeing an old grizzle and white sheep dog 

 lying outside a farmhouse here in Suffolk, which three weeks 

 or a month before was purchased in Dumfries ; he worked 

 a herd of bullocks all the way from his Scottish home to 

 the eastern corner of Suffolk by road. After remaining 

 comfortably for a fortnight in his new quarters, one day he 

 was missing, and no tidings could be gleaned of him in the 

 neighbourhood; and no wonder, for within the week his 

 Suffolk purchaser received a letter informing him the old 

 dog was safe back in Dumfries. This incident occurred to 



