12 9 THE FARMER AT HOME. 



proach. When the care of the house is entrusted to him during the 

 night, he becomes more fiery and sometimes ferocious ; he watches, 

 he walks his rounds, he scents strangers afar off; and, if they hap- 

 pen to stop, or attempt to break in, he flies to oppose them, and, by 

 reiterated barkings, efforts and cries of passion, he gives the alarm. 

 As furious against men of prey as against devouung animals, he flies 

 upon, wounds, and tears them, and takes from them what they were 

 endeavoring to steal ; but, content with having conquered, he rests 

 himself upon the spoils, will not touch it even to satisfy his appetite, 

 and at once gives an example of courage, temperance, and fidelity. 



DOGDAYS. Certain days in the year called by this name, from 

 the dogstar, or Sirius. They are also called canicular days, from 

 canis, the Latin word signifying dog. On these days the dogstar 

 rises and sets with the sun. The ancients imagined that the rising 

 of the dogstar with the sun, occasioned the sultry weather and the 

 diseases usually experienced in the latter part of summer. The Ro- 

 mans sacrificed a brown dog every year to appease the rage of Sirius. 

 The rising of the stars, however, not only varies according to the la- 

 titude of different places, but is always later and later every year in 

 the same place, so that in time Sirius may, by the same rule, be 

 charged with bringing frost and snow when he rises in the winter. 

 In our almanacs the season of dogdays is set down as occuring from 

 the third of July to the eleventh of August, without any regard to the 

 position of Sirius. In England, the dogdays have caused some vari- 

 ety in their calendar. Bede refers to a time when they commenced 

 on the fourteenth of July ; in the reign of Elizabeth they were reck- 

 oned from the sixth of that month to the sixth of September ; from 

 the restoration of Charles II., to the correction of the calendar, the 

 beginning of this period was on the nineteenth of July, and the end 

 of it, on the twenty-eighth of August ; after the correction of the cal- 

 endar the time was changed to the thirtieth of July and the seventh 

 of September ; and of late in the English almanacs they are placed 

 as we first mentioned. 



DORKING HENB. This is a variety of barn yard fowls which 

 take their distinctive appellation from a town of that name in the 

 county of Surrey, England. They have generally been much ad- 

 mired by all, we believe, who have been familiar with their merits. 

 They are not as large as some varieties that have lately attracted 

 notice, but they are sufficiently so for profit, holding a medium rank 

 between the stately gobbler fraternity, and the smaller varieties of the 

 hen family. Their native color is generally pure white, spotted or 

 spangled with black ; and these colors sometimes merge into a grey 

 or grizzle. The cocks are magnificent birds, with a surpassing bril- 

 liancy of plumage, rarely equalled by other kinds. The hens are 

 well formed with broad breasts ; are usually good layers ; and their 

 young are easily reared. It has been affirmed that the Dorkings 



