THE MIND OF A DOG 205 



in the light of this hypothesis would be that of the 

 collie or sheep-dog. The writer was recently staying 

 on a South African farm where the owner was 

 seriously plagued with the ravages amongst his 

 sheep of black-backed jackals. The extraordinary 

 intelligence of the animals in shepherding the prey 

 to their malign purposes was bitterly remarked 

 upon. As the outward resemblances of a jackal to 

 a collie were pointed out, the question was asked 

 as to how we could imagine any relationship between 

 animals whose fundamental instincts appeared to be 

 so widely apart. Thus the sheep-dog was the friend 

 of man and its leading characteristic was a desire for 

 the preservation of the sheep and the power to 

 employ most remarkable instincts in furthering his 

 master's purposes to this end. The jackals, on the 

 contrary, regarded the sheep simply as their natural 

 prey. Yet the explanation even in this case is 

 probably not far to seek when we have the clue to 

 a dog's mind. For in a dim way the ordinary collie 

 probably regards the sheep as no more than property 

 or game belonging to his pack. He thinks of himself 

 in all probability as assisting the wise dog at the 

 head of the pack in the exciting occupation of 

 shepherding the captured game. That there is a 

 close natural relationship between the jackal and 

 the collie as regards the sheep one pregnant fact 

 will illustrate. Every experienced shepherd knows 

 that a collie is more liable than most other dogs to 

 take to killing or worrying sheep, and that when 

 this happens he is the most inveterate, the most 

 cunning and the most to be feared of all dogs. The 

 cause is easy to understand. The degeneration in 



