614 



Crealurp of Natural & 



fibres, generally of a brown colour, called 

 the "ligament," or " elastic ligament." 



SHEPHERD'S DOG. ( Canis \_familiaris-] 

 dmnesticus.') This variety of the canine tribe 

 elands at the head of the class of farm Dogs, 

 and is said to be preserved in the greatest 

 purity in the northern part of Scotland, 

 where its aid is highly necessary in managing 

 the numerous herds of Sheep bred in those 

 extensive wilds. It is distinguished by its 

 upright ears ; the hair soft, long, shaggy, and 

 somewhat waved ; and its remarkably bushy 

 tail slightly pendulous : the same variety is 

 diffused over most parts of Europe. The Dog 

 prevents the Sheep from straggling ; conducts 

 them from one part of the pasture to another ; 

 and will not suffer any strange Sheep to mix 

 with them. In driving a number of well- 

 trained Sheep to a distance, a well-trained 

 Dog always confines them to the road, watch- 

 ing every avenue that leads from it, and 

 pursuing every straggler ; and at the Shep- 

 herd's signal, this faithful assistant will con- 

 duct the Sheep to him from a considerable 

 distance. " In temper and disposition," Mr. 

 Bell observes, " the Sheep Dog is calm, serene, 

 and quiet ; but under a thoughtful and al- 

 most heavy aspect, there sparkles an expres- 

 sion of readiness and inquiry in his eye, as 

 it peers out from under his shaggy brow, 

 which betokens a spirit always on the alert, 

 and prepared for instant obedience to the 

 commands or wishes of his master. He has 

 not, it is true, the noble port of the New- 

 foundland Dog, the affectionate fondling of 

 the Spaniel, nor the fierce attachment which 

 renders the Mastiff so efficient a guard ; but 

 he exceeds them all in readiness and extent 

 of intelligence, combined with a degree of 

 docility unequalled, perhaps, by any other 

 animal in existence." 



Numerous well-authenticated instances of 

 the watchful fidelity, patient care, and in- 

 stinctive sagacity of the Shepherd's Dog 

 might be adduced ; but nothing, perhaps, 

 more interesting than the account which 

 Mr. Darwin gives of the Dogs which are 

 trained to this employment in Banda Ori- 

 ental, in South America. " While staying 

 at this estancia," he observes, " I was amused 

 with what I saw and heard of the Shepherd 

 Dogs of the country. When riding, it is a 

 common thing to meet a large flock of Sheep 

 guarded by one or two dogs, at the distance 

 of some miles from any house or man. I 

 often wondered how so firm a friendship had 

 been established. The method of education 

 consists in separating the puppy, while very 

 young, from the bitch, and in accustoming it 

 to its future companion. An ewe is held 

 three or four times a day for the little thing 

 to suck ; and a nest of wool is made for it in 

 the sheep-pen ; at no time is it allowed to 

 associate with other dogs, or with the chil- 

 dren of the family. The puppy is, moreover, 

 generally castrated ; so that, whn grown 

 up, it can scarcely have any feelings in com- 

 mon with the rest of its kind. From this 

 education it has no wish to leave the flock, 

 and just as another dog will defend its 

 master, man, so will these, the sheep. It is 

 amusing to observe, when approaclung a 



flock, how the Dog immediately advances 

 barking, and the Sheep all close in his rear, 

 as if round the oldest ram. These Dogs are 

 also easily taught to bring home the flock, 

 at a certain hour in the evening. Their 

 most troublesome fault, when young, is their 

 desire of playing with the Sheep ; for in their 

 sport they sometimes gallop their poor sub- 

 jects most unmercifully. The Shepherd Dog 

 comes to the house every day for some meat, 

 and immediately it is given him, he skulks 

 away as if ashamed of himself. On these 

 occasions the house-dogs are very tyrannical, 

 and the least of them will attack and pursue 

 the stranger. The minute, however, the 

 latter has reached the flock, he turns round, 

 and begins to bark, and then all the house- 

 dogs take very quickly to their heels. In a 

 similar manner a whole pack of the hungry 

 wild dogs will scarcely ever (and I was told 

 by some, never) venture to attack a flock 

 guarded by one of these faithful shepherds. 

 The whole account appears to me a curious 

 instance of the pliability of the affections in 

 the dog race ; and yet, whether wild, or how- 

 ever educated, with a mutual feeling of re- 

 spect or fear for those that are fulfilling their 

 instinct of association. For we can under- 

 stand on no principle the wild dogs being 

 driven away by the single one witli its flock, 

 except that they consider, trom some con- 

 fused notion, that the one thus associated 

 gains power, as if in company with its own 

 kind. F. Cuvier has observed, that all ani- 

 mals that readily enter into domestication, 

 consider man as a member of their society, 

 and thus fulfil their instinct of association. 

 In the above case the Shepherd Dogs rank 

 the Sheep as their fellow-brethren ; and the 

 wild dogs, though knowing that the indi- 

 vidual Sheep are not Dogs, but are good to 

 eat, yet partly consent to this view, when 

 seeing them in a flock with a Shepherd Dog 

 at their head." 



SHOVELLER. (Rhynchasspus.-) A genus 

 of aquatic birds, of which there are several 

 species. They are distinguished from the 

 rest of the_ group by the singular form of the 

 beak, which is larger than the duck's : at 

 its origin the upper mandible is semicylin- 

 dric ; it then becomes depressed, and at the 

 tip is greatly expanded on the sides, the tip 

 itself being furnished with a very small in- 

 curved nail. The lamellae at the edges of 

 the mandibles are very long and fine ; and 

 those of the opposite mandibles fit into each 

 other in such a manner that very little food 

 can escape the bird while in search of it. 



The COMMON SHOVELLER. (Hhynchaspis 

 clypeata.) This is a beautiful species : length 

 upwards of eighteen inches : beak broad and 

 black, but yellowish beneath : the head and 

 neck deep glossy green ; breast pure white ; 

 belly and sides of a chestnut red ; the back 

 a blackish brown ; the wing-coverts clear 

 blue ; scapulars white, and dotted ; the spot 

 or speculum on the wing deep green ; the 

 legs reddish-orange. The female has a head 

 of a clear red, marked with small streaks. 

 This species inhabits various countries of the 

 north of Europe and of America, frequenting 

 the marshes, lakes, and rivers, and occasion- 



