DOGS OF CHINA AND JAPAN 



asteries, including specimens of " the snow leopard, wild 

 sheep, goat (called Dong), stag, and wild mastiff." 



Das mentions that the dog was prized as a most useful 

 animal by all classes in Tibet. The killing of dogs was 

 severely punished. " If a dog is killed by blows on his hinder 

 part it is to be taken for granted that it is to some extent 

 blameless, as it must have been running for its life and being 

 chastised or pursued. In such instances the compensation 

 for a good house-dog is 37 rupees, for a dokpyi or mastiff 25 

 rupees, and for a common dog 12 rupees. If a dog is killed 

 by blows on its head the offence is considered very light. 

 In such cases the dog is considered to have been the offender 

 and to have been killed in self-defence, so that there is no 

 punishment." Old English law had less sympathy for the 

 dog and his master. " If any person have a dog liable to 

 hurt people and he hath notice thereof and if, after, he doth 

 any hurt to cattle or otherwise, it is a misdemeanour of the 

 highest kinds ; and if he doth bodily hurt to any of His 

 Majesty's liege subjects so that death ensue, it is Manslaughter 

 or Murder in the owner of the said dog, after notice, according 

 to the circumstances." * 



The importance of the house-dog to the Tibetans is shown 

 by a further remark by Das : " When a thief steals a lock or 

 key or a watch-dog from a house his offence will be tantamount 

 to stealing the contents of the house or store to which these 

 belonged. The stealing of a lock or key or a dog is the same 

 as robbing the treasure which they guard." 



These customs may be connected with the ancient religious 

 beliefs found in the Zend Avesta : " Whosoever shall smite 

 either a shepherd's dog, or a house-dog, or a vagrant dog or a 

 hunting-dog, his soul when passing to the other world, shall 

 fly amid louder howling and fiercer pursuing than does the 



* Notes and Queries, 7th series, viii, p. 234. 



86 



