THE IMPROVED ART OF FARRIERY. 495 



endeavoured to come to an accurate calculation ; but 

 the sum total has always been such as to make me 

 stagger ; and I am almost certain that I shall not be 

 credited in stating their number to be about 200,000 ; 

 though 1 think this account more likely to be under 

 timn abo7e the fact. It may be wondered how so 

 many of these animals obtain food ; and I must 

 admit myself perfectly unable to solve the problem, 

 but imagine that the great source of their sustenance 

 is derived from being the scavengers of the city and 

 suburbs, devouring all sorts of filth and dirt thrown 

 out from the hous-es ; they also feed upon such strange 

 dogs or cats, or stray rats, that may fall in their way, 

 for they have all their particular locality, in which 

 they are whelped, suckled, and fed, and in w^hich they 

 live and die. Yv'oe betide the unfortunate dog that 

 strays out of his district into that of another clan ! If 

 he escapes being torn to pieces, he wall return to his 

 ow^i quarter well covered with wounds. The extent 

 of these canine divisions of the city vary from sixty to 

 two hundred yards in range ; in any part of which, a 

 dog appertaining to it is perfectly safe from all attack 

 of his ow^n species ; but if once beyond its precincts 

 into that of a strange clan, the chances are ten to one 

 that he never returns. I have seen many strange dogs 

 get into the neighbourhood where I lived, but very 

 rarely saw any of them effect their escape. The wdiole 

 dogs of the district, in such cases, are drawn together 

 by a particular kind of howl or bark, and the intruder 

 being pulled dow^n, is speedily devoured. 



The cats of the district live on terms of great am.ity 

 vdth the dogs, and often may be found sleeping to- 

 gether in the street ; but the cat that is imprudent 

 enough to stray along the ground from his own 

 q^uarter, is soon food for the resident dogs ol the dis- 



