man, so will these the sheep. It is amusing to 

 observe, when approaching a flock, how the 

 dog immediately advances barking — and the 

 siieep 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 time in tlie evening, 

 Their most troublesome fault when young is 

 their desire of playing with the sheep, for in 

 their play they soaittimes gallop their poor sub- 

 jects most unmercifully. Tlie Shepherd Dog 

 comes to the house every day for some meat, 

 and immediately it is giveu hhn he skulks away 

 °^s if ashamed of himself. On these occasions 

 the House Dogs are very tyrannical, and the 

 least of them will attack and pursue the stran- 

 ger. The minute, however, the latter has reach- 

 ed the flock, he turns round and begins to bark, 

 and then all the Hou.^e Dogs take very quickly 

 to their heels. In a similar manner a whole 

 pack of the hungry Wild Dogs will scarcely ever 

 land I was told by some, never) venture to at- 

 tack a flock guarded even by one of these faith- 

 ful shepherds.* The whole account appears to 

 me a curious in.slance of the pliability of the af- 

 fections of the dog race ; and yet, whether wild, 

 or however educated, with a mutual feeling of 

 respect and fear for those that are fulfilHng their 

 instinct of association. For we can understand 

 on no principle the wild dogs being driven 

 away by the single one with its flock, except 

 that they consider, from some coJfi'used notion, 

 that the one thus associated gains power, as if 

 in company with its own kind. F. Cuvier has 

 ob.served that all animals which enter into do- 

 mestication consider man as a member of their 

 society, and thus they fulfil their instinct of as- 

 sociation. In the above case, the Shepherd 

 Dogs rank the sheep as their brethren ; and the 

 Wild Dogs, though knowing that the individual 

 sheep are not dog.s. but are good to eat, yet 

 partly consent to tiiis view, when seeing them 

 in a flock, with a .Shepherd Dog at their head." 

 It appears to us that the Shepherd Dog, in tbis 

 instance, regards the sheep as his .supporters 

 and his care, and feels exactly what a House 

 Dog feels when strangers or strange dogs in- 

 trude upon the premises. We have frequently 

 seen a large dog under such circumstances re- 

 treat bcibre one of inferior power, which he 

 would not have done otherwise. The Wild 

 Dogs spoken of by Mr. Darwin are dogs left to 

 themselves, and which, like the horses and cat- 

 tle, have resumed a life of independence ; but 

 perhaps they have not learned the power wliich 

 union gives, and each thinking only of itself in- 

 dividuaOy. fears to attack a champion who 

 stands .so" boldly on the defen.sive. The circum- 

 stance of the dog regarding itself as one of a 

 flock of sheep, and as the guard of tho.sc sheep, 



* To these dogs Azara alludes in the followinc; pns- 

 gacje : — "Amoni; the dog?, the ovegeros, or Pheep 

 Dogs, are particularly deeening of notice, because in 

 this country, where there arc no shepherds, they act 

 in the place of the latter, and take charge of the 

 flocks. Early in the morning they drive the tlocke 

 from the fold, conduct them to the plain, accompa- 

 nying them the whole day, and keeping them uni- 

 ted ; and wben numerous they surround the tiock, 



defending them from birds of prey, from wild dogs, 

 and other beasts, and even from man, and from evei-y 

 kind of injui-y. At sunset they conduct the sheep 

 back to the fold, when they lay themselves down up- 

 on the eround and sleep, and pass the night in their 

 watchful caie over them. If any of the lambs lag 

 behind, they carefully take them up in their mouths, 

 and carry them for a rime, returning again and again, 

 if need be, until none remain." 



and not the friend and servant of one master, is 

 not without a parallel under other circumstances, 

 in which the animal attaches itself not to one, 

 but to a collective number of individuals, which 

 together constitute a master, \^''e say nothing 

 of the Fireman's Dog, of which everybody has 

 heard; tltere are other examples upon record. 

 " In the first regiment of the Royal Guards," 

 says M. Blaze, " we had a dog called Batail- 

 lon. Entertained by the soldiers at the guard- 

 house, he always remained there ; his masters 

 changed every twenty-four hoars ; but that gave 

 him no unea.«iness. Sure of his pittance, there 

 he stayed. He would follow no one to the bar- 

 racks ; but looked upon himself as the humble 

 servant of twelve soldiers, two corporals, a ser- 

 geant, and drummer, whoever they might hap- 

 pen to be ; and without being uneasy about the 

 matter. During the night, wheu it froze hard, 

 the sentinel frequently called Bafaillon, and 

 took his place to v\'arm himself at the stove : 

 the dog would have suflfered death rather than 

 have passed beyond the door. \Vhen we 

 changed garrison, the dog followed the regi- 

 ment, and immediately installed himself in the 

 guard-house of the new ban-acks. He knew all 

 the soldiers — he caressed them all, but would 

 take no notice of tho.se who did not wear our 

 uniform. To this dog the regiment was a mas- 

 ter — an individual whom he loved. His feeling 

 was for blue dresses with amaranth facings — be 

 despised all other colors." 



It is owing to the difference among the varie- 

 ties of the Domestic Dog in some respects — as 

 in docility, strength, size, speed, keenness of 

 scent, ferocity, &c. ; and their similarity in oth- 

 ers, as attachment to their masteis. fidelity. &c. 

 • — that there is scarcely any purpose to which 

 the dog has not been put. Like man, he follows 

 different occupations ; the Street Dogs are the 

 lazzaroui of their race. In the earliest times, 

 the dog, like his master, was a mighty hunter. 

 The chase of the ferocious or of the swift was 

 his occupation ; he brought the wolf, the wild 

 boar, and the lion, to baj- ; or tired down the 

 deer and antelope. Soon, however, war be- 

 came a game at which kings plajed, and Va 

 Victh ! for war in a semi-civiltzed state of soci- 

 ety is unmitigated by moderation or humanity. 

 Then was tlie dog called from the chase, or 

 from truarding against savage brutes the peace- 

 ful flocks and herds, to assist human brutes in 

 the destruction of each other ; the dog became 

 a warrior, and a most formidable one. either vsn 

 the citadel, the entrenched camp, or the battle- 

 field. Shakspeare's expression put into the 

 mouth of Anthony, "Cry havoc, and let slip the 

 dogs of war!' is by no means metaphorical. — 

 Dogs of vvar had long been used before, and 

 were so long after the time of the first bald 

 Cffisar. 



Watch dogs were not only kept within the 

 citadel of Rome, but in all the fortres.scs of the 

 Greeks. The citadel of Corinth was guarded 

 externally by an advanced post of fifty dogs 

 placed ' en vidette' on the seashore. Onen^ht 

 the gaiTison slept, overcome with wine .- the 

 enemy disembarked, but were received by the 

 fifty dogs, who fought with indomitable courage 

 til r forty -nine fell. The survivor, named Soter — 

 history has preserved his name — retreated from 

 the field of battle to the citadel, and gave the 

 alarm ; the soldiers were roused, and the enemy 

 was repelled. The Senate ordained that Soter 

 should wear a silver collar, w'ith this inscription. 

 " Soter, defender and preserver of Corintli." 



