THE DROVER S DOG. 



575 



G. W. Lafayette says " are equal to those of 

 the Alps." 



It happened lately, near Tuskegee, Alabama, 

 that a celebrated wolf, which had left one of his 

 feet in a trap, and was yet the terror of the 

 neighborhood, was by some means captured 

 alive. The owner of two dogs of redoubtable 

 strength and ferocity maiutaiue'd that, for a wa- 



ger, one of his dogs should master the wolf— 

 and they were accordingly brought together; 

 but he soon saw that his dog was overmatched,' 

 and, abusing his power and forgetting or tramp- 

 ling on the right, as man will ever do, he turned 

 in the second dog, when the gallant wolf was 

 dispatched with as little mercy as he had shown 

 to his victims. 





BOXER — The English Cattle or Sheep Dog. 



RO.SE — A Scotch Colley Slut. 



The above were imported by B. Gates, of 

 Gap Grove, Lee Co. Illinois ; and were selected 

 with great care in Europe. The Colley is much 

 better known in this countrj- than the English 

 breed, which is a heavier dog. uniting strength 

 ■with intelligence, and therefore better adapted 

 to protect from wolves or sheep-killing dogs. — 

 Yet he would not be able to conquer the Large 

 Gray Wolf alone; but those are not often met 

 with, unless in parts thinly populated. Our 

 greatest enemy in Illinois is the Prairie Wolf, 

 which is numerous. 



Much has already been written on the intelli- 

 gence of the Scotch Colley. My opinion is that 

 the English " Butcher's Dog" is no way lacking 

 on that point. Any reader who has visited 

 Smithfield Market in London, on Monday or 

 Friday, will, no doubt, liave formed the same 

 opinion. There you have an opportunity of see- 

 ing a number of the.«e usei'ul animals at their 

 work. It would, in fact, be almost impossible 

 to conduct this Market without their aid. There 

 a vast number of diflerent flocks arc brought for 



sale from all parts of the country, to supply this 

 great Metropolis, and are collected in the small- 

 est possible space. The difficulty of keeping 

 them from mingling with others falls principally 

 on the dog. If one slips away, or a particular 

 one wished to be caught, it is pointed out to him 

 and is returned back, or held till the owner 

 takes it — the dog always holding them by the 

 side of the head, so as not to bruise the body. — 

 By a word, or motion of the hand, they will run 

 over the backs of the sheep, to stop them or turn 

 them in a difl'crent direction. I have often ad- 

 mired with astonishment their quick and intelli- 

 gent actions. They appear to read the thoughts 

 of their master by his countenance, for their eye 

 is continually on his, or the flock. Nothing else 

 can attract his attention when he has work to 

 perform, and at times I have thought he acted 

 with more judgment than the owner. 



Having had some experience in the unpleas- 

 ant task of walking two or three miles for the 

 cattle or sheep, after a fatiguing day's work in 

 the harvest, field, I was determined, if possible, 

 to obtain one of the.se labor-saving animals, and 

 let him take that part — as I have often known 



