a:secdotk8.] 



Foil MOUNTAIN, FIELU, AND FAUM. 



[ankcdotkb. 



tlicm both out fastened to2;etlier; when nc:nin, 

 on terra fuma, thev Ibuijht ili'spi'ratoly for half- 

 an-hoiir, niutunlly sopiinUing to ilniw brcnth ; 

 then the otter took advantage of this pause, and 

 made for the brook a£»ain. The dog, by this 

 time, was dreaiifully hiccrated — his noao and 

 lips cut througl), and otherwise bruised. The 

 man perceiving this, took up a hedge-stake, 

 and gave the otter a severe blow on tlie head. 

 Tho dog then went at liim again, the man oc- 

 casionallv assisting with his stick ; and between 

 them both the otter waa killed, after an hour'a 

 hard lighting. It was a formidable-looking 

 animal, and measured, from tho nose to the tail, 

 3ft. lOin. 



It is to be regretted that an animal possessed 

 of such generous impulses, however, is some- 

 times found to act contrary to all expectation. 

 The following is an instance of this, and places 

 the mastiff, on this occasion, in a very unfa- 

 vourable point of view : — A lady, of some pro- 

 pertv, residing in the Rue des Vignes, at Vau- 

 girard, was possessed of a huge mastiff, which, 

 being verv sa>rage, had to be kept constantly 

 chained up, but which she prized because it; 

 had belonged to her late husband. One morn- 

 ing, according to custom, she took the animal 

 his food, but he seemed more indocile than 

 usual, and she gave him a beating. "Watching 

 an opportunity, he suddenly rushed on her, 

 threw her dowu^ dragged off the greater part 

 of her clothes, and bit her dreadfully in the 

 breast, arm, and one of the legs ; in fact, tear- 

 ing away fragments of the flesh. The lady's 

 cries attracted some of the neighbours to the 

 spot, and they rescued her. Although suffer- 

 ing dreadfully, and faint from loss of blood, she 

 requested tliem to strangle the animal. They 

 accordingly passed a cord round the dog's 

 neck, and removing his coUar, prepared to 

 effect the operation ; but he tugged so vio- 

 lently at the cord that he broke it, and rushed 

 towards the room into whicli the lady had been 

 conveyed. Tiie door was closed on him, and 

 he tried to force it open, but failed. On this, 

 barking furiously, he rushed towards the people, 

 "who remained in the court-yard; but they were 

 able to escape by the door, and to close it. 

 The commissary of police, who had been sent 

 for, now arrived, accompanied by some gen- 

 darmes, nw(\ he made them kill tlie animal. Med- 

 ical assistance having been obtained tor the 



unfortunate lady, it was found that nho wos in 

 a fearful stato. Tho dog was, after »leuth, ex- 

 amined by a veterinary Hur;,'eoii, and he de- 

 clared that he wa.s neitlier mud iior labouring 

 under any maliuly. 11 (i lui'tiier declared that, 

 in his belief, the animal must havo had a sort 

 of instinctive hatred of his mistress, and must 

 have been driven to fury by her beating him. 



jVIr. llichardson gives the following interest- 

 ing account of a Newfoundland dog, which be- 

 longed to a gentleman in Fifeshire, and which 

 was alike remarkable for its tractability and its 

 trustworthiness. At two other points, distant 

 about a mile from each other, and at the same 

 distance from this gentleman's mansion, there 

 were two other dogs, of great power, but of 

 less tractable breeds thau the Newt'ouiidland. 

 One of these was a large mastiff, kept as a 

 watch-dog, by a farmer; and the other a staunch 

 bulldog, that kept guard over the parish mill. 

 As each of these three was lord-ascendant of 

 all animals at his master's residence, they all 

 had a good deal of aristocratic pride and pug- 

 nacity ; so that two of them seldom met with- 

 out attempting to settle their respective digni- 

 ties by a wager of battle. 



The Newfoundland was of some service in 

 other domestic arrangements, besides his guar- 

 dianship of the house; for every forenoon he 

 was sent to the baker's shop in the village, 

 about half a mile distant, with a towel contain- 

 ing money in the corner, and he returned with 

 the value of the money in bread. There were 

 many useless and not over-civil curs in the 

 village ; but, on ordinary occasions, the haughty 

 Newroundland treated this ignoble race in that 

 contemptuous style in which great dogs are 

 wont to treat little ones. When the dog re- 

 turned from the baker's shop he used to be 

 regularlv served with his dinner, and he went 

 peaceably on house-duty for the rest of the 

 day. 



One dav, however, he returned with his coat 

 dirtied, and his ears scratched; havnig been 

 subjected to a combined attack of the curs, 

 whi e he had charge of his towel and bread, 

 and could not defend himself. Instead of wait- 

 ing for his dinner as usual, he laid down his 

 charge somewhat sulkily, and marched off; and, 

 upon looking after him, it was observed that 

 he was crossing the intervening huliow in a 

 strai-'ht line for the house of the farmer, or 



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