CHARACTER OF THE DOG. 37 



authority intimates, let us not inquire too closely 

 into the sources of her tranquility. Let us rather 

 go back to Ponto, whom we left quietly eating 

 his dinner. 



Well he repays, by a lifetime of fidelity, all the 

 care which you may bestow upon him. What- 

 ever class of dogs he may belong to, according to 

 his capacity, he will studiously contribute to your 

 interests or your sports. 



He is invaluable to the sportsman and the 

 agriculturist, and the careful housekeeper will 

 hardly sleep sound o' nights, unless Towser be 

 loose in the yard. 



He is fond of fun, too, and really epicurean in 

 his mode of seeking comfort. Much he prizes a 

 snug, warm lodging in winter, and a perfect lux- 

 ury it is to see him enjoying a roll upon the 

 sunny sod on some cool, clear day in the fall, 

 when the north-west wind is stripping the trees, 

 and the plaintive calls of the covey, scattered, 

 perhaps, by the hawk, are heard over by the 

 stubble-field. 



It is a pleasant thing, too, to see him lying 

 close in the woods, watching your eye as you 

 stand, while the last rays of the setting sun red- 

 den the solemn trunks, and still communing 

 with autumn, you feel, as it were, the breath of 

 3 



