Useful Companions of Man. 85 



bone, heavy pendulous ears, full soft eyes, heavy feathered 

 legs, short tail. 



Competent judges of the collie will scarcely be satisfied 

 with some of the foregoing statements, notably those with 

 reference to the eyes being "widely apart," and "almond 

 shape." Surely the dog with such points would be an 

 oddity, and useless for his calHng. For other useful 

 strictures, the reader is referred to the monograph by 

 Dalziel.* 



The Smooth Collie is believed to be a separate 

 breed by many fanciers, who fail to see that he is the 

 facsimile of the rough-coated dog. His points except the 

 coat are the same, and he therefore needs no special 

 comment. Puppies of the smooth variety are not 

 infrequently met with in the litters of rough-coated 

 collies, over which every care has been exercised. There 

 are, however, two varieties of this dog, which are as 

 widely different in their capabiHties as in their outward 

 conformation. In his natural place the former is trained 

 for work among the sheep of the bleak Highland regions, 

 about which he proceeds with a dignity and grace 

 unknown in the other. The Lowland dog finds his 

 service commonly among cows, and he lacks the energy 

 and experience of his aristocratic rival of the Highlands. 

 The head of the Highland collie, taken as a whole, is a 

 perfect study ; the set of the ears, and the intelligent 

 gaze of his eyes combine in assuring you " the dog kens 

 what ye are talkin' aboot, and what ye are thinkin' aboot 

 tae."' The slightest utterance, or movement of the hand 

 is ample for his quick intelligence, and he bounds away 

 with the speed of the antelope. His attachment to his 

 master is based on his special intelligence, for in this 

 respect he is above all other dogs. We have known a 

 collie to follow his master hundreds of miles, taking his 

 place on the steamboats, visiting the usual places of call, 

 and after an unsuccessful search in distant towns, return 

 home by the same route, tired, hungry, and almost 

 prostrate; and on meeting the object of his solicitude, 



* " The Collie." London : E. Upcott Gill, 



