176 With Feet to the Earth 



the top while I enjoyed the view ; and he 

 enjoyed it, studying the terrible pitch-off, 

 where the Indian girl went down, with 

 more interest than he showed in the hills 

 that tumbled along the distance. Some 

 animals do not see far, and, indeed, I think 

 most quadrupeds are near-sighted. Their 

 hearing is better, but even there they are 

 not accurate, for I have known a dog to be 

 kept busy for a whole hour barking at the 

 echo of his own voice. He thought it was 

 a rival. Sassingers and I had several in- 

 structive conversations. He followed me 

 almost to the door of a tavern, where I 

 was to prime him royally with meats, and 

 disappeared under my nose. 



Another dog, a wheezy veteran, adopted 

 me in the Catskills, and was always hump- 

 ing up at me to be scratched. Dogs have 

 a " fiddle spot" on their backs that when 

 rubbed or patted affects a sympathetic 

 nerve and makes them scratch at vacancy 

 with a hind leg. Cats have a similar place 

 at the base of the ear. Horses have it on 

 their backs and flanks, and one plug used 

 to wobble so in his hind legs when the 



