The Great Dane. 335 



Again it is not unusual for the Dane to be 

 trained to find truffles, a well known edible fungus 

 which grows underground. 



A friend of mine who has kept the variety for 

 years, and still owns some exceedingly fine specimens, 

 says the Dane appears to have a peculiar dislike to 

 pigs of any kind, and coming across either one 

 or a '' sounder" is pretty certain to lay himself out 

 to attack them. This scarcely gives the impression 

 that he has had any connection with Ireland, where 

 the pig is so common. 



As special attention has been called to the Great 

 Dane as a companion, allusion to that dog belonging 

 to Prince Bismarck may not be out of place ; still 

 Tyras, the dog, was, in his palmy days, not a very 

 much greater favourite than his master came to be 

 later on. Maybe, the happiness of two countries 

 was on at least one occasion placed in jeopardy by 

 the action of the German Chancellor's hound. It 

 has been said that a somewhat spirited conversation 

 was proceeding between Bismarck and the Russian 

 Prime Minister Gortschakoff. The latter, gesticu- 

 lating rather more violently than usual, led Tyras, 

 who lay reposing on the rug, to suspect an attack 

 on his master, so, springing at the proud Russian, 

 he brought him to the floor. Apologies were profuse 

 and accepted. Prince Gortschakoff was not bitten. 



