THE COUNTRY HOME [chapter 



markable than the domestication of animals — ani- 

 mals plucked out of wildness, and in most cases 

 ferocity, and made members of our households. 



The collie dog is perhaps the nearest to a reason- 

 ing being that we have developed, yet he comes 

 directly from the wolf. My collie talks to me, and, 

 while it is not English, it is a cosmopolitan speech 

 that embraces the better part of English. She 

 knows my needs, comprehends the boundaries of 

 my property, can distinguish our animals from 

 others, and is possessed of a sense of responsibility 

 for their welfare. More than this, she comprehends 

 many things that I do not. At seven o'clock ex- 

 actly, without waiting for the clock to strike the 

 hour, she starts to see if our workmen are all on 

 time. If all is right she wags her tail, and turns 

 away to other dog-duties. Her observing facul- 

 ties have reached the highest development, appar- 

 ently under Pestalozzian influence somewhere. She 

 observes not only with the nicest accuracy, but she 

 draws conclusions with a certainty that is human, 

 or more than human. She has brought along the 

 sharp-witted outlook of her wolf progenitors, but 

 education has biased all this into lines of protective 

 good-will. It is a case of conversion from malevo- 



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