SIGHT 



A DOG'S sight hardly plays so important a part 

 in canine life as do scent and hearing ; yet, 

 .inferior as the eye would seem in some respects, 

 it yet excels in others. It may be observed in the case 

 of any dog that he only recognizes his master or any 

 person he is acquainted with at a distance of at most 

 20 metres. If either my old sheep-dog or Lola 

 come to meet me they do not see first at all that there 

 is a person standing on the road. If one moves, the 

 dog will then recognize at a distance of some 50 metres, 

 that a human being is in front of it the movements 

 being responsible for this. Then, when one gets 

 within 10 or 20 metres, the cautious and critical aspect 

 changes, and the dog will rush forward in joyous 

 welcome. This is enough to show that in comparison 

 to our sight, theirs is inferior ; and there are dogs 

 that see even much worse than in the case just cited. 

 To test this it is well to stand against the wind, other- 

 wise the dog scents what it cannot see. It is the 

 same case with game. At the distance, therefore, the 

 canine eye does not seem quick of sight, but it becomes 

 all the sharper at close quarters. Here the swift 

 glance and good memory far out-strip our own equip- 

 ment. 



It was conspicuous from the beginning both in 

 counting and spelling that Lola was able to learn 

 and memorize in a surprisingly short time. Lola's 

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