CHINESE DOGS. 301 



LVIII. 



MY near neighbour, a young gentleman in the 

 service of the East India Company, has brought 

 home a dog and a bitch of the Chinese breed from 

 Canton ; such as are fattened in that country for 

 the purpose of being eaten : they are about the 

 size of a moderate spaniel ; of a pale yellow 

 colour, with coarse bristling hair on their backs ; 

 sharp upright ears, and peaked heads, which give 

 them a very fox-like appearance. Their hind 

 legs are unusually straight, without any bend at 

 the hock, or ham, to such a degree as to give 

 them an awkward gait when they trot. When 

 they are in motion, their tails are curved high 

 over their backs like those of some hounds, and 

 have a bare place each on the outside from the 

 tip midway, that does not seem to be matter of 

 accident, but somewhat singular. Their eyes 

 are jet-black, small, and piercing ; the insides of 

 their lips and mouths of the same colour, and 

 their tongues blue. The bitch has a dew-claw 

 on each hind leg ; the dog has none. When 

 taken out into a field, the bitch showed some 

 disposition for hunting, and dwelt on the scent 

 of a covey of partridges till she sprung them, 

 giving her tongue all the time. The dogs in 

 South America are dumb ; but these bark much 

 in a short, thick manner, like foxes ; and have a 

 surly, savage demeanour like their ancestors, 

 which are not domesticated, but bred up in sties, 

 where they are fed for the table with rice -meal 

 and other farinaceous food. These dogs, having 

 been taken on board as soon as weaned, could 

 not learn much from their dam ; yet they did not 

 relish flesh when they came to England. In the 



