THOMAS ANDREW KNIGHT, ESQ. 59 



sound knowledge of the vital actions of plants, founded on phi- 

 losophical investigation, and his skilful adaptation of the ex- 

 ternal forces by which they are regulated. 



The following extracts from various letters of Mr. Knight's 

 will serve further to illustrate his views on various questions 

 connected with the habits of domesticated animals. 



" The observations of your sporting friend, that dogs which 

 have not been regularly and well fed will bury their superfluous 

 food, is well founded ; but perhaps it had been more correctly 

 applied, if he had extended it to families of dogs ; for I do not 

 think that the descendant of a long succession of parlour and 

 lap dogs would do this, though he were not well fed ; and I 

 entertain very little doubt that the offspring of a breed which 

 through successive generations had been ill fed, would hide his 

 superfluous food, though he had been well and regularly fed. 



" I have been struck with astonishment to see to what an 

 extent the offspring of a breed of Norfolk water-dogs, which 

 they there call Retriever, would do spontaneously, what their 

 parents had been taught to do, of which I could give many 

 instances. 



" If you contrast the various actions of the different families of 

 dogs, the truffle-hunter the fox-hunter the pointer setter 

 springing-spaniel shepherd's dog bull-dog the silent 

 South-sea dog, with the native manners of the wild type, the 

 wolf, we shall not wonder at many irregularities in the actions 

 of different families of domesticated animals of the same 

 species." 



" I think if the habits of any two families of the same species 

 of domesticated animals were attentively watched and compared, 

 great diversities of action would be observable. If we were to 

 draw our conclusions respecting the sagacity of the horse from 

 observations of the actions of a Welsh mountaineer pony, we 

 should pronounce that species of animal to be singularly saga- 

 cious in distinguishing a bog from sound ground. He knows 



