326 THE BOOK OF THE Doc. 



The large paws and strong crooked fore legs are admirably adapted for working underground, 

 while the length of head and neck combined enable the dog effectually to protect his 

 feet when the quarry is reached, be he badger or fox ; and put a Dachshund to either he 

 will give a good account of himself. I write of the working Dachshund. 



" There are some specimens of the breed which have never been educated, or that have 

 been kept merely as pets, which would not look at a mouse even, but are for all sporting 

 purposes quite useless. 



"The dog I mean, properly bred and trained, is capable of affording sport ad libitum, 

 whether in the open or in the covert. For courage or pluck I will back them against 

 any breed. 



" Cats they do not stand on any ceremony with, and I will give an instance. Some 

 time ago we were fearfully overrun with cats, some of which came from great distances after 

 the chickens, and often carried off full-grown bantam fowls ; and one summer afternoon my little 

 bitch Vixen hunted a very large Tom to bay in a stone quarry in my grounds. The hole or 

 fissure in the rock was scarcely large enough for a cat to turn in, and was about three 

 yards to the far end, and sloping upwards. Such a customer in such a corner was 

 not easy to dislodge, and not caring to risk Vixen's eyes at such terrible odds, I caught her, 

 and sent for my black-and-tan brood bitch Maud, 18 Ibs. weight, and turned her in. 

 There was not much noise, but in a few seconds the bitch backed out, bringing the cat 

 firmly gripped by the brisket, while the cat's claws and teeth were as firmly embedded ' in her 

 head and face, which I fully expected to see well ripped up by his hind claws ; but both rolled 

 down to the bottom of the quarry, the cat quite dead, and the bitch none the worse save a 

 few gashes on her head, the whole taking far less time than it does to relate it. 



"To give another instance of their power of jaw. I have had a little bitch only 15 Ibs. 

 weight turn a hedgehog out of a drain, and grip the prickly ball heedless of the spikes, and 

 crush it with as much ease seemingly as a Terrier does a rat, and make no bones, or rather 

 leave no bones whole, about it ; and I have never seen even a pup of a few months 

 old attempt to open the soft parts out before commencing the work of destruction. 

 Young ones will worry at a hedgehog, pull it about, and make a great noise; but a 

 staunch dog, though he may grumble a bit at the spikes, does not mind them ; nor when the 

 affair is over is there any bleeding at the mouth, unless some of the points penetrate between 

 the gum and the teeth. 



" For memory they are second to no other breed ; for an affront they take a lot 

 of coaxing to gain their friendship (two years ago my bitch Puzzle was troubled with 

 rheumatics, and I applied a stimulating liniment ; and for a whole twelve months afterwards 

 she carefully kept the width of the room between us) while, on the other hand, they never 

 forget any little kindness, nor do they require to be reminded who are their friends. 



"As another instance of their sagacity and retentive memory, some weeks previous to 

 the show at Birmingham in 1876, where my bitch puppy Dora was entered, and only six 

 months old, I was anxious to get a pair of her milk-teeth removed, and being very fast I 

 did not like to venture on the operation myself, but took her to the shop of a dental friend, 

 who removed them with very little trouble. 



" I had forgotten all about the affair when I called at the same shop some twelve months after- 

 wards. The little bitch was with me, but I missed her, and at last saw her skulking against a 

 wall about forty yards away ; and not being able to understand her movements, I called my 

 friend, who immediately remarked, ' Why, it 's the little dog I drew the teeth for, and she does 

 not care for the operation.' 



