5 10 THE BOOK of THE DOG. 



many more which almost always die from the effects. I have seen ten to twelve sheep dead 

 in a sheep-yard in the morning, and forty or fifty more severely bitten, the work of two dogs. 

 They bite with a snap, and if their hold gives go on to the next sheep, leaving generally a 

 ghastly wound. They are very cunning. I remember once in Queensland a large yard which 

 was divided into two parts in one part a flock of weaners which had been shorn early to get 

 rid of the grass-seed in the wool, and in the other division of the yard a flock of similar sheep 

 unshorn with a heavy fleece. For three nights in succession two native dogs came into the 

 yard where the woolly sheep were, and passed through into the adjoining yard, and killed the 

 sheep with no wool on, leaving the woolly ones unharmed. They could not get into the shorn 

 sheep-yard except through the woolly ones, but could see into it from the outside. The size 

 of the Dingo depends entirely on the ease with which he can get food. The largest I ever 

 saw were in Gippsland, Victoria, a county abounding at that time in kangaroo, wallabi, and 

 many other smaller animals, and they also got a great quantity of fish left by the tide in 

 rock-pools on the coast. In Gippsland, at that time, there were large herds of wild cattle ; 

 they came out on the open country from the timber to feed, and when they had young calves 

 with them, I have often been amused at the cunning way in which the dogs would get one. 

 They daren't attack them openly, because the mother would easily drive them off, so the two 

 dogs (they nearly always go in pairs, dog and bitch ; if you see more together it is generally 

 the last litter of pups) go as near as they dare, and commence playing about together, chasing 

 each other and rolling about like playful kittens. The stupid calves soon notice this, and 

 want to go and see what it is, but are generally stopped by the old cow. I have seen this 

 going on for hours, till at last a calf will get off unnoticed, and run up to the dogs ; they 

 are up in a moment, and have it by the throat ; the rest of the cattle come charging down at 

 once and drive the dogs away, but their end is gained, for if the unfortunate calf is not quite 

 dead it does not live very long after, and the dogs sit down at a respectable distance and wait 

 until the cattle go away, which must happen before long, then they proceed to eat the calf. 

 These dogs were, I should think, often 25 and 26 inches high. In other parts of the colonies 

 I have seen them very small, not more than 14 or 15 inches. This has been in parts where 

 game is not plentiful, and where they have also to travel very long distances for water. 

 When born they are very much like Collie pups, very thick fluffy wool on them of a deep 

 chocolate colour, with the tiniest bit of white on the tip of the tail, hardly discernible. They 

 are then very easy to domesticate, and will grow up and never want to go away, but they are 

 never to be trusted ; their nature makes them, if out of your sight (they will be quite good 

 while you are with them), take to worrying sheep and killing fowls. A Mr. Lyall, a squatter 

 near Melbourne, had two, I remember, who always followed him about, whether he was driving 

 in the buggy or riding. He had them some years, but always kept a close eye on them. 

 One day they gave him the slip, and went home to the station, and killed ten or twelve most 

 valuable imported rams, quite close to the house-door. If taken old they never get tame. 

 The blacks always have some of them in their camp just about half wild. They have a most 

 melancholy howl. The true Dingo does not bark, but you will sometimes hear one howl, 

 commencing with a sort of bark, but that is always in a place where you know there are 

 cross-bred ones. They seem to me to be able to ventriloquise in a fashion, as it is often very 

 hard to tell in what direction they are, and also how many of them there may be. If two 

 dogs are howling you will often think there are six or seven in different directions. I have 

 never known them attack a man, however hard pressed for food, although there are men to 

 be met with in the bush who will narrate fearful stories of being chased by them, like a pack 



