680 ^ THE DOG. 



work the bellows, which he did with zeal, watching with im- 

 patience for the signal to begin. The little dogs taught 

 to turn spits, before the modern refinement of jacks, used 

 to attend at the minute when the cook was ready, and set 

 themselves to work the wheel without a murmur. The dogs 

 of waggoners, fastened to the carriage, will be seen, pulling 

 with all their force, from morning to night. Many of us 

 have seen the dogs which are harnessed to little trucks and 

 carriages, dragging their load along through mud and clouds 

 of dust, with unceasing ardour and seeming enjoyment. In 

 the towns of Holland these curious little teams may be seen 

 in almost every street, the dogs sleek, fat, and seemingly con- 

 tented. It may be suggested to politicians of our own coun- 

 try, who are ready to put down these harmless vehicles by 

 Act of Parliament, that if they are to legislate for the pro- 

 tection of dogs, it should be for those which they themselves 

 cause to be deprived of freedom of motion, chained to posts 

 at the doors of their mansions, and compelled to linger out 

 a miserable life in captivity, rather than for those which are 

 permitted to exercise their natural powers for our service. 



The Dog has the sense of sight in a degree sufficient to 

 see objects well in the dark. He can discriminate colours, 

 although we do not know what feelings the impression of the 

 different colours excites. If a set of little light balls be 

 each coloured, as black, red, blue, green, a dog, taught to 

 carry, will bring the black, the red, the blue, or the green, 

 as he may be directed by the voice, so that he not only dis- 

 tinguishes colours, but associates them with sounds. It is 

 even said that the dog has been taught to carry coloured 

 letters to specified houses or places according to the colour 

 of each. If this be so, it renders conceivable the singular 

 accounts that have been given of dogs having been taught to 

 distinguish certain cards in a pack, and even to play certain 

 simple mechanical games. The tricks that dogs can be 

 taught by jugglers are very remarkable, after making every 

 allowance for the deception practised by the juggler himself, 



