IN SEASON. 219 



entered the third year. The larger breeds are, as a rule, 

 the last to mature, and but very few of them have done 

 so before they are two years old, while many are still 

 growing even at their thirtieth month. Yet there are 

 toys, Italian greyhounds and Maltese terriers for instance, 

 that are only a little in advance of the big ones, for they 

 are not mature until two years old, and some are still 

 developing several months afterward. Individuals also 

 vary, and while a breed may generally have matured at 

 the age of two years, oftentimes members are still on the 

 way even when two and a half years old. 



In some bitches there is a slight change of demeanor 

 as they are about to come in season, characterized by rest- 

 lessness and an increased show of affection, but the 

 earliest conclusive sign of that peculiar condition is a 

 sanguineous discharge, which deepens in color during the 

 first twenty-four or forty-eight hours, when it lightens a 

 little and usually becomes bright red and of the consist- 

 ency of blood that has been several times diluted. This 

 generally persists with but little variation, except it may 

 be of darker color in some instances, for five or six days, 

 when the color begins to fade, and by the tenth or 

 eleventh day from its first appearance the discharge has 

 merely a slight reddish tinge, which generally entirely 

 disappears in the course of a day or two. 



The mucous membrane lining the passage from which 

 this issues is invariably more or less congested and red- 

 dened. In many cases, also, there is considerable swell- 

 ing or puffiness of the outer parts ; and this is the rule 

 with young bitches, but with those that have borne several 

 litters there is generally a little less swelling than at the 

 first season, while in occasional instances it is so slight it 

 might easily escape notice. 



When the swelling is present it remains hard and tense 



