CROPPING. 295 



to a very dangerous length, the same might be given by the mouth 

 with advantage, in very mild doses. 



From a wish to rear too many young ones, persons are apt to 

 overload the mother ; and thereby they often lose both parent and 

 progeny. The mother seldom shews the effect of the overbur- 

 thening at first ; but as the whelps begin to increase, and to require 

 more supply, her constitution becomes impaired, and the usual 

 marks of rapid exhaustion, convulsions, make their appearance. 

 See this subject fully described, with the medical treatment of it, 

 under the article Epilepsy, It is evident, therefore, that judg- 

 ment should be exercised in this particular ; and that the mother 

 should have no more young left to be suckled by her than her 

 constitutional powers are equal to. Such as are strong, healthy, 

 and have before brought up young, may find supply for four or 

 five : delicate ones are sufficiently burthened with three ; many 

 can only bear two : but in all cases feed the suckling bitch well, 

 both for her own sake, and the future health, strength, size, and 

 perfection of form of the young. 



CROPPING. 



This custom is one that does not honour the inventor ; it may 

 be readily asserted, that nature gives nothing in vain. Beauty and 

 utility appear in all, but in unequal degrees : in some beauty is 

 pre-eminent ; while in others utility appears to have been the prin- 

 cipal consideration. That must, therefore, be a false taste which 

 has taught us to prefer a curtailed organ to a perfect one, without 

 gaining any convenience by the operation : the custom being, 

 however, now fixed, directions are proper for its performance. 

 Young dogs should not be cropped before the fourth or fifth week 

 of their age : when the ears are cut earlier, they sprout again, and 

 the form of the crop cannot be so well directed as when the ear is 

 more developed. It is a barbarous custom to twist them off by 

 swinging the dog round, and the crop never succeeds so well as 

 when made by scissors, which should be large and sharp. In 



