DETERMINATION OF AGE. 177 



pursuits which afforded him so much pleasure in earlier 

 years. As a rule, the smaller breeds are the longest-lived. 



Dogs, like human beings, improve in judgment with 

 advancing years, become more staid, and prefer quiet ob- 

 servation to activity. Like men, too, they show grayness 

 about the head and face, though, as in the human subject, 

 this sometimes appears early and as an hereditary trait. 



The age at which a dog ceases to be useful or to enjoy 

 life will depend largely on inherited stamina, and especially 

 the care he has been given. The dog is an animal in 

 which maturity, both physical and psychical, is speedily 

 attained, decline rapid, and life short. His is a brief, in- 

 tense career. He lives much though not long ; the tide 

 of his life is rapid and full, but evanescent. 



