300 DOGS : THEIR MANAGEMENT. 



flew at the burning mass, pulled out the live coals, and in 

 his fury scrunched them. He emits the most hideons 

 cries. The noise he makes is incessant and peculiar. It 

 begins as a bark, which sound, being too torturing to be 

 continued, is quickly changed to a howl, which is sud- 

 denly cut short in the middle ; and so the poor wretch at 

 last falls, fairly worn out by a terrible disease. 



But now comes the question, How do we know that 

 rabies is a nervous disease 1 Why, the whole course of 

 the disorder declares it, or if that be not thought suffi- 

 cient, the dog at one stage very distinctly announces it. 

 He may be sitting down, an unwilling listener to his mas- 

 ter's voice, when the brute's eyes will wander ; and at 

 length fix themselves upon some object at a distance, 

 which it will keep watching, crouching down as the hor- 

 ror seems, to the excited brain of the poor beast, to draw 

 near ; till, having apparently come within bounds, the 

 hateful presence is no longer to be endured, and the 

 vision-haunted animal dashes forward with a howl of exe- 

 cration, as if to seize and tear the terrible spectre. This 

 action being performed, and the dog biting the air, he 

 stands for a moment, shivers, looks stupidly around him, 

 and slinks back. What is this but a power of seeing 

 visions depending on a disordered brain, or positive deli- 

 rium exemplified by a dumb creature ? And the same 

 piece of pantomime the dog may go through fifty times 

 in an hour. No disappointment can teach him ; and 

 experience is lost upon the animal that in his sane state 

 was so quick to learn. 



