DOGS! THEIR MANAGEMENT. 385 



mind, become hopeless ; but as I walked, I could not for- 

 bear thinking of that which had occupied most of my 

 attention during the day. The different instruments 

 employed to facilitate the labors of different animals 

 passed in review before me ; but some were not applica- 

 ble to the dog, and others could not be manufactured 

 with sufficient speed to benefit my present patient. The 

 crochet, used with such power by the human practitioner, 

 seemed the one most likely to avail ; indeed, it had often 

 before occurred to me, that an adaptation of this instrument 

 would, in our hands, be of infinite service ; and, after I 

 had dismissed my class, I hurried to procure what I had 

 conceived would be useful. Mr. Perry, to whom I applied, 

 had a human crotchet in his shop, and this he consented to 

 alter according to my directions. I stayed till the altera- 

 tions were completed, and by eleven at night reached 

 home, to put the adaptation of the crotchet to the test. It 

 answered beyond my utmost expectation, and I was ena- 

 bled to bring away the whole of the contents of the womb 

 with comparative ease. Four pups were extracted ; and 

 while I compared them with the little animal from which 

 they had been removed, it required the evidence of my 

 senses to convince me that the disproportioned mass had 

 been forced through the narrow passage of the Italian 

 greyhound's vagina. The pups were all dead. Each 

 bore the well-marked character of the Russian, and by 

 their size indicated their sire : nor was that size decreased 

 by their having been retained a week beyond their usual 

 period. 



" So far my labor was accomplished ; but the appear- 

 ance of the bitch indicated that all had been done to 

 little purpose. The pulse began to decrease in number, 

 and, nevertheless, continued hard and jerking the eyes 

 became fixed the jaw closed the head pendulous and 



17 



