CH. XIV.] 



JESSE'S OPINION. 



243 



his amusing work on Dogs a book likely to convince the most 

 sceptical, that few among us give the canine race credit for half the 

 sagacity and intelligence with which they are really endowed. He 

 asserts, and I, for one, fully agree with him, " that there is not a 

 faculty of the human mind, of which some evident proof of its 

 existence may not be found in dogs. Thus," he says, " we find 

 them possessed of memory, imagination, curiosity, cunning, revenge, 

 ingenuity, gratitude, devotion or affection, and other qualities." 



432. To this list he ought to have added jealousy : only this year 

 I heard of a stronger instance of it than I could have imagined 

 possible. Walking near Devonport, I met a man with two small 

 dogs ; one was evidently a foreigner. Apologising for the abrupt- 

 ness of the question, I inquired from what country the animal 

 came. " From Japan." I then asked whether he had ever bred 

 from the other dog, a most varmint-looking, wiry little terrier ; he 

 replied that she was three years old, and had never had but one 

 pup, which, because he was fondling it, she had deliberately killed 

 that very morning, although it was six weeks old, and she was still 

 nursing it. I cannot say that she manifested either sorrow for its 



him but the little fellow (seem- 

 ingly) in a deep slumber, he laid 

 himself down to continue his siesta. 

 After a while the young tormentor 

 cautiously peered round ; when 

 satisfied that his friend was again 

 in the arms of " Mr. Murphy," he 

 repeated the disagreeable twitch 

 with yet greater success, the old 

 chap becoming this time delight- 

 fully puzzled. 



A third time the little rascal, 

 after the same precautions as be- 

 fore, endeavoured to play off his 

 trick, but he was foiled at his 

 own weapons. The old gentleman 

 suspecting him, had cunningly 

 pretended to be asleep ; and on the 

 small paw quietly approaching his 

 sensitive loins, he jumped up 

 seized the culprit in the very fact, 

 and forthwith gave him a drub- 

 bing that taught him more re- 

 spectful manners during the 

 remainder of the voyage. 



But to return for a moment to 

 foxes. A story is told in the 



family of Mr. C s E n (286) 



of the sagacity of these animals, 

 to which he gives implicit cre- 

 dence. Adjacent to their old 

 family house stands a yet older 



high tower, the summit of which 

 commands an extensive view of 

 the surrounding country, and con- 

 sequently of the several rides lead- 

 ing to the building. From this 

 elevated position his grandfather 

 was one morning watching the 

 hounds drawing some neighbour- 

 ing covers, when he saw a fox 

 steal away unobserved, and hide 

 himself in a few furze-bushes. The 

 pack passed by at some distance 

 from him, and Monsieur Reynard 

 must have begun congratulating 

 himself upon his escape, when to 

 his horror he perceived two lag- 

 ging skirters approaching his place 

 of concealment. Instead of break- 

 ing away in an opposite direction, 

 he at once went forth to greet 

 them, lay down, playfully wag- 

 ging his tail, and gave them a 

 pressing, and doubtless sincere, 

 invitation to join in a game of 

 romps. The ruse was successful. 

 The hounds came up, paid him the 

 compliment of sniffing at him as 

 he rolled on his back humbly 

 admitting his inferiority, and then 

 cantered off to join their com- 

 panions. Upon this, Pug at once 

 retreated to his first covert. 

 R 2 



