THE SHEPHERD'S DOG. 295 



in of the poison, and as careful a rubbing out again, together with the drawback of a 

 muzzle on the poor Dog's mouth for three or four days, to prevent him from licking 

 his irritated skin. 



One very safe and very quick remedy is the " Persian Insect-destroying Powder," 

 which has almost a magical effect, and is perfectly harmless to the Dog. 



The best mode of applying this remedy is, first to dust the Dog well with the sub- 

 stance until every portion of him has received a few particles of the powder, and then 

 to put him into a strong canvas bag, in which a small handful of the powder has been 

 placed and shaken about well, so as to distribute it equally over the interior of the bag. 

 Leave his head protruding from the bag, and put on his head and neck a linen cap, in 

 which are holes for his nose and eyes, and let the interior of the cap be well treated 

 with the powder. Lay him on the ground, and let him tumble about as much as he 

 chooses, the more the better. In an hour or two let him out of the bag, and scrub his 

 coat well the wrong way with a stiff brush. 



If, during this operation, the Dog be placed on a sheet, or any white substance, it will 

 be covered with dead and dying insects, and if the contents of the bag be emptied upon 

 the white cloth, the number of moribund parasites will be rather astonishing. In a week 

 or so the operation should be repeated, in order to destroy the creatures that have 

 been produced from the unhatched eggs that always resist the powers of the de- 

 structive powder. I have personally tried the experiment, and have found the results 

 to be invariably successful. The same substance is equally useful in freeing birds from 

 their chief pest, the red mite, and is of deadly efficacy in the immolation of certain 

 insects that are too often found in human houses. 



THE MOST useful variety of the canine species is that sagacious creature on whose 

 talent and energy depends the chief safety of the flock. 



This animal seems to be, as far as can be judged from appearances, the original 

 ancestor of the true British Dogs, and preserves its peculiar aspect in almost every 

 country in Europe. It is a rather large Dog, as is necessary, in order to enable the 

 animal to undergo the incessant labor which it is called on to perform, and is possessed 

 of limbs sufficiently large and powerful to enable it to outrun the truant members of the 

 flock, who, if bred on the mountain-side, are so swift and agile that they would readily 

 baffle the efforts of any Dog less admirably fitted by nature for the task of keeping 

 them together. 



As the sheep-dog is constantly exposed to the weather, it needs the protection of 

 very thick and closely-set fur, which, in this Dog, is rather woolly in its character, and 

 is especially heavy about the neck and breast. The tail of the Sheep-dog is naturally 

 long and bushy, but is generally removed in early youth, on account of the now obsolete 

 laws, which refused to acknowledge any Dog as a Sheep-dog, or to exempt it from the 

 payment of a tax, unless it were deprived of its tail. This law, however, often defeated 

 its own object, for many persons who liked the sport of coursing, and cared little for 

 appearances, used to cut off the tails of their greyhounds, and evade the tax by de- 

 scribing them as Sheep-dogs. 



The muzzle of this Dog is sharp, its head is of moderate size, its eyes are very bright 

 and intelligent, as might be expected in an animal of so much sagacity and ready 

 resource in time of need. Its feet are strongly made, and sufficiently well protected 

 to endure severe work among the harsh steins of the heather on the hills, or the sharply- 

 cutting stones of the high-road. Probably on account of its constant exercise in the open 

 air, and the hardy manner in which it is brought up, the Sheep-dog is perhaps the most 

 untiring of our domesticated animals. 



There are many breeds of this animal, differing from each other in color and aspect, 

 and deriving their varied forms from the Dog with which the family has been crossed. 

 Nearly all the sporting Dogs are used for this purpose, so that some Sheep-dogs have 

 something of the pointer nature in them, others of the foxhound, and others of the 

 setter. This last cross is the most common. Together with the outward form the 

 creature inherits much of the sporting predilections of its ancestry, and is capable of 

 being trained into a capital sporting Dog. 



