352 UNDERSTANDING OF HUMAN LANGUAGE. 



tions it instantly awakens, sometimes produces an effect that 

 appears, by reason of its suddenness, almost magical. Thus 

 the mention of the mere word ' rat ' to a true, professional 

 rat-catching terrier sets it on the qui vive at once ; it becomes 

 on the instant all alive and alert, its tail vibrating with the 

 joys or excitements of anticipation. Again, of a certain 

 dog that very much disliked cooked fowl as an article of 

 dinner diet, its master writes, ' If we spoke of it in his hear- 

 ing we missed him for hours,' and it was subsequently found 

 that he went 011 such occasions for his dinner to the house of 

 some intimate friends of the family, who, when they saw 

 the dog, knew at once what the fare with us would be ' 

 ('Animal World'). 



The dog becomes also a very keen and successful student 

 of man's physiognomy. It carefully scans or examines his 

 countenance in order to the detection of its earliest clouds 

 or sunshine. If it sees its master's face covered with 

 frowns, it infers anger and expects kicks an inference and 

 anticipation that lead it quietly to get out of the way. If, 

 on the other hand, it meets smiles or laughs, it greets its 

 master joyously in its own way, reflecting and reciprocating 

 his good humour. Should tears unexpectedly appear, it 

 offers sympathy and condolence in forms as eloquent and 

 unmistakable as man himself can use to brother man. In 

 coining by such means to a conclusion how far it has reason 

 to fear or to trust man, the dog is very much on a footing 

 with the child (Darwin). It may be said to read equally 

 well its master's smiles and frowns, laughter and tears, the 

 language of his eye, lips, and head-movements a reading 

 that implies a wonderfully just estimate of man's temper, 

 mood, or feeling. 



' Performing ' dogs, or other specially trained animals, 

 understand and act upon signs or signals from their masters, 

 which pass unnoticed by on-lookers. Thus smuggling dogs 

 understand the significance of man's danger signals; and ap- 

 propriate action follows in the form, for instance, of flight or 

 concealment (' Percy Anecdotes'). 



Other intelligent dogs, such as the sheap-stealing collie 

 and the poodle, can be taught to execute man's secret orders, 



