130 BRITISH QUADRUPEDS. 



remote periods of antiquity, that the noble qualities of 

 these creatures, as displayed in more favourable cir- 

 cumstances, were sometimes appreciated. While most 

 other animals fear man as an enemy, here appears one 

 that regards him as a companion, and even after long- 

 continued absence remembers him as a friend. Nearly 

 three thousand years ago, Homer celebrated the attach- 

 ment of Argus, the dog of Ulysses. Aged, and left 

 neglected in the public ways, he recognized his master 

 after the lapse of twenty years, strove in vain to crawl 

 and kiss his feet, and died while gazing on the object 

 of his affection. From that time to the present, the 

 value of the dog has been very commonly acknowledged 

 by all ranks of the people. And no wonder, when in- 

 stances of canine sagacity and fidelity are so numerous. 

 They abound in all our books of Natural History ; but 

 some of them must now be given, as we consider dogs 

 of different species, avoiding those which are most likely 

 to be known to many of the readers of this volume. 



THE MASTIFF. 



This powerful dog is considered as belonging to a 

 truly English breed. The ground colour is generally a 



