INSTINCT OF DOGS. 137 



he would both acquire sense and tact in half the time, and 

 would not give half the trouble either by shyness or sulki- 

 ness ; whereas it will generally be found, that a kennel-dog 

 is long past his best before he excels in that sagacity on 

 the moor which so greatly assists him in finding game. 

 Even the veriest village-cur, when kindly treated and 

 permitted to bask at the " ingle-nook," will learn all sorts 

 of tricks, many of them requiring as much reflection as the 

 most intricate duties of the shepherd's dog. I had a little 

 cocker, reared in a cottage, that of its own accord, when 

 only seven months old, brought in the post-bag, thrown 

 down by the mail in passing. The person who had charge 

 of it, having been detained a little, was astonished to see 

 the bag safely deposited in the house ; and, upon watching 

 next day, saw the little creature marching along with its 

 load. It had seen the bag carried in once or twice, and 

 immediately learned to do so. 



I do not mean to deny that some varieties of the dog 

 may excel others in sagacity but this will be found in 

 most cases to arise from other circumstances than the 

 natural gift and that dogs, whose avocations require a 

 phlegmatic quiet temper, have certainly the advantage 

 over others, though the instinctive powers of both, in the 

 first instance, may have been equal. A terrier, for 

 example, may and has been taught to herd sheep, and if 

 kept to this employment, would appear more sensible ; but 

 his snappish disposition (an advantage in his own more 

 congenial occupations) renders him unlikely to excel in 

 those of the colley. The latter again is admirably adapted 



