188 REARING. 



is at all cold, should be provided ; and in this one-third or one- 

 half of the puppies should be kept, close to the mother, to prevent 

 either from being uneasy, with the lid fastened down or she will 

 take them out in her mouth. Every two or three hours a fresh 

 lot should be exchanged for those in the basket, first letting them 

 fill themselves, when they will go to sleep and remain contented 

 for the time fixed above, thus allowing each lot in its turn to fill 

 itself regularly. At the end of ten days, by introducing a little 

 sweetened cow's milk on the end of the finger into their mouths, 

 and dipping their noses in a saucer containing it, they learn to lap. 

 After this there will be little difficulty in rearing even a dozen ; 

 but they will not, however carefully they may be fed, be as large 

 as if only a small number were left on her. Therefore grey- 

 hound breeders limit their litters to five, six, or at most seven ; 

 destroying the remainder, or rearing them with a foster-nurse. 



CHOICE OF WHELPS. 



In choosing the whelps in the nest which are to be kept, most 

 people select on different principles, each having some peculiar 

 crotchet to guide himself. Some take the heaviest, some the last 

 born ; others the longest of the litter; while others again are en- 

 tirely guided by color. In toy dogs, and those whose appearance 

 is an important element, color ought to be allowed all the weight 

 it deserves, and among certain toy dogs, the value is often affected 

 a hundred per cent, by a slight variation in the markings. So also 

 among pointers aiid setters, a dog with a good deal of white should 

 be preferred, on the score of greater utility in the field, to another 

 self-colored puppy which might otherwise be superior in all re- 

 spects. Hounds and greyhounds are however chosen for shape and 

 make, and though this is not the same at birth as in after life, still 

 there are certain indications which are not to be despised. Among 

 these the shoulders are more visible than any others, and if on 

 iif ting up a puppy by the tail, he puts his forelegs back beyond his 



