224 THE DOMESTIC SHEEP. 



land bears a very high price, only such land as cannot be 

 plowed is given up to sheep pastures, and here the dog is in- 

 valuable; and not only here, for he is made useful upon the 

 more civilized, hillsides of the Scotch lowlands; upon the 

 grassy downs of England, the rich farms where sheep-keep- 

 ing is only incident to high culture, and upon our own 

 Western plains. Everywhere, where sheep are kept, a sheep 

 dog of some kind is found useful; and of all the different 

 varieties the Collie is considered the most valuable. He pos- 

 sesses a rare instinct for his work, which comes as a second 

 nature to him. He often knows the ways of sheep better 

 than his master, and understands the signals of the shep- 

 herd when far out of hearing, with great precision. Cases 

 have been known in which the dog has discovered the ab- 

 sence of some laggards of the flock which his master had not 

 missed, and has returned to the pasture for them unbidden. 

 He can range his flock upon one side of a road, when meet- 

 ing other sheep, and thus keep them from intermingling with 

 the strangers. He will discover by his acute sense of smell 

 sheep that have been overwhelmed in snow-drifts, and will 

 conduct the shepherd to the place. If no help is available, 

 he has been known to dig into the drift and release impris- 

 oned sheep, and to warm chilled lambs by huddling close to 

 them. He is valiant in their defence, and will give battle to 

 a wolf without hesitation. No vagrant dog will be per- 

 mitted to approach a flock of which he has charge. He will 

 bring back stragglers when upon the march, and will return 

 to find sore-footed ones that have lingered by the way. For 

 a farm dog he is of special value, as he can easily be trained 

 to manage with gentleness any kind of live-stock. He is do- 

 mestic in his habits. While kind and affectionate to his 

 owner, and his herds, he is watchful and suspicious of stran- 

 gers and strange animals. His good disposition gives him 

 great influence over his charge, and causes them to have 

 confidence in him. When a flock is afraid of the shepherd's 

 dog, it shows wrong management on the part of the shep- 

 herd, and that the dog has been badly trained. The Collie 

 has long and woolly hair; a bright mild eye; a sharp nose; 

 an intelligent aspect; a long bushy tail, curling upwards, 

 with the end clear of the ground; and in color is usually 

 black and tan, variegated with a little white. Not the least 



