HE KNOWS HIS FIGURES— AND A LITTLE ZOOLOGY. 
A THOUGHT-READING DOG. 
Illustrated with Photographs taken especially for this Magazine. 
os OB,” the hero of this little article, is no longer in his first youth, being nine years 
old. He shows, however, no signs of advancing age, and is as keen a sportsman 
as ever. No sport comes amiss to him. He once unearthed a stoat, digging it out 
of a deep hole in which it was reposing surrounded by a colony of snails, on which 
it intended, presumably, to make a meal. It had, however, reckoned without its host. 
One nip from “ Bob’s” sharp teeth—a faint squeak from the unlucky stoat—and all was 
over. He is equally expert as a mole-catcher, and while running after a carriage in 
Brittany, where they abound, lagged behind for a moment, then came racing along and 
caught up to it with a mole in his mouth. He becomes quite wild at the sight of 
a hedgehog, and, alas! does not hesitate to kill one when he sees it, and that, more- 
over, without drawing a drop of his own blood. 
“Bob” came into his present owner’s possession when a puppy of a year old. 
His original master, who was also his breeder, was obliged to part with him as, 
notwithstanding his youth, he tyrannised unmercifully over the other two dogs, who 
stood to him in the relation of father and brother. From the very beginning he 
gave proof of marked intelligence, learning first easy then more difficult tricks with 
surprising rapidity; while his retentive memory enabled him to recollect anything he 
had been shown, if only once, even after the lapse of weeks. The first trick of any 
consequence he learned was to pick out cards. This he was taught by laying one 
down, placing upon it a bit of biscuit, and then calling out its name. He thus learned 
to connect the one with the other; but he soon picked out the cards without 
any reward until after the trick was done. The next stage in his education 
was to teach him the alphabet; he learned to spell some short words, as well as 
his own and his owner’s name, going afterwards to their photographs. Notes of 
music followed, in which he could distinguish even the slight difference which exists 
between the crotchet and the quaver. He has become equally an adept in coins. 
When a peseta, franc, and shilling, with the heads of the young King of Spain, of the 
Emperor Napoleon, and of Queen Victoria, are laid down before him with the heads 
uppermost, he points to each one as it is called out, making no mistake, even 
when their places are changed. He can also discriminate between a Belgian, Swiss, 
Greek, and French 50c. piece, and, from amongst them, pick out an English sixpence. 
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