Il8 JOURNAL AND PROCEEDINGS 



by a dog, to escape the danger and worry, they will spring at a fence 

 that in their normal mood would securely confine then) in their ac- 

 customed bounds, but perhaps the rails break or are thrust aside, 

 and the breach opens to them " fresh fields and pastures new." This 

 is a discovery and a revelation that is sure to be utilized in the future 

 life scheme, and by the force of example is communicated to the less 

 adventuresome members of the herd. 



We may as well attempt to illustrate what we have been just 

 advancing by relating incidents in cattle life that occurred within 

 range of our own experience. 



The pair of oxen by whose help we cleared up, logged, fenced 

 and ploughed 30 to 35 acres of wild bush land, were of average size, 

 intelligence and quality, but we have only space and leisure to jot 

 down a few of their peculiarities and exploits. Their behaviour to- 

 wards each other as life associates and yoke-mates, and sometimes 

 rivals, was a delightful study, and almost always as entertaining 

 as a comedy in real life. We named them Dick and Diamond. 

 In ox-teams one is usually the master spirit, and this one the 

 custom of the country tries to place on the ofif-side. In our case 

 this was " Diamond." He was rather the smaller as to size and 

 brawn, but had a demoniacal temper when aroused, and had a most 

 formidable and bison-looking frontispiece. The nigh ox was a 

 symmetrical and handsome bovine, gentle and placid and non- 

 combative in disposition, and when unyoked deferred and yielded 

 subserviently to his despotic companion. Both were nearly of the 

 same color — a light red. One of their escapades, if correctly 

 described, will better show their relative mental status than a lot of 

 definitions. To " Diamond " dame rumor, at the time of our 

 purchase of the team, had affixed a slight stigma of " breachiness," 

 but not of a very confirmed type, /. e., 'twas said that he had'nt yet 

 acquired the proficiency of throwing down good fences, but that he 

 was an adept at jumping ordinary ones, so we took the precaution 

 of surrounding two acres of rich meadow with a strong and high 

 stake and ridered fence for the team's special use^ but after some 

 time we were disagreeably surprised one morning to find both Dick 

 and Diamond knee deep in clover in the field next their proper 

 allotment. They both pretended not to know the way out, and we 

 were obliged to lower the rails of one panel almost to the ground 

 level before we could oust the trespassers. But after much search 



