248 HYDROPHOBIA. 



is also rather elongated, so that the total length of the animal is three times as great as its 

 height. The " dew-claws" are wanting in this variety of domestic Dog. The hair is long and 

 straight, falling heavily over the body and limbs, and hanging so thickly upon the face that 

 the eyes and nose are hardly perceptible under their luxuriant covering. The quality of the 

 hair is rather harsh and wiry in the pure-bred Skye Terrier ; for the silky texture of the 

 generality of "toy" Skyes is obtained by a cross with the spaniel. It is easy to detect the 

 presence of this cross by the scanty appearance of the hair on the face. 



The size of this animal is .rather small, but it ought not to imitate the minute proportions 

 of many "toy" Dogs. Its weight ought to range from ten to seventeen or eighteen pounds. 

 Even amongst these animals there are at least two distinct breeds, while some Dog-fanciers 

 establish a third. 



It is an amusing and clever Dog, and admirably adapted for the companionship of man- 

 kind, being faithful and affectionate in disposition, and as brave as any of its congeners, except 

 that epitome of courage, the bull-dog. Sometimes, though not frequently, it is employed for 

 sporting purposes, and is said to pursue that avocation with great credit. 



A history, however short, of the Dogs would be incomplete without some reference to 

 that terrible disease called "Hydrophobia," which at times arises among the canine race, and 

 converts the trusted companion into an involuntary foe. From some cause, which at present 

 is quite unexplained, the bite of a Dog which is affected with this terrible malady, or even the 

 mere contact of his saliva with a broken skin, becomes endued with such deadly virulence, 

 that the Unfortunate person upon whom such an injury is inflicted is as certain to die as if he 

 had been struck by the poison-fangs of the rattlesnake or cobra. 



As far as is known, this dread malady appears to originate only in the canine tribe, being 

 communicable to almost every other description of animal, man not excepted, and dooming 

 them to a most painful illness and death. It is worthy of consideration, that the Dog does 

 not perspire through the skin, and that the tongue and throat offer the oidy means by which 

 the animal can avail itself of that needful exhalation. The symptoms of this malady are 

 rather various in different individuals, but yet are of the same type in all. 



There is an entire change of manner in the animal. The affectionate, caressing Dog 

 becomes suddenly cross, shy, and snappish ; retreating from the touch of the friendly hand as 

 if it were the hand of a stranger. His appetite becomes depraved, and, forsaking his ordinary 

 food, he eagerly swallows pieces of stick, straws, or any other innutritious substances that 

 may lie in his way. He is strangely restless, seeming unable to remain in the same position 

 for two seconds together, and continually snaps at imaginary objects which his disordered 

 senses image in rapid succession before his eyes. Strange voices seem to fall upon his ears, 

 and he ever and anon starts up and listens eagerly to the sounds which so powerfully affect 

 him. Generally, he utters at intervals a wild howl, which tells its fearful tale even to unprac- 

 tised ears, but in some cases the Dog remains perfectly silent during the whole of his illness, 

 and is then said to be afflicted with the dumb madness. In most instances, the Dog is silent 

 during the latter stages of the illness. 



Before the disease has developed itself to any extent, the poor creature becomes thought- 

 ful and anxious, and looks with wistful eyes upon his friends, as if beseeching them to aid 

 him in the unknown evil that hangs so heavily upon him. He then retires to his usual resting- 

 place, and sluggishly lies upon his bed, paying scarcely any attention to the voice of his master, 

 but strangely uneasy, and ever and anon shifting his posture, as if endeavoring to discover some 

 attitude that may bring ease and repose to his fevered limbs. Fortunately, the disposition to 

 bite does not make its appearance until the disease has made considerable progress. 



In these stages of the malady the Dog is often seen to fight with his paws at the corner of 

 his mouth, as if endeavoring to rid himself of a bone that had become fixed among his teeth, 

 and assumes much of the anxious aspect that is always seen in animals when their respiration 

 is impeded. This symptom may, however, be readily distinguished by the fact that the Dog 

 is able to close his mouth between the paroxysms of his ailment, which he is unable to do 

 when he is affected by the presence of a bone or other extraneous substance in his throat. 



