288 



THE CABINET OF NATURAL HISTORY 



he laid no claim to the refinements of gentility, acted upon 

 such occasions, if not more rationally, at least in a much less 

 disgusting manner than many of our high bloods, and would- 

 be tip-top sportsmen. Whenever his dog behaved amiss, 

 he would call him in, and, taking him by the ears, give them 

 a reasonable shaking (not too hard, for he loved him as the 

 apple of his eye) and in a tone of voice between anger and af- 

 fection, address him somewhat after the following manner: 

 " Come in here, Pluto! why dont you mind? Here I've been 

 callingyou these ten minutes ! you ought to know there was no 

 game there! I told you so before; but you've got so now 

 you wont mind me at all. There's plenty of work for you 

 to do where there's game, and here you are running about 

 where there is'nt a bird; tiring yourself all for nothing; 

 and lame as you are too. Do you think your foot will ever 

 get well if you go on so? you foolish fellow. You'll be 

 knock'd up before night, and to-morrow j'ou wont be able 

 to hunt at all. Now go along with you! and mind what 

 you're about; or else I'll serve you a good deal worse next 

 time, you'll see if I dont. Hie on, sir." 



This simple hearted old man, to be sure treated his dog 

 as though he was a biped of his family, reasoning with him 

 like a rational creature; and, for ought I know, the animal 

 understood him well enough, too, for there seems no rea- 

 .son why a brute should not understand remonstrance as well 

 as low-lived abuse; and I certainly think my old friend's 

 method liable to less objection than the other. 



I know that dogs are sometimes unruly, and act in a 

 manner calculated to try the patience, but such of them as 

 do so constantly, are not worth keeping; and a man had 

 better part with a bad dog, than acquire a bad habit. If 

 gentlemen will be at more pains to procure the best blooded 

 animals, and have them well broke before they take them 

 out for regular hunting, few occasions of exciting their 

 wrath will occur, and a great deal of breath ma}' be hus- 

 banded for the day's work which is generally wasted in 

 abusing their dogs. Besides a sportsman ought never to be 

 in a passion. Philosophical coolness should characterize 

 his conduct in the field, particularly in relation to his dogs, 

 who are often made unsteady by the violent manner in 

 which they are corrected for errors real or supposed. I 

 say supposed, because it not unfrequently happens, with 

 the younger class of gunners, that the master is more in fault, 

 than his dog. I knew an instance of a gallant of this stamp, 

 swearing himself hoarse at a pointer that was out of sight, 

 when, upon advancing a few yards farther into the cover, 

 the dog was discovered standing to a brace of woodcock. 



I trust, that this admonition against the absurd and un- 

 gentlemanly vice of swearing, in connection with sporting 

 transactions, will be taken in good part by my fellow-sin- 

 ners, (for I have been a sad delinquent that way myself,) 



and produce reformation in some of them; as it will, by no 

 means, lessen their enjoyments, and add much to their 

 respectability. 



I remain, gentlemen, yours, &c. 



D. J. 

 New York, July, 1831. 



SAGACITY OF BEES. 



The following anecdote is extracted from a letter from a 

 farmer in Pennsylvania, to a friend in England: 



"The sagacity of these animals, which have long been 

 the tenants of my farm, astonishes me; some of them seem 

 to surpass even men in memory and sagacity. I could tell 

 you singular instances of that kind. What then is this in- 

 stinct which we so debase, and of which we are taught to 

 entertain so diminutive an idea? My bees, above all other 

 tenants of my farm, attract my attention and respect. I am 

 astonished to see nothing exists but wliat has its enemy; 

 one species pursues and lives upon the other. Unfortu- 

 nately our king birds are the destroyers of these industrious 

 insects: but, on the other hand, these birds preserve our 

 fields from the depredations of crows, which they pursue 

 on the wing with great vigilance and astonishing dexterity. 

 — Thus divided by two interested motives, I have long re- 

 sisted the desire I have to kill them, until last year, when 

 I thought they increased too much, and my indulgence had 

 been carried too far. It was at the time of swarming, 

 when they all came and fixed themselves on the neighbour- 

 ing trees, whence they caught those bees that returned load- 

 ed from the field. This made me resolve to kill as many as I 

 could, and I wasjustreadj' to fire, when a bunch of bees, as big 

 as my fist, issued from one of the hives, rushed on one of 

 these birds, and probably stung him, for he instantly scream- 

 ed, and flew, not as before, in an irregular manner, but in 

 a direct line. He was followed by the same bold phalanx, 

 a considerable distance, which unfortunately becoming too 

 sure of victory, quitted their military array, and disbanded 

 themselves. By this inconsiderate step, they lost all that 

 aggregate of force which made the bird fly off. Perceiving 

 their disorder, he immediately returned, and snapped as 

 many as he wanted; nay, he had even the impudence to 

 alight on the very twig from which the bees had driven 

 him. I killed him, and immediately opened his craw, from 

 which I took 171 bees. I laid them all on a blanket, in 

 the sun, and, to my great surprise, 54 returned to life, lick- 

 ed themselves clean, and joyfully went back to the hive; 

 where they probably informed their campanions of such an 

 adventure and escape, as I believe had never happened be- 

 fore to American bees!" 



