COLLE VS. 445 



over a hedge at your bidding, stand still at command, or even walk 

 backwards or forwards as you wish. All this may be done before 

 even it sees a sheep, and indeed many whelps have been thor- 

 oughly trained before they have been called upon to work. The 

 more general practice, however, is to take the young dog alone, 

 when quite strong enough to keep a few sheep up in the corner 

 of a field, and teach him to bring them after you short distances, 

 and so make him handy at working to the right or left. He should 

 never be allowed to run between his trainer and the sheep, for the 

 great object ought to be to throw the dog well off so that he may 

 run wide. There is a g^eat boldness or dash in a coUey so taught, 

 and he does not harass the sheep nearly so much as one in the 

 habit of running at or close after them. You may teach him to 

 obey signs, or words, or a whistle, and for far distances on the 

 mountain the last is best. A dog so taught will gather miles of 

 mountain, bringing all the sheep to the shepherd's feet, and then 

 by an alteration in the note will take them right back again. It 

 should always be borne in mind that the sagacity, or sense if you 

 will, of the coUey develops with his years ; and therefore, if 

 you are quiet and patient, and have plenty of work for him, he 

 will teach himself rapidly without your worrying yourself very 

 much about him. It would be hard indeed for an intelligent man 

 who has been working steadily upon the mountain with sheep 

 dogs for a whole season, and witnessed day by day their shrewd 

 cleverness, to declare that they do not reason. 



In this country in the States and Territory we have mentioned, 

 the colley has another duty to perform. He is not only guide and 

 herdsman, but protector as well ; for the sneaking coyote is to be 

 kept away, and if need be, fought ; and sometimes a hungry bear 

 with a taste for mutton, as well. 



The Fancier's Gazette gives the judging points of the colley 

 as follows : 



The head has a, great resemblance to a wolf's — being rather 

 conical, and going off gradually sharp to the nose, with a long jaw 

 — only longer, and with a more foxy and intelligent look and wider 

 and longer ears, which are a little feathered and pendent ; eyes 

 have a sort of flashing and " miss-nothing " look, always on the 

 alert ; jaw long ; nose sharp ; neck long, and well furnished with 



