68 THE WORLD OF ANIMAL LIFE 



There are, of course, great differences in the appearance of these 

 members of the same family, but there are some features that are 

 common to all, and enable us to see at a glance that, however 

 unlike they may otherwise be, they are more or less closely related. 

 All the dog tribe, whether wild or tame, have long pointed muzzles, 

 while those of the cat family are always short; they have far more 

 teeth than the cats; their tails are comparatively long, and the 

 claws of their feet cannot, like those of the cats, be withdrawn, 

 when not in use, into a protecting sheath. 



Another important difference between the dog and the cat tribe 

 is the fact that while cats usually hunt alone or in pairs, dogs, 

 being less able to protect themselves, prefer, as a rule, to seek their 

 prey in packs. By this means they make up in numbers for what 

 they lack in strength. 



THE COLLIE DOG 



Although our domestic Dogs are of many different breeds, we 

 can only talk about one, and that one shall be the Collie. 



What a shepherd would do without his faithful collie it is not 

 easy to guess. For the dog is not merely his pet, his friend ; 

 it is also his clever and willing servant. It does work for him 

 which he could not possibly do for himself. It is ever ready to 

 obey his lightest word, or even a simple gesture of his hand. It 

 guides the sheep, it prevents them from straying, and it gathers 

 and keeps them together. And if a sheep or a lamb should 

 be lost, it sets off in search of it, and does not rest until it has 

 found the wanderer and brought it back. 



The clever dog even knows its master's sheep from others ; and 

 if some of them should happen to be mingled with another flock, it 

 will pick them all out without making a mistake. Indeed, if his 

 dog were to be taken away, the shepherd would be quite at a loss, 

 and would be, in many places, unable to manage his flock. 



The sheep very soon discover that the collie does not mean to 

 hurt them; and although they move away when it runs up to them 

 and barks, that is only because they know what it wants them to 



