DOGS, AND THEIB CHABACTEBIB'llCS. 371 



dog was always a " pup " in the eyes of tlie old hunter. 

 And then, when the old man, sickened and enfeebled 

 with age, and knowing he was soon to pass into the 

 Valley of the Shadow of Death, among his last requests 

 was one, that there be engraved on the lock of his 

 rifle a " hound's ear " in remembrance of his honored 

 dog. This volume of Cooper's novels, " The Prairie," 

 has always been of great interest to me, for I believe I 

 have hunted geese in the same territory where most of 

 the incidents of that book are laid. 



The love of the dog for his master is not confined to 

 those of blue-blood pedigree ; neither to those whose 

 whole life has been passed where their every want has 

 been anticipated and gratified ; but curs of low degree, 

 who have been compelled to gain sustenance as best 

 they could, beaten, kicked and half-starved, form an 

 attachment that only dies with them. 



One of the most touching incidents of the faithful- 

 ness of the dog that ever came to my attention occur- 

 red in Chicago, and was made the subject of the fol- 

 lowing notice in a local paper in that city : 



" Those who have nothing but curses and kicks for 

 dogs and are ever wishing their extermination, would, 

 perhaps, be better citizens did they possess the same 

 strong attachments and friendships often exhibited by 

 them, and particularly by a large black and white 

 Newfoundland, dog a few days ago during the exces- 

 sively cold weather. For some days he was noticed on 

 the pier off Lincoln Park intently watching the water, 

 and every now and then would go to the ice and water 

 and scratch, as if endeavoring to dig up something. 

 All through the bitter cold weather, night and day, he 

 faced the wintry blasts of the lake, and could not be 



