230 



THE BEASTS OF PREY. 



hang over only at the extremities; as a rule he is of 

 slender build, endowed with a lean body and long, 

 sinewy legs, like those of a Wolf, but he is consid- 

 erably smaller than a Wolf in size. The somewhat 

 elongated head with its pointed muzzle, the lean, 

 straight legs, the moderately long tail which the 

 Dog usually carries hanging downward with the tip 

 curved upward, and the thick, curly and sometimes 

 shaggy fur of gray-brown color, are further distin- 

 guishing features that serve to complete his picture. 

 The Sheep Dog is generally used as a guardian of 

 flocks as early as his first year, but a longer time is 

 requisite for him to learn to do his duty perfectly. 

 It is by no means a matter of indifference to him 

 what kind ofanimals he has to tend, as he adapts his 

 behavior to their different characteristics. The Dog 

 of a Cow-keeper must constantly observe his master 

 and obey his commands. Cows which do not obey 



THE POMERANIAN DOG, OR SPITZ. Valuable as a watch Dog, the Pomeranian Dog or Spitz is an 



especial favorite in Germany with farmers, and also with carters whom it accompanies on their journeyings, 

 hjnie have short hair, but those most common have a shaggy, coarse fur on the body and tail like those shown in 

 t le picture, They are very intelligent and affectionate, and faithful in the highest degree. i^Canis famiUaris 

 d'^mesticus fiomeranus.) 



immediately must be bitten, for otherwise they will 

 stand in no fear of him. When he drives the Cow 

 before him he must bite only her hind-legs, never 

 her tail, flanks or udder. If the Cow kicks, he must 

 take care of himself, but still he must bite; if a Bull 

 or a Cow tries to resist him by resorting to their 

 horns, he will still come out victorious, if he knows 

 his business, for he will seize the animal's mouth, 

 and suspend himself from it. Spanish shepherds 

 make use of a sling with unfailing security. A Bull 

 which has been punished several times by having a 

 stone flung at his head must beware of the Dog; 

 for the Dog soon picks out the fiercest in the flock 

 and allows him a very limited range of movement. 

 Strong he-Goats also have to be bitten by the Dog, 

 but only on their hind legs. He must never bite 

 Lambs or suckling Ewes, however, but must only 

 make believe that he will bite. 



Like every other Dog, the Sheep Dog is the reflec- 

 tion of his master. The Spanish Sheep Dog is as 

 fierce, the German Sheep Dog as good-natured as 

 his owner. If the latter is a poacher, the Dog will 

 soon equal the best of Hounds; if the master tries to 

 eke out a livelihood by looking for mushrooms or 

 the like, the Dog will help him gather them; if the 

 master has to encounter two-legged or four-legged 

 robbers, the Dog takes his share in the fray; if 

 the Shepherd lives in peace, there is no gentler 

 being than his Dog. The two resemble and entertain, 

 each other. There are Sheep Dogs which really un- 

 derstand every word their master says. A credible 

 observer once told me that he had himself heard 

 one Shepherd tell his Dog to pay special attention 

 to the rape-seed. The animal seemed puzzled for 

 an instant, probably because he had never heard the 

 word before. Wheat and rye, barley and oats, 



meadow and field were fa- 

 miliar things to him, but of 

 rape-seed he knew nothing. 

 After some reflection he 

 went around the flock, in- 

 vestigated all the fields and 

 stopped at the one which 

 was grown with something 

 different from the seeds he 

 knew, thinking that that 

 ought to be the rape-seed 

 field, and so it was. 



The Pomera- What the 

 nian Dog a Good Sheep Dog 

 Watch-Dog. jg to the 

 flocks, the Spitz or Pome- 

 ranian Dog {Cams famil- 

 iaris domesticus pomeranus) 

 is to the house. He is 

 small, or at the most of 

 medium size, vigorous and 

 stout, has a narrow head 

 and pointed muzzle, short 

 legs and a long tail, me- 

 dium-sized ears and keen, 

 intelligent eyes; he is 

 clothed in either long, 

 coarse fur, or short hair of 

 fine texture, and his color 

 may be pure white, yellow, 

 Fox-red, gray, or, very 

 rarely, black, sometimes 

 with light marks on the 

 forehead and feet. Alto- 

 gether it would be difficult 

 to mistake him for any other breed of Dog. 



All individuals of this species are very fond of 

 their liberty and should not be chained up; but when 

 they are allowed to prowl around at will, they can 

 not be equaled as watch Dogs, because they are so 

 faithful and incorruptible. 

 The Eshimo Dog, The Eskimo Dog ( Cams familiaris 

 a Very Useful domesticus borealis) which belongs to 

 Animai. the same family as the Pomera- 



nian Dog, is ,not less useful than the two last named 

 species and must be regarded as the most impor- 

 tant domestic animal of the uncivilized tribes of the 

 whole north of the globe. His height at the shoul- 

 der is from twenty to twenty-four inches, though m 

 some localities the average is higher. He differs 

 from the Sheep Dog in having a more Wolf-like as- 

 pect, and also because of his erect ears, his thick fur 

 (which in winter assumes quite a woolly texture), 



