150 BANDA ORIENTAL. [cHap. vil. 
it is a common thing to meet a large flock of sheep guarded by 
one or two dogs, at the distance of some miles from any house 
or man. I often wondered how so firm a friendship had been 
established. The method of education consists in separating 
the puppy, while very young, from the bitch, and in accustom- 
ing it to its future companions. An ewe is held three or four 
times a day for the little thing to suck, and a nest of wool is 
made for it in the sheep-pen ; at no time isit allowed to associate 
with other dogs, or with the children of the family. The puppy 
is, moreover, generally castrated; so that, when grown up, it 
can scarcely have any feelings in common with the rest of its 
kind. From this education it has no wish to leave the flock, and 
just as another dog will defend its master, man, so will these 
the sheep. It is amusing to observe, when approaching a flock, 
how the dog immediately advances barking, and the sheep all 
close in his rear, as if round the oldest ram. These dogs are 
also easily taught to bring home the flock, at a certain hour in 
the evening. Their most troublesome fault, when young, is 
their desire of playing with the sheep; for in their sport they 
sometimes gallop their poor subjects most unmercifully. 
The shepherd-dog comes to the house every day for some 
meat, and as soon as it is given him, he skulks away as if 
ashamed of himself. On these occasions the house-dogs are 
very tyrannical, and the least of them will attack and pursue the 
stranger. The minute, however, the latter has reached the 
flock, he turns round and begins to bark, and then all the house- 
dogs take very quickly to their heels. Ina similar manner a 
whole pack of the hungry wild dogs will scarcely ever (and I 
was told by some never) venture to attack a flock guarded by 
even one of these faithful shepherds. The whole account ap- 
pears to me a curious instance of the pliability of the affections 
in the dog; and yet, whether wild or however educated, he has a 
feeling of respect or fear for those that are fulfilling their in- 
stinct “of association. Jor we can understand on no principle 
the wild dogs being driven away by the single one with its flock, 
except that they consider, from some confused notion, that the 
one thus associated gains power, as if in company with its own 
kind. EF. Cuvier has observed, that all animals that readily 
enter into domestication, consider man as a member of their 
