112 NATURAL HISTORY IK ANECDOTE. 



followed an apprentice into the stable on the first opportunity, 

 and scratching away the rubbish exposed the money to view, 

 thus leading to the detection of the thief. It is of course 

 easy to claim too much for actions apparently so intelligent 

 and in estimating them coincidence has to be allowed for; 

 but they are far too numerous to be ignored in estimating 

 canine character. An instance is recorded of a quiet docile 

 dog who refused to allow a visitor to leave a stable, when 

 it was discovered that the man had secreted a bridle in his 

 pocket. 



The Newfound- Many illustrations might be given of the 

 land's Fidelity, fidelity which the Newfoundland shows in 

 common with other dogs, but one or two must suffice. A 

 story is told of a dog who picked up a coin which his 

 master had dropped from his purse, and which he kept in 

 his mouth all day, refusing food until his master's return 

 in the evening, when he laid it at his feet, and then attacked 

 his dinner voraciously; another of a dog who on being sent 

 home by his master with a key which he had inadvertently 

 taken with him, was attacked by a dog belonging to a butcher, 

 but who declined the combat until he had delivered the 

 key, but immediately returned and attacking the butcher's 

 dog killed him. In the first case the dog sufiered the natural 

 pangs of hunger rather than hazard his master's property, and 

 in the second he postponed the gratification of his natural 

 feeling of revenge until after the execution of his duty. 

 The Newfound- "^^^ tricks to which dogs can be trained, 

 land under though often amusing enough, have not the 

 Training. interest which attaches to the natural display 

 of their faculties, and yet of course there is plenty of scope 

 for the trained dog to supplement his culture by the exercise 

 of his natural gifts, and this he often does. Perhaps one of 

 the most remarkable of trained Newfoundland dogs, was the 

 one possessed by Mr. Mclntyre of Regent Bridge, Edinburgh. 

 This dog was trained to perform all kinds of tricks. He 



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