TRUFFLES. 1 63 



not turned aside by the light stroke of the stick on 

 her nose, and given an acorn or a dry chestnut, which 

 is her reward." 



A writer on dogs has given the following interest- 

 ing account of the truffle dog, now almost a rarity. 

 He says that " The truffle dog is a small poodle 

 (nearly a pure poodle) weighing about fifteen pounds. 

 He is white, or black and white, or black, with the 

 black mouth and under lip of his race. He is a 

 sharp, intelligent, quaint companion, and has the 

 homing faculty of a pigeon. When sold to a new 

 master he has been known to find his way home for 

 sixty miles, and to have travelled the greater part of 

 the way by night. They are mute in their quest, 

 and should be thoroughly broken from all game. 

 These are essential' qualities in a dog whose owner 

 frequently hunts truffles at night, — in the shrubberies 

 of mansions protected by keepers and watchmen, 

 who regard him with suspicion. In order to dis- 

 tinguish a black dog on these occasions the hunter 

 furnishes this animal with a white shirt, and occasion- 

 ally also hunts him in a line. They are rather longer 

 on the leg than the true poodle, but they have ex- 

 quisite noses, and hunt close to the ground. On the 

 scent of a truffle (especially in the morning or evening, 

 when it gives out most smell) they show all the 

 keenness of a spaniel, working their short cropped 

 tails, and feathering along the surface of the ground 

 for from twenty to fifty yards. Arrived at the spot 



