FUNCTIONS OF THE GENERATIVE ORGANS. 143 



by a scientific and practical man. In flatulent, gross dogs 

 this is, however, not a very easy task, and the occasional 

 presence of ovarian tumors may be mistaken (and would be 

 in all probability by the uninitiated) for whelps. 



The presence of milk in the teats towards the last week of 

 pregnancy is not to be depended upon by itself as a sign of 

 approaching parturition, as its secretion frequently takes 

 place after copulation, or oestrum without the latter, towards 

 and at the period of what should have terminated pregnancy. 



In the mastaff bitch, Duchess, already alluded to,' this 

 was always the case, so that eventually, when she did con- 

 ceive, I was in some doubt as to the fact until she had nearly 

 run the full time, -v^hen the alteration in her habits convinced 

 me to the contrary. Some animals carry their young so close, 

 i.e., exhibit such slight signs of altered shape, as to render 

 the case still more obscure. A fortnight before Duchess 

 whelped I was most positively assured by numerous canine 

 individuals, including one of vast and long experience, and 

 who offered to bet five pounds on the event, that she was not 

 with young, and, further, that the glairy discharge she evacu- 

 ated was proof of the opinion. When the time arrived she gave 

 birth to thirteen whelps. 



When, therefore, there is any doubt about the matter, 

 look to the habits of the bitch, and particularly towards the 

 approaching period of parturition. A drowsy condition, a 

 wish for seclusion, and in a place hitherto unnoticed, 

 should arouse our suspicions that parturition is likely to take 

 place. 



PARTURITION. 



I have now arrived at one of the most important subjects 

 contained in this work, and one that I should handle with far 

 more diffidence than I shall do, had my canine experience 

 been limited only to the treatment of disease. There are, 

 however, times at which Nature in the lower animals is com- 



