3^6 THE MANAGEMENT AND DISEASES OF THE DOG. 



joy, watchfulness, are each denoted by their, different at 

 titudes ; remove them, and the beauty of the countenance is 

 lost, 



I shall not take up space in this book, which is devoted 

 to worthier, and I trust more interesting subjects, in describ- 

 ing the manner and time of operating. If any of my readers 

 are desirous of obtaining such information, I refer them to 

 those works wherein it is mentioned. 



ROUNDING. 



This may be termed cropping in another form, and unless 

 absolutely necessary, as in the extension of cartilaginous 

 disease in canker, it is equally to be condemned with the for- 

 mer. That it is a prevention of canker is purely imaginary. 

 Such an idea is on a par with cutting off a leg to prevent its 

 being broken. True, the part that is removed cannot become 

 diseased, but what is left can, and is very likely to, after such 

 unwise measures. And then, as Mayhew has it, "the 

 wretched beast is rounded a second time," and so on until he 

 has little or no ear left. The operation in generally performed 

 with a rounding iron. 



TAILING. 



This also is a dictate of fashion ; shortening this appen- 

 dage is not necessarily a cruel operation. It should always 

 be performed, when intended, a few days after birth, while the 

 parts are tender, easily and Instantaneously removed and 

 with but little haemorrhage or subsequent disturbance to the 

 animal. Drawing the tendons is not requisite except when a 

 fine or tapering tail is required, and then it decidedly has that 

 effect. For dividing the tail and then drawing it, a pair of 

 the ordinary flatrnosed sharp-edged pincers are best adapted, 



