" oip.» 243 



He was on terms of acquaintance with a black 

 collie bitch, and, at the busy time of sheep 

 gathering on the fells, she gave premature birth 

 to four puppies in a bracken bed many miles 

 from home. One of these she carried in her 

 mouth over the whole distance, and deposited 

 among the hay in the barn. And at the same 

 time, by some subtle means, she acquainted 

 Gip with the critical situation, and the two 

 trotted back to the hills. Nor did they desist 

 until every puppy was safely housed. Just as 

 sheep and deer have the means of communicating 

 the presence of good pasturage, so do dogs tell 

 their friends of carcases upon the fells. 



Of all inherited instincts the love of dogs to 

 man is one of the most pronounced. And of 

 this statement Gip is a bright example. There 

 is a quiet gravity about him that is almost 

 human. His expressive movements constitute 

 silent speech ; and if one act fails to convey his 

 particular want, he tries another. That he 

 reasons upon cause and effect is beyond ques- 

 tion, in proof of which a hundred examples 

 might be given. 



His life has its sunshine and its shade; or, 

 in other words, its rats and his master's dis- 



