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VERTEBRATA. 
his absence his dog had been home, and, on receiving his allowance of food, instantly departed. 
For four successive days the shepherd continued his search with the same bad fortune, the dog 
as readily coming for his meal and departing. Struck by this singular circumstance, he deter- 
mined to follow the dog, who departed as usual with his piece of cake. The animal led the way 
to a cataract at some distance from the spot where the child had been left. It was a rugged 
and almost perpendicular descent which the dog took, and he disappeared in a cave, the mouth 
of which was almost on a level with the torrent. The shepherd with difficulty followed ; but, on 
entering the cavern, what were his emotions when he beheld the infant eating the cake which 
the dog had just brought to him, while the faithful animal stood by, eyeing his young charge 
with the utmost complacency ! From the situation in which the child was found, it appeared 
that he had wandered to the brink of the precipice, and then either fallen or scrambled down, 
the torrent preventing his return. The dog, by means of his scent, had traced him to the 
spot, and afterward prevented him from starving by giving up a part, or, perhaps, the whole of 
his own daily allowance. He appears never to have quitted the child night or day, except for 
food, as he was seen running at full speed to and from the cottage. 
Hogg tells us, and very truly, that a single shepherd and his dog will accomplish more in 
gathering a flock of sheep from a Highland farm than twenty shepherds could do without 
dogs ; in fact, that without this docile animal the pastoral life would be a mere blank. It Avould 
require more hands to manage a flock of sheep, gather them from the hills, force them into 
houses and folds, and drive them to markets, than the profits of the whole flock would be 
capable of maintaining. Well may the shepherd feel an interest in his dog : he it is indeed 
that earns the family bread, with the smallest morsel of which he is himself content, — always 
grateful, and always ready to exert his utmost abilities in his master's interests. Neither 
hunger, fatigue, nor the worst treatment will drive him from his side, and he will follow him 
through every hardship Avithout murmur or repining. If one of them is obliged to change 
masters, it is sometimes long before he will acknowledge the new owner, or condescend to work 
for him with the Avillingness that he did for his former lord ; but, if he once acknowledges him, 
he continues attached to him until death. 
Buff"on gives the following eloquent portrait of the sheep-dog : " This animal, faithful to man, 
will always preserve a portion of his empire and a degree of superiority over other beings. He 
reigns at the head of his flock, and makes himself better understood than the voice of the 
shepherd. Safety, order, and discipline are the fruits of his vigilance and activity. They are a 
people submitted to his management, whom he conducts and protects, and against whom he 
never employs force but for the preservation of good order. If we consider that this animal, 
notwithstanding his ugliness and his wild and melancholy look, is superior in instinct to all 
others ; that he has a decided character in which education has comparatively little share ; that 
he is the only animal born perfectly trained for the service of others; that, guided by natural 
powers alone, he applies himself to the care of our flocks, a duty which he executes with i 
singular assiduity, vigilance, and fidelity ; that he conducts them with an admirable intelligence 
which is a part and portion of himself ; that his sagacity astonishes at the same time that it 
gives repose to his master, while it requires great time and trouble to instruct other dogs for 
the purposes to which they are destined : — if we reflect on these facts, we shall be confirmed 
in the opinion that the shepherd's dog is the true dog of nature, the stock and model of the. 
whole species." S 
The Italian or Pomeranian Wolf-Do a is mostly covered with grayish hair, short on the hea^H 
ears, and feet, and long and silky on the body and tail. It is a superior breed, greatly attached 
to its master, and is used as a sheep-dog, especially in countries where the sheep are liable to 
attacks from the wolf. 
The Drover's Dog is common in England, and possesses all the docility of the sheep-dog. The 
following story, among many similar ones, is proof of his sagacity and fidelity : A butcher was 
accustomed to purchase sheep and kine in the vicinity, which, when fattened, he drove to Alston 
market and sold. In these excursions he was frequently astonished at the peculiar sagacity of 
his dog, and at the more than common readiness and dexterity with which he managed the cattle ; 
I 
