288 
THE CABINET OF NATURAL HISTORY 
he laid no claim to the refinements of gentility, acted upon 
such occasions, if not more rationally, at least in a much less 
disgusting manner than many of our high bloods, and would- 
be tip-top sportsmen. Whenever his dog behaved amiss, 
he would call him in, and, taking him by the ears, give them 
a reasonable shaking (not too hard, for he loved him as the 
apple of his eye) and in a tone of voice between anger and af- 
fection, address him somewhat after the following manner: 
“ Come in here, Pluto ! why dont you mind? Here I’ve been 
callingyou these ten minutes! you ought to knowthere was no 
game there! I told you so before; but you’ve got so now 
you wont mind me at all. There’s plenty of work for you 
to do where there’s game, and here you are running about 
where there is’nt a bird; tiring yourself all for nothing; 
and lame as you are too. Do you think your foot will ever 
get well if you go on so? you foolish fellow. You’ll be 
knock’d up before night, and to-morrow you wont be able 
to hunt at all. Now go along with you! and mind what 
you’re about; or else I’ll serve you a good deal worse next 
time, you’ll see if I dont. Hie on, sir.” 
This simple hearted old man, to be sure treated his dog 
as though he was a biped of his family, reasoning with him 
like a rational creature; and, for ought I know, the animal 
understood him well enough, too, for there seems no rea- 
son why a brute should not understand remonstrance as well 
as low-lived abuse; and I certainly think my old friend’s 
method liable to less objection than the other. 
I know that dogs are sometimes unruly, and act in a 
manner calculated to try the patience, but such of them as 
do so constantly, are not worth keeping; and a man had 
• better part with a bad dog, than acquire a bad habit. If 
gentlemen will be at more pains to procure the best blooded 
animals, and have them well broke before they take them 
out for regular hunting, few occasions of exciting their 
wrath will occur, and a great deal of breath may be hus- 
banded for the day’s work which is generally wasted in 
abusing their dogs. Besides a sportsman ought never to be 
in a passion. Philosophical coolness should characterize 
his conduct in the field, particularly in relation to his dogs, 
who are often made unsteady by the violent manner in 
which they are corrected for errors real or supposed. I 
say supposed, because it not unfrequently happens, with 
the younger class of gunners, that the master is more in fault, 
than his dog. I knew an instance of a gallant of this stamp, 
swearing himself hoarse at a pointer that was out of sight, 
when, upon advancing a few yards farther into the cover, 
the dog was discovered standing to a brace of woodcock. 
I trust, that this admonition against the absurd and un- 
gentlemanly vice of swearing, in connection with sporting 
transactions, will be taken in good part by my fellow-sin- 
ners, (for I have been a sad delinquent that way myself,) 
and produce reformation in some of them; as it will, by no 
means, lessen their enjoyments, and add much to their 
respectability. 
I remain, gentlemen, yours, &c. 
D. J. 
New York, July, 1831. 
SAGACITY OF BEES. 
The following anecdote is extracted from a letter from a 
farmer in Pennsylvania, to a friend in England: 
“The sagacity of these animals, which have long been 
the tenants of my farm, astonishes me; some of them seem 
to surpass even men in memory and sagacity. I could tell 
you singular instances of that kind. What then is this in- 
stinct which we so debase, and of which we are taught to 
entertain so diminutive an idea? My bees, above all other 
tenants of my farm, attract my attention and respect. I am 
astonished to see nothing exists but what has its enemy; 
one species pursues and lives upon the other. Unfortu- 
nately our king birds are the destroyers of these industrious 
insects: but, on the other hand, these birds preserve our 
fields from the depredations of crows, which they pursue 
on the wing with great vigilance and astonishing dexterity. 
— Thus divided by two interested motives, I have long re- 
sisted the desire I have to kill them, until last year, when 
I thought they increased too much, and my indulgence had 
been carried too far. It was at the time of swarming, 
when they all came and fixed themselves on the neighbour- 
ing trees, whence they caught those bees that returned load- 
ed from the field. This made me resolve to kill as many as I 
could, and I was just ready to fire, when a bunch of bees, as big 
as my fist, issued from one of the hives, rushed on one of 
these birds, and probably stung him, for he instantly scream- 
ed, and flew, not as before, in an irregular manner, but in 
a direct line. He was followed by the same bold phalanx, 
a considerable distance, which unfortunately becoming too 
sure of victory, quitted their military array, and disbanded 
themselves. By this inconsiderate step, they lost all that 
aggregate of force which made the bird fly off. Perceiving 
their disorder, he immediately returned, and snapped as 
many as he wanted; nay, he had even the impudence to 
alight on the very twig from which the bees had driven 
him. I killed him, and immediately opened his craw, from 
which I took 171 bees. I laid them all on a blanket, in 
the sun, and, to my great surprise, 54 returned to life, lick- 
ed themselves clean, and joyfully went back to the hive; 
where they probably informed their campanions of such an 
adventure and escape, as I believe had never happened be- 
fore to American bees!” 
