DOG— GENERAL INTELLIGENCE. 
463 
dog saw me do this in my garden, and in a few minutes after- 
wards she appeared with the other kitten dead in her mouth ; 
she had killed it. If that was not reasoning I do not know 
what is. 
Mr. W. F. Hooper writes me of a Newfoundland dog 
that was in the habit of accompanying the nursemaid and 
baby belonging to its mistress. On one occasion a keen 
wind began to blow, and the nursemaid drew her shawl 
over the child : — 
The nursemaid had not taken many steps towards home 
before her progress was barred by the dog, who placed himself 
in the centre of the path and growled whenever she advanced. 
She was much alarmed, and tried to coax the dog to move, but 
Leo would not, and abated nothing of the hostile display. Half 
an hour passed, and the girl became nearly distracted. What 
could be the matter with the dog? Was she to be a prisoner 
all day % Would the animal fly at her throat % Was Leo suffer- 
ing from hydrophobia ? These and similar questions crossed the 
girl’s mind. At length a suggestion of despair — it was nothing 
more — occurred to her. She thought it might win the dog 
round to good humour if she showed it the baby ; so she removed 
the folds of her shawl and presented it at arm’s length to the 
dog. The result was magical, and far in excess of all expecta- 
tion, for not only did the dog cease to growl, but he began to 
gambol and caress, and removed himself from the path altogether, 
so that there was now a free course, and home was soon reached. 
The explanation of the whole affair is, when the nursemaid 
turned on her path thinking she had gone sufficiently far, the 
dog missed sight of the baby, and believed it was gone. Under 
this impression the dog converted himself into a sentinel, with 
the resolve that not one step should be taken towards home 
without the baby ; and faithfully did the animal keep watch and 
ward until the demonstration was given that the child had not 
bee 1 " left behind, but was still in the nurse’s arms alive and well. 
I think this is an exhibition of intelligence worthy of being 
known to you. 
I extract the following instance from Col. Hutchinson’s 
i Dog-breaking.’ It is briefly alluded to in the * Descent 
of Man.’ The observer and narrator is Mr. Colquhoun 
I may mention a proof of his sagacity. Having a couple of 
long shots across a pretty broad stream, I stopped a mallard 
with each barrel, but both were only wounded. I sent him 
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