THE DOG. 
325 
foundland dog has been known to plunge 
into the water of his own accord to rescue a 
smalhcur, maliciously thrown in, which ap¬ 
peared to be in danger of drowning; and 
their services in case of shipwreck are well 
known. They are very large and hand¬ 
some; and their good temper and sagacious 
watchfulness make them excellent play¬ 
mates for children. 
“ In the same group Colonel Smith places 
the shepherd dogs, which seem to me to 
manifest more_ intelligence than any other 
of the race. Some of them are very hand¬ 
some,—as the great Mexican sheep-dog, and 
that of the Pyrenees; and among the Scot¬ 
tish collies I have seen some of rare beauty. 
They learn to understand language almost 
as w^ell as human beings, and obey their 
masters’ directions in a way which is truly 
wonderful. One of these dogs at the word 
of command will single out all the sheep of 
a particular sort in a flock, drive them to¬ 
gether and bring them to his master: he 
will drive away all intruders upon the pas¬ 
ture, hunt up and bring home stray sheep 
and lambs in the darkest night, and will 
even carry young lambs in his mouth if 
2S 
