48 
THE PEACOCK.—FARM-DOGS. 
merit solely. Of use they are none. 
They are found in all latitudes of the 
United States, and in the pleasure- 
ground, on a portico, a balustrade, or 
the house-top, a favorite perch by the 
way, for this wayward and capricious 
creature. No object can be more beautiful. 
I need not describe the brilliancy of its 
plumage, the color of its various dyes, nor 
the exceeding elegance of its form. 
These are familiar to all our readers. 
Idle and vagrant in its habits, mis¬ 
chievous in its propensities, and of little 
utility either in its'carcase or its eggs,.it 
is tolerant alone for its gorgeous display 
of plumage, and the showy splendor of 
its attitudes. I have kept them many 
years, and every year of my observation 
only confirms in my mind the truth of 
the ancient proverb applied to the Pea¬ 
cock. “ It has the plumage of an angel, 
the voice of a devil, and maw of a thief.”'’ 
They are destructive in the garden, vin¬ 
dictive and quarrelsome among other 
poultry, without either the merit of bra¬ 
very, or the energy of defence. Yet after 
all, I like them, they make such a beau¬ 
tiful show among the poultry, and add to 
the infinite and delightful variety of ani¬ 
mated creatures, with which a kind Prov¬ 
idence has blessed our vision. 
L. F. Allen. 
The Peacock.—(Fig. 10.) 
For the American Agriculturist. 
FARM-DOGS. 
This may be deemed by many, a small subject; 
but I apprehend in a great many cases, it is in 
practice, found large enough to produce infinite 
mischief and inconvenience. The American peo¬ 
ple are probably more miscellaneous in the choice 
of their dogs than any other, and nothing is more 
common than to find attached to a farm-house, and 
to pretty much every other house too for that mat¬ 
ter, in this country, an overgrown and ungainly 
Bose, Lion, Watch, or Tiger, and in more than 
half the cases, not worth in his whole life the food 
he eats in a week. In a “ democratic” country 
like ours, it may be thought impertinent to criticise 
the public taste in the question of a dog;.but nev¬ 
ertheless, as they are usually considered, and in 
frequent instances really are, an indispensable ad¬ 
junct of one’s establishment, it may not be amiss 
to ascertain what in truth is the best species of 
animal for the farm. Do not imagine that I am. 
a dog-hater, and that these interesting, as well as 
useful creatures attract none of my esteem. The 
first live thing that I ever owned in early boyhood 
was a puppy, and a faithful and favorite dog has 
been among my companions more or less ever 
since. 
But I am by no means an indiscriminate admirer 
of the race. An uncouth brute without breeding I 
detest. No one better likes a true bred, sagacious 
animal than myself. For guarding purposes large 
dogs are required, and none, perhaps,-will better 
answer than the Newfoundland, which unites the 
generosity, ingenuity, and intelligence of the race 
more than almost any other; Avhile the Plound, 
Setter, Pointer, and the numerous kinds of Spaniels, 
furnish to the sportsman all the requisites for his 
varied pursuit. The Bull-dog and Mastiff I have lit¬ 
tle affection for. Their savage, cruel, and ferocious 
disposition need only be called in requisition when 
the midnight robber or the determined burglar are 
to be repelled, and for common farm uses are little 
to be desired. The common cur of the country, run¬ 
ning through all sizes and gradations, and into the 
limits of almost every other breed, is, on the whole, 
a pretty good animal, and answers a tolerable pur¬ 
pose ; but the very best farm-dog I have yet seen, 
is the Terrier. These are of great variety, but the 
size I prefer is not larger than a fox; and in saga¬ 
city and fidelity, they are equal to any except the 
Newfoundland, and in courage they have no equal. 
To all vermin‘they have a natural, and most de¬ 
structive hatred; nothing escapes their vigilance. 
They see at night nearly as well as the owl, and 
their watchfulness and wonderful activity are per¬ 
petually on the alert. No buildings need be infest¬ 
ed with rats if they can get under them, nor the 
fields with mice, weazels, polecats, minks, .or other 
noxious animals, if two or three of these useful crea¬ 
tures be near; for if kept in pairs, or more, they 
will hunt for days together, away by themselves, 
and destroy thousands of mischievous depredators. 
For squirrel and rackoon hunting, and duck-shoot¬ 
ing, the rough-haired Scotch terrier is equal to any 
other; and in a chase, within sight of the game 
few dogs are their equal. 
