supposed to see his friends, for I never heard that he had any love
affairs. If we all, or my daughters, or myself, met him on his return,
I, or they, or we all might call to him, notice him as he brushed past
us, or ask him to come for a walk. No. He would have none of our
company; he would cut us dead, and go toddling home, his tail more erect
and quivering than ever; never hastening his sedate pace, and giving his
usual kick-out with one hind leg every third or fourth step, as was his
custom. He would have no connection with us; that was quite clear and
decided. Sprig was very fond, too, of a walk with his mistresses or with
me, and, though never taught it, would always wipe his feet clean on the
hall mat as he came in. I am now going to relate an anecdote of Sprig
which I know is almost beyond credibility, but the occurrence so
displayed his power of thought and reason that I cannot withhold it. My
usual haunt is my den, as I call it, a large room at one end of our old
rambling house. There Sprig never came unless with his mistresses, and
indeed never was easy when he was there. I had begun a large full-length
picture of my daughters, and Sprig and Whisky, a small Skye puppy, were
to be painted lying at their feet. As the picture progressed, Sprig
seemed to understand all about it, and paid me the compliment of wagging
his tail at the portraits. One day my girls had been sitting to me, and
it was now Sprig's turn to sit. I put him into the proper position and
told him to lie still, and he proved a most patient sitter. When the
sketch of him was finished, I showed it to him; I think he was pleased
with his likeness, for he licked my face; but as he smelt at his
portrait, he did not like himself, and growled. Whisky was now put into
position, but was very restless, although Sprig scolded her by snarling
at her. Next day I had put the picture against the wall near the
window, and before a few steps which led up into my bedroom, and was
busy perched on a step-ladder with the after-portion of it. By and by I
heard a great scratching at my bedroom door, which was closed, and Sprig
whining to get in. I thought this odd, but it was too much trouble to
come down from my perch, and I told him to go away. He, however, only
whined and scratched the more. I therefore descended, and getting behind
the picture, went up the steps and opened the door. Sprig did not notice
me, but pushing past me hurried down the steps, and then, as I emerged
into the room, looked up to me blandly, and actually sat down in the
place in which I had put him the day before. I said to him gravely,
though infinitely amused, "No, Sprig, I don't want you to-day; look, the
colour is all wet, go away to your mistress." He looked very blank and
greatly disappointed, and stood up with his tail drooped. Suddenly a
bright thought seemed to strike him, as if he had said, "Now I have it!"
Whisky had got hold of one of my slippers, and was playing with it in
my bedroom, and Sprig, rushing up the steps, seized her by the "scruff"
of her neck, dragged her howling down the steps, and put her, I can use
no other words, into the place where she had been the day before. He
then came to me frisking about, and could he but have spoken, would have
said, "If you don't want me, you must her, and there she is!" He was
quite triumphant about it; and dirty as I was, and palette in hand, I
took him forthwith to the drawing-room and told them what had happened.
I could tell numberless other stories of the reasoning power and
intelligence of our little pet, but I should trespass at too great
length on your patience. I could describe a curious friendship which
sprang up between him and a German friend who was staying some time with
us; how he learned many new tricks from him, and was taught to hop on
his hind legs from one end of the drawing-room to the other, with our
friend hopping backwards before him; I could describe his evening romps
with my dear father, never omitted while my father lived; and the many
curious traits by which his great love for us was perpetually
displayed--how he learned to crack nuts of all kinds, and to pick out
the kernels like a squirrel--how he never went into the servants' hall
or the kitchen, and refused to associate with the servants, though
friendly with them, and especially with John Lambert, his fast friend.
But I must bring this sketch to a close.
We had been absent about a year in Germany and the South of France.
After we left, Sprig was inconsolable, and would not eat; but the cook
made him little curries and rice, and after a time he became more
resigned. We only heard that he was well, and hoped we should find him
so. The day we arrived I thought he would have died for joy. He gasped
for breath, and lay down, and when taken up by his mistress lay in her
arms almost insensible. It was long before he came to himself, and when
he did revive, it is quite impossible to describe his delight, or what
he did. He was, indeed, quite beside himself with joy, scouring about,
dragging his mistress here and there, doing all his tricks in a
confused manner, and, in short, behaving after a very insane fashion
indeed. We noticed he had a slight cough; but he seemed otherwise quite
well, and we thought it would go away; but it increased, and at that
time there was an epidemic of bronchitis among dogs. We sent him to an
eminent veterinary surgeon, who blistered him (and how patient the poor
fellow was under the pain cannot be told), but though relieved for the
time, the end was near. One morning he was seen to do an apparently
quite unaccountable thing. He took his son Terry (whom he was never
known to notice except by knocking him over and standing upon him,
growling fiercely), all round our village, and visited all the dogs in
it. John saw him doing this early in the morning, and told me of it. I
suppose he was commending Terry to their favour. He coughed a great deal
all day, and breathed heavily; but in the evening he was very bright,
and to all appearance much better, and insisted on doing all his tricks
till it was time to go to bed. Sprig never would go to bed willingly.
John used to come to the drawing-room door and call him, and he would go
to it, but stand growling till he was caught up and carried off. That
evening, as we remembered, he seemed more than ever unwilling to go, but
was caught up and carried away.
In the morning, about six o'clock--it was summer-time--I was just about
to get up, when John Lambert knocked at my door, and came in with Sprig
in his arms. He did not speak, and I asked him whether Sprig was worse.
"He's dead, sir," said he, with the tears rolling down his face, and
hardly able to speak. "Quite dead, sir; he must have died only a little
while ago, for when I went to let him out, I found him dead and quite
warm, as he is still." I am not ashamed to write that my eyes felt very
blind, but there was no hope; the dear little fellow was quite dead; he
had died calmly, and his eyes were bright; they had not glazed.
We buried him, John and myself, when he was quite cold and stiff, by a
rose-tree at the end of the garden. Poor John could hardly dig the
grave, and his tears fell fast and silently and upon dear old Sprig as
we covered him up for ever. I wish I could write a fitting epitaph for a
creature who, through his life, was a constant source of pleasure to all
who knew him.
M. T.
A DOG STORY.
[_June 8, 1895._]
A friend thinks I ought to add to the collection of dog stories
appearing in the _Spectator_, one which is within my own knowledge, and
may appear deserving of publication. My uncle, a well-known Chairman of
the Bench of Magistrates in a western county, had a tenant on his
estates who occupied a farm not far from the River Severn. The farmer
possessed a favourite dog, who slept at the foot of his bed every night.
When a brother emigrated to Canada, the farmer gave him the dog as a
travelling companion. In the course of time the news arrived that the
emigrant and his family, together with the dog, had safely reached their
destination--a farm in the interior of Canada some days' journey from
the port where they landed. At a later date the brother in Canada wrote
to his family in England saying that the dog had disappeared. Some time
afterwards the dog came back to the farm of his old master, about three
miles from Gloucester, and though at first it could hardly be believed
that he was returned from Canada, yet he soon established his identity
by taking his old place at the foot of his master's bed at night.
Inquiries were made, and the dog's course was traced backwards to the
River Severn, thence to Bristol, and thence to a port in Canada. It
appeared that, after running from his home in Canada to the seaport, he
selected there a vessel bound for Bristol, and shipped on board. After
arriving at the Bristol basin, he found out a local vessel trading up
and down the River Severn (locally called a "trow"), and transferred
himself to her deck. When he reached the neighbourhood of Gloucester,
the dog must have jumped into the Severn and reached the shore nearest
to his old home.
I can vouch for the truth of this story, from information received from
my relations on the spot shortly after the occurrence took place. I knew
the farm well, and the farmer who occupied it.
H. C. N.
A CAT-AND-DOG FRIENDSHIP.
[_June 8, 1895._]
The interesting letter, "A Canine Nurse," in the _Spectator_ of May
18th, recalls to mind an equally curious event in cat and dog life which
occurred some years since in a house where I was living, but with the
additional interest of a hen being also implicated.
In the back-kitchen premises of an old manor-house, amongst hampers, and
such like odds and ends, a cat had a litter of kittens. They were all
removed but one, and as the mother was frequently absent, a hen began
laying in a hamper close by. For a time all things went well, the hen
sitting on her eggs and the cat nursing the kitten within a few inches
of each other. The brood were hatched out, and almost at the same time
the old cat disappeared. The chickens were allowed to run about on the
floor for sake of the warmth from a neighbouring chimney, and the kitten
was fed with a saucer of milk, &c., in the same place, both feeding
together frequently out of the same dish. The hen used to try to induce
the kitten to eat meal like the chicks, calling to it and depositing
pieces under its nose in the most amusing way; finally doing all in its
power to induce the kitten to come, like her chicks, under her wings.
The result was nothing but a series of squalls from the kitten, which
led to its being promoted from the back to the front kitchen, where it
was reared until it was grown up. At this time a young terrier was
introduced into the circle, and after many back-risings and bad language
on pussy's part, they settled down amicably and romped about the floor
in fine style. Eventually the terrier became an inveterate
rabbit-poacher--killing young rabbits and bringing them home--a
proceeding to which the cat gave an intelligent curiosity, then a
passive and purring approval, and finally her own instincts having
asserted themselves, she went off with the dog, hunting in the woods.
Our own keeper reported them as getting "simply owdacious," being found
a great distance from the house; and keepers of adjacent places also
said the pair were constantly seen hunting hedgerows on their beats. On
one occasion I saw them myself hunting a short hedge systematically, the
dog on one side, the cat on the other; and on coming near an open
gateway a hare was put out of her form, and bounding through the open
gate, was soon off; the dog followed, till he came through the gateway,
where he stood looking after the hare; and the cat joining him, they
apparently decided it was too big or too fast to be successfully chased,
so resumed the hedge-hunting, each taking its own side as before.
They frequently returned home covered with mud, and pussy's claws with
fur, and would lie together in front of the fire; the cat often grooming
down the dog, licking him and rubbing him dry, and the dog getting up
and turning over the ungroomed side to be finished. This curious
friendship went on for six months or more, till the dog had to be kept
in durance vile to save him from traps and destruction, the cat, nothing
daunted, going on with her poaching until one day she met her fate in a
trap, and so brought her course to an end. The dog was a well-bred
fox-terrier, and the cat a tabby of nothing beyond ordinary
characteristics, save in her early life having been fostered by a hen,
and in her prime the staunch friend and comrade of poor old Foxie, the
terrier. If there are "happy hunting-grounds" for the animals hereafter,
and such things are allowed in them, no doubt they will renew their
intimacy, if not their poaching forays, together there.
R. J. GRAHAM SIMMONDS.
THE SENSE OF BOUNDARY IN DOGS.
[_March 14, 1885._]
I have been much interested in the communications which have appeared
from time to time in the _Spectator_ in reference to "animal
intelligence." Recently my attention has been called to a somewhat
striking illustration of it, in the case of my own dog and his canine
neighbour next door. Wallace is an Irish staghound, and is about a year
old. My neighbour's dog is a pointer, and is considerably advanced in
life. There is no hedge nor fence separating the two estates. The
dividing line runs between two stone posts about a foot in height, and
more than two hundred feet from each other. The dogs have never been
friendly, the pointer having repeatedly driven Wallace back over the
boundary when he has caught him trespassing. Both dogs, even when going
at full speed, stop the moment my dog has crossed the line. How does
the pointer know where the line runs, and how does Wallace know when he
is safely across it?
F. TUCKERMAN.
THE END.
INDEX.
Affection, 106
Affection, A Dog's, 105
Alpine Dog, An, 63
Animal Intelligence, 68
Animals and Language, 72
Animals, Communication with, 77
Animals, Friendships of Dogs with other, 135
Animals, How our Meaning is Conveyed to, 65
Animals, The Courage of, 217
Are Dogs Colour-blind? 213
Arts, Dogs and the, 119
Australian Dog Story, 203
Automata, Conscious, 136
Biography of Sprig, 237
Boundary, Sense of, in Dogs, 260
Bully's Short Cut, 30
Canary, Dog and, 150
Canine Friendship, An Act of, 153
Canine Intelligence, 32
Canine Jealousy, 113
Canine Member of the S.P.C.A., 110
Canine Nurse, A, 147
Canine Sightseer, A, 44
Cat-and-Dog Friendship, 256
Cat-and-Dog Love, 151
Cat's Paw, A Story of a, 233
Cautious Dogs, 61
Character of a Dog, Features in the, 26
Collies at Work, 191, 192
Colour-blind? Are Dogs, 213
Commercial Treaty between Dog and Hen, 19
Communication, Teaching Dogs a Method of, 74
Communication with Animals, 77
Conscience-stricken Dog, A, 103
Conscious Automata, 136
Courage of Animals, The, 217
Courtesy, A Dog's, 112
Cow's, A, Jealousy of a Dog, 200
Cunning Dogs, 170
Curious Friendship, A, 148
Curious Habits of Dogs, 155
Cut, Bully's Short, 30
Deceivers, Dog, 173
Dinner, A Dog and his, 163
Dog, A, and a Rabbit, 141
Dog, A, and a Whip, 170
Dog, A, and his Dinner, 163
Dog, A Conscience-stricken, 103
Dog, A Jealous, 115
Dog, A, Obeying a Summons, 210
Dog, A, on Long Sermons, 17
Dog, A Parcel-carrying, 47
Dog, A Ruse, 171
Dog, A Sunday, 197
Dog, A, that Scorned to be Jealous, 116
Dog, An Alpine, 63
Dog and Canary, 150
Dog and Hen, Commercial Treaty between, 19
Dog and Kittens, 145
Dog and Pigeon, 139
Dog and the Ferry, 33
Dog Consciousness, 228
Dog, Cow's Jealousy of a, 200
Dog Deceivers, 173
Dog, Features in the Character of a, 26
Dog Friends, 133
Dog Friendships, 131
Dog, Intelligent Suspicion in a, 61
Dog Nurse, A, 20
Dog Story, A, 230
Dog Story, A, 254
Dog Story, An Australian, 203
Dog, Sympathy in a, 107
Dog, The, that Buried the Frogs, 157
Dog's Affection, A, 105
Dog's Courtesy, A, 112
Dog's Humanity, A, 108
Dog's Remorse, A, 101
Dogs and Language, 64
Dogs and Looking-glasses, 164
Dogs and the Arts, 119
Dogs, Cautious, 61
Dogs, Cunning, 170
Dogs, Curious Habits of, 155
Dogs, Emotion and Sentiment in, 99
Dogs, Guardian, 179
Dogs, Hospital, 22
Dogs, Humour and Cunning in, 165
Dogs, Instinct of Locality in, 83
Dogs, Music and, 121
Dogs, Power of Imitation in, 167
Dogs, Purchasing, 51
Dogs, Railway, 94
Dogs, Reason of, 37
Dogs, Reasoning Powers of, 49
Dogs, Recognition of Likenesses by, 124
Dogs, Sense of Boundary in, 260
Dogs, Sense of Humour in, 168, 169
Dogs, Sentiment and Emotion in, 99
Dogs, Syllogistic, 14
Dogs, Teaching a Method of Communication to, 74
Dogs, Two Anecdotes of, 206
Dogs, Useful, 177
Emotion and Sentiment in Dogs, 99
Explanation, An, 159
Features in the Character of a Dog, 26
Ferry, Dog and the, 33
Foreknowledge of Death? Have Animals a, 221
Four-footed Friends, Our, 224
Friends, Dog, 133
Friendship, A Cat-and-Dog, 256
Friendship, A Curious, 148
Friendship, An Act of Canine, 153
Friendships, Dog, 131
Friendships of Dogs with other Animals, 135
Frogs, The Dog that Buried the, 157
Guardian Dogs, 179
Habits of Dogs, Curious, 155
Have Animals a Foreknowledge of Death? 221
Hen and Puppies, 137
Hen, Commercial Treaty between Dog and a, 19
Hospital Dogs, 22
Humanity, A Dog's, 108
Humour and Cunning in Dogs, 165
Instinct, Maternal, in Animals, 219
Instinct of Locality in Dogs, 83
Instinct, or Reason? 21
Intelligence, A Pug's, 211
Intelligence, Animal, 68
Intelligence, Canine, 32
Intelligent Suspicion in a Dog, 61
Jealous Dog, A, 115
Jealous, Dog that Scorned to be, 116
Jealousy, Canine, 113
Kittens, Dog and, 145
Language, Animals and, 72
Language, Dogs and, 64
Likenesses, Recognition of, by Dogs, 124
Locality in Dogs, Instinct of, 83
Looking-glasses, Dogs and, 164
Love, Cat and Dog, 151
Lucky and Unlucky, 214
Maternal Instinct in Animals, 219
Meaning, How Conveyed to Animals, 65
Method of Communication, Teaching Dogs a, 74
Music and Dogs, 121
Nurse, A Canine, 147
Nurse, A Dog, 20
Our Four-footed Friends, 224
Parcel-Carrying Dog, A, 47
Pictures, Recognition by Animals of, 129
Pigeon, Dog and, 139
Pigeon Story, 144
Plan, Thinking out a, 45
Power of Imitation in Dogs, 167
Powers, Reasoning, of Dogs, 49
Pug's Intelligence, A, 211
Puppies, Hen and, 137
Purchasing Dogs, 51
Rabbit, A Dog and a, 141
Railway Dogs, 94
Reason, Instinct or, 21
Reason of Dogs, 37
Reasoning Powers of Dogs, 49
Recognition by Animals of Pictures, 129
Recognition of Likenesses by Dogs, 124
Remorse, A Dog's, 101
Sense of Humour in Dogs, 168, 169
Short Cut, Bully's, 30
Sight-seer, A Canine, 44
S.P.C.A., A Canine Member of the, 110
Sprig, Biography of, 237
Summons, A Dog Obeying a, 210
Sunday Dog, A, 197
Suspicion, Intelligent, in a Dog, 61
Syllogistic Dogs, 14
Sympathy in a Dog, 107
Teaching Dogs a Method of Communication, 74
Thinking out a Plan, 45
Treaty, Commercial, between Dog and Hen, 19
True, A, Watch-dog, 188
Unlucky, Lucky and, 214
Useful Dogs, 177
Watch-Dog, A True, 188
Whip, A Dog and a, 170
End of Project Gutenberg's Dog Stories from the "Spectator", by Various