The Massachusetts spy, and Worcester County advertiser. [volume] ([Worcester, Mass.]) 1825-1831, 1829-06-17
ANECDOTE OF DOGS.

o"leuge OF Time. Inc sun appears
10 regulate the motions of those which leave
Iheir homes in the morning, to return al
!, particular hour of the evening. The
haint'chatka dogs are probably Influenced
III tlier autumnal return to their homes by
change of temperature. But in those
dogs possessing the readiest conceptions
as IN the case of dogs in highly civilized
country, the exercise of this faculty is high
~ remarkable. Mr.. Southley, in his Omn
ana relates two instances of dogs who had
acquired such knowledge of time as would
ehao.s them to count the days of the week.
ne says, my grandfather had one which
Judged two miles every Saturday to cater
lot himself in the shambles. l know anoth-
81 more extraordinary and we'll authenti-
caed example. A dog which had belong
eato an Irlshman, and was sold by him in
England, would never touch morsel of
Tod apon Friday" The same faculty of
Ieollectlng intervals of time exists thnugh
moe limited IN extent, IN the horse. We
! kntw horse, and have witnessed the cir
substances, which, being accustomed to be
employed once a week on Il Journey with
taenewsman of provincial paper, always
stopping at the houses Of the several Gus
toners, although they were sixty or seventy
IN number. But further, there were two
pesons on the route who took one paper
between them, and each claimed the priv
lege of having it first on the alternate Sun
day. The horse soon became accustomed
to his regulation; and although the parties
lived two miles distant, he stopped once a
fortnight at the door of the half customer at
Th'ope, and once fortnight at that of the
other half customer at Chertsey, and never
ddh forget this arrangement, which last
ed several years, nor stop unnecessarily
when he once thoroughly understood the
rule.
DR.. Gall says, "that the dogs learnt to
understand not merely separate words, or
articulate sounds, but whole sentences ex-
pressing IDEAS" DR.. Elliotson, the learned
translator of Blumenbach's Physiology,
quotes the following passage from Calls
Treatise sur les Fonctons du Creveau, with
out expressing any doubt of the circum-
stance : {" | have often spoken Intentionally
of objects which mi ght interest my dog, TAX
ing care not to mention his name, or make
any information or gestures which might
awaken his attention. He, however, showed
no less pleasure or sorrow, as it might be !;
and, indeed, manifested by his behavior, that
he had perfectly understood the CONVERSE
ton which concerned him. l had taken Il
bitch from Vienna to Paris and in a very
short time she comprehended French as
well as German, Of which satisfied myself
by repeating before her whole sentences in
both languages" We have heard an in
stance of this quickness in the comprehen-
sion of language which is very remarkable.
A mongrel, between the shepherds dog
and terrier, a great favorite in the farm
hou" washing some of her children. Upon
asking boy whom she had just dressed,
to bring his sisters clothes from the next
room, he pouted and hesitated. "Oh, then"
said the mother, "Mungo will fetch them"
She had said this by way of reproach to the
hov, for Mungo had not been accustomed
to fetch and carry. But Mungo was intel
ligent and obedient and without further
command he brought the child's frock to the
astonished mother. This was an effort of
Imagination in Mungo, which dogs certain
" do possess in considerable degree. He
had often observed, doubtless, the business
of dressing the children ); and the instant
he was appealed to, he imagined what his
mistress wanted. Every one knows the
anxiety which dogs feel to go out with their
masters if they have been accustomed so to
DO. A dog will often anticipate the jour
ney of his master and guessing the road
he means to take, steal away to a consider
able distance on that road to avoid being
detained at home. We have repeatedly
seen this circumstance. 1t is distinctly an
effort of the imagination, if, indeed, it be not
an inference of reasoning.
Lnueus has made it characteristic OF
dogs that "they bark at beggars )" but
beggars are ragged, and sometimes have
that look of widness which squalid poverty
produces and then the imagination of the
dog sees in the poor mendicant, robber Of
| his masters house, or one who will be cruel
10 himself-and he expresses his own fears
lbv a bark. A dog is thus valuable fol-
watching property in proportion to the ease
With which he is alarmed. One OF the
Irrea.est terrors of a domesticated dog is Z
naked man, because this is an unaccustom-
ed object. The sense of fear is said to be
$50 great that the fercest dog will not ever
bark. A lanyard at Kilmarnock, IN Ayr
shire, was, few years ago, extensively
robbed by thief, who took this method tt
overcome the courage of powerful New
foundland dog, who had long protected ,
considerable property. The terror whlcl
he dog felt at the naked thief, was entlrei.
maginary-for the naked man ws.' less ca
Fable of resisting the attack of the do!
than if he had been clothed. But then tn,
dog had no support in his experience. Hi
memory of the past did not come to the All
of that faculty which saw an unknown dan
ger in the future.
Library Of Useful KnO'Oledgs.
COBBETT.