The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-12-03
DOGS AND CARRIAGES.

A London coachman who for years had charge of large and beautiful stable of superb carriage-horses, told the writer that a carriage dog owned by his master invariably ran beneath the pole-chains the moment the car- riage started, and would make the cir cult of the park several times without moving more than few inches from
 his place, the three animals-two horses and the dog-moving like ma chine. Cautiously enough, the dog chose
 his particular horse to live and sleep with in the stable; when travelling and in inn stables it mounted guard over
 this horses box, and would allow no strange hostler or groom to approach it.
 Greyhounds also learn to run with traps. It was the custom for sporting farmers in East Anglia to drive to
 market with a pair of these dogs, eith-
 CT running with their heads just be- meath the tail-board, or one on either
 side of the cart. Their pace was a
 trot, step for step with the horse. The
 use of carts and carriages for locomo-
 ton is much more readily learned by dogs than the art of keeping safe among traffic. Sporting dogs soon
 learn to like being driven to the shoot ing ground. When accustomed to this they will jump up the moment the tail-
 board is lowered and curl up under the
 seat, and show great discontent if not
 offered a place. But nearly all are sin
 gularly dull at devising any means for
 safe descent when the drive is over.
 They usually make a violent spring to the ground. often when the cart has
 scarcely stopped, and fractured fore legs are a frequent result
 Trains present far less difficulty to
 them. Though occasionally afraid of
 the rush and noise of the cars, they soon learn to delight in travelling by
 rail-if allowed to accompany their
 masters. They rush in the moment the
 door is opened, and some dogs notably those which are accustomed to com- fortable drawing-rooms and soft car pets, will always select a first-class carriage in preference to a wooden
 seated third" But though they have learnt to reckon with the speed of a carriage, and become so fond Of rail- way travelling that railway dogs" who travel by choice and alone are quite common-there is "Ryds to Ports mouth" dog too, which travels by boat, and begs pennies for buns-no dog, and We believe no domesticated animal, has ever learned to judge the speed of a train. When once on the line they
 seem, in this country, quite uncon- sc:ous of danger. If the train is nov ing at the rate of from five to twelve | miles an hour. they get out of the way; l but a pack of hounds on Q railway line, even if they are not in full cry, are al-
 ways cut to pieces by the first fast | train which overtakes them The first thing which the driver does when he sees them is to shut off steam This | makes the engine noiseless but the whole train rushes on, plainly visible, but with absolutely no terror for | hounds, who seem to look on the swift. silent thing as perfectly harmless If it were corn-wagon or a pufffng trac- tIon-engine they would get out of zhe way
 When the short line of railway was
 made across the neck of the Dobruds- cha, in Turkey. from Kustendji to the
 Danube. the Turks were almost as stu
 pid. They seemed unable to realize
 that the train would not stop. and
 would drive their sheep along the line,
 and one man endeavored to stop run l away truck by putting his foot on the l raiL-London Spectator.