Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1898-08-09
CANINE LANGUAGE.
THREE STORIES THAT sHcw DOGS
CAN TALK.


"r-New Zealand Greyhounds at Thei1
Play-An ln.istent COMMITTEES OF DOG,
ana Its Work.
we were speaking Of the power pos
scS5ed by some animals Of communt-
eating their ideas one to another. and
my friend kindly furnished me with
Two or three stories to illustrate the
point. He said: James Cumming was
nshlng stream near Coupar, and was
Much annoyed by small terrier which
followed him along the path, barking.
till he turned and clicked" the dog
over the nose with his fishing rod
"hen the dog at once ran off My friend
went on with his fishing, and forgot the
incldenttll he noticed the small dog re-
turning. trotting by the side Of a large
retriever, who without any growing or
preliminaries. quietly bit Cummings
heel, and in the SAME quiet and digni-
lied manner at once retired. honor
having been satisfied.
In the district Of Rangitikei. New
Zealand. where lived for some years.
hares We're very plentiful, and coursing
was sport INDUCED in by everybody,
the result being that greyhounds
swarmed in the townships; and while
their owners were busy, they were in
clined to suffer from ennui. and thus
1t happened that some fifteen or twenty
hounds would often trot out of the
village. quite unattended, about
quarter OF a mile, to paddock oppo-
site my house. and there they would
mass UP In one corner close to the gate.
Presently one of the number would
dash out from the mob towards the
middle of the field. and when it had
got some fifty or seventy yards start.
would begin to double" and twist ex-
actly as a hare would do when hard
pressed. The pack would at once com
mence the chase, while the ..hare" dos,
lodged and turned at full speed, till at
last he was "collared" and pulled
down. when the painting pack would re-
turn to the rendezvous at the gate, and
after brief blow" another dog would
break away and assume the role OF
hare This sport I have seen carried
on for nearly an hour at q stretch.
perfectly spontaneous on the part OF
the dogs
Another curious story was told me
by Dr.. Frank Wallace Mckenzie OF
Wellington, N. e., whose father owned
run IN Otago. which was much over
run by rabbits. In order to keep the
rabbits in check, il possible, a monde.
script pack of dogs was kept at the
station to hunt rabbits for their living.
The pack was composed OF half-breed
ereyhounds and collies chiefly, and
every morning quite by themselves and
hunting all day, returning in the even
Ing to the station. A very small Scotch
terrier always accompanied these ex-
petitions, his small body allowing him
to take the part of ferret, and turn
the rabbits out Of their burrows. The
dog, therefore. became necessary to
others If they wanted really good
sport: but there were times-as this
dog grew old-when the comforts OF
the kitchen fire outweighed the joyous
excitement Of digging rabbits out OF
the snow. and as lie was privileged
individual. and his daily bread did not
depend entirely upon the slaughter OF
the chase, he would sometimes absent
himself from the meet" but the
other dogs knew better than to start
without him, so a deputation would
return to the Kitchen to ask him to
reconsider his POSITION and being
armed with wider powers of persuasion
than most Populations. when this one
was met with snarls and growls, it set
upon the object Of its prayers and
dragged him out OF the place. AT
once he was surrounded by the pack,
and hurried off to the hunting ground
by the pack in no very gentle manner.
Once there. the spirit of the chase"
would come over him, and his stiffness
wear off. but the same performance
would probably have to be gone
through next morning. l have often
wondered what the other dogs did
when this terrier died.