roused.

“ C. L. P.

“ May 28, 1863.”

Arslan killed so many dogs that I was obliged to entrust him to the care of my friend N. L. Austen, Esq., of The Acacias, Croydon, who wishes me to add the following. He is of a rich reddish tawny colour on the greater part of the body, deepening into black on the neck and muzzle; there is a white patch on the chest

arslan’s dimensions. 333

and the long hair of the tail is of a lighter hue than the prevailing tint of the body. The fur consists of a soft woolly undercoat (sufficiently thick and dense in texture to preserve the animal from the ill effects arising from the damp and cold), and of a quantity of longer hairs which are capable of being erected at will, and attain their greatest length on the neck and hanks. The dentition is more powerful than that of most domestic dogs, and the bony occipital crest is very strongly developed for the attachment of the powerful muscles that move the jaws. The limbs are peculiarly muscular, and the whole form indicative of immense strength combined with perfect symmetry and grace.

His dimensions are as follows:—

ft. in. Total length 7 5 Height at shoulder 2 8 Height to top of head 3 2 Girth of chest 3 8 Girth of neck 2 3

His ears have been cropped, but Mr. J. K. Lord, who has had considerable experience of this breed of dogs on the mountains near Scutari, kindly informs me that the ears, when entire, are slightly pendulous, much resembling those of the Pyrenean wolf-dogs. I have always found “ Arslan,” with the exception of his hatred to strange dogs, to be most affectionate and faithful in disposition, though when he is once really excited,

you would find you had “ woke snakes” in earnest. Since lie has been with me he has constantly been at perfect liberty in a large garden, and I have found that his temper has materially improved. I have not experienced the slightest difficulty in reconciling him to my other dogs, and to several belonging to my friends. As I am writing this, I can see him on the lawn with a litter of bull terrier pups about three months old, and associating with them in the most friendly manner, not even considering his dignity affronted by an occasional tug at his tail.

With strange dogs, especially large ones, he is unsafe in the extreme. On one occasion he attacked a fine Newfoundland dog in the road, nearly opposite to our house, and would speedily have killed him if I had not been present, neither the owner of the dog nor the spectators, who rapidly collected to see the row, daring to interfere. I may here mention a safe and humane way of inducing a dog to relinquish his gripe of anything he has seized: Press the nostrils of the dog with the left hand, and, placing the forefinger and thumb of the right behind the upper canine teeth, raise the upper jaw, and the dog will be immediately compelled to let go from his inability to breathe. I find Arslan’s bite differs from that of other dogs in the following way: When he has seized another animal, instead of maintaining his hold, he will tear

his teeth violently out of the flesh and muscles without unclosing them, thereby producing a most severe wound. This is also the case with the wolf. He is a capital house dog, and though he will permit most people to pass him in the day-time without molestation, he has a rooted aversion to beggars, and tramps, of every description; and at night it would be dangerous in the extreme for any stranger to venture on the premises. I remember on one occasion he floored an organ-grinder who presumed to shake a stick at him, sending him and his instrument flying in different directions, besides knocking his wind completely out of him. The poor creature was perfectly green with terror, and none of his fraternity have been seen near the place since. Arslan’s bark is peculiarly loud and deep toned, and on a still night I have heard it from a great distance. When fighting however, or irritated, he never utters the slightest sound and never gives warning by his voice of any attack he may meditate. I believe this breed to be the existing type of the Molossian dogs of ancient Greece, mentioned so much by classical authors with reference to their undaunted courage and great strength.

Three of these dogs were considered to be a match for a lion and two for a bear. They are probably the most ancient breed in existence, and as, when

reared in company with other dogs, they become free from savage propensities, they are well worthy

of introduction to this country, as their magnificent proportions and great fidelity make them valuable. Arslan unfortunately in former days had been trained to kili all other dogs, jackals, &c. that might come in his way, in order to render him a more efficient guardian to the flock in his charge; but he still can be easily reconciled to any individual dog, and will always remain on most

friendly terms with it. I now finish this chapter by giving a very pretty epitaph on a faithful dog buried in the house once occupied by Charles James Fox, at St. Anne’s Hill, near

Chertsey

In terra nuper fidelissimus fuit custos,

Kune invicem fi deliter custoditus requiesca*

APPENDIX

THE FIEST VOLUME.

BATHING LITTLE CHILDBEN IN THE SEA.

Vol. I. Page 6.

I venture to write a line in favour of little children, and the proper mode of bathing them. I happened to be row-

•ing on my way to “ the Spit ” buoy, near Southsea Castle when I heard terrible screams from a bathing* machine. I saw a lady standing in the water with a naned helpless baby in her arms; the poor little thing was screaming in an agony of fright, but, nevertheless, she plunged the terrified child into the sea, then lifting it out, danced it about for a second or two, and then ducked it in again and again pretty deep in the water. The screams of the poor child became fainter and fainter, and at last it was quite still 5 the sudden shock of the cold water, the effort of screaming, and its fright of the waves had totally exhausted it. The lady then at last began to pet it. Now if I had wanted to drown the child I should have done just what this lady did to her baby $ she dipped it head foremost, at least six or seven times, deep down into the sea. She gave it no breathing-time, no time for reaction of the skin. She showed no mercy to the fear of the tender infant; and should the little thing have been naturally subject to fits, she would most certainly have brought on sudden congestion of the brain, and possibly, nay, very probably, death.

SER. III. Z

;

Now, good ladies, pray do not be cruel to your little in-fants; make some allowance for their tender fears and their tender little lives; don’t trust them to the mercies of the bathing-woman, nurse, or other careless person; give them time when about to bathe, encourage them, talk to them, laugh with them; wet their heads gently first, and let them crawl down, of their own accord, into the water (they will do it fast enough in time, never fear); they will be thus pleased, not alarmed. Train them to the water like old Kobinson Crusoe trained his kitten, and they will soon become regular u water dogs.”

SLEEP OF FISH.—Vol. I. Page 20.

11 1 have kept carp, tench, minnows, and gold fish in an aquarium. Of these, all but the gold fish appear to sleep at certain intervals; not apparently influenced much by day or night, but by atmospheric changes. Some ofthem used to lie on the bottom, but most preferred to suspend themselves in the anacharis, where they would remain for many hours without moving a fin, and if a light were held close to the globe would take no notice of it, although at other times a light would always attract them. The gold fish, on the contrary, appeared to be always in motion, and wide awake night or day, dark or light, they were wandering about like unquiet spirits.” M. M. (( The fifteen-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus spinacia), as well as the grey mullets, appear to be hardly ever at rest in my aquarium, wandering ever up and down the tank. The gobies rest sometimes all day, and in the evening come out in a troop and play about. The blennies are always hiding, but usually come out and welcome me as soon as I come to the aqmdum, returning like a flash of lightning to their favourite rock with the tiny morsel of meat I generally give them. The beautiful riband-like Murcenoides guttata is very shy; the dragonets and bull-heads are confident,

and appear to fear nothing. The decided sleepers are the various species of wrasse: after playing up and down for an hour or so, picking up their dinner of infusoria, they quietly retire to their corner, and, lying down on their sides, go (I think) comfortably off to sleep. Each of my wrasses has had one bed-place, where he is always to be found.” F. Z. S. “ On my first voyage to the Cape of Good Hope, in 1841, we made fair runs, averaging 150 miles a-day. For at least six or seven days we were accompanied by large shoals of albicores and bonitas. Numbers were taken from the bowsprit by bobbing a hook with a bit of white rag on it, which they seemed to mistake for a flying fish. Many more were struck and caught from the martingale with the granes —a sort of trident with the prongs barbed. Some of the struck and wounded fish escaped, and bore scars upon them which enabled us easily to distinguish them in the clear water. These marked fish followed the vessel uninterruptedly for several days and nights, and for many hundred miles, as no doubt did other fish which we could not identify. All this time they could not have slept, and must, beside constant muscular exertion, have fixed their attention on the ship so as to keep her company. The poor flying fish, too, with all their finny and feathered foes, must sleep with one eye open if they sleep at all.”—Henry II. Methuen, Allahabad, in a Land and Water,” No. 55.

WANTON DESTRUCTION OF SEA BIRDS.

Vol. I. Page 107. “ In the ‘ Times ’ of April 3, a letter appeared from the Rev. P. 0. Morris, of Nunburnholme Rectory, Hayton, Yorkshire, upon the wanton and cruel slaughter of sea-fowl near Scarborough. One man states that he shot 1,200 birds last summer. Three years ago, he, with two visitors, shot 2,000 in three days. Last year ten boats, with different parties,

shot at these birds, while others were on shore, firing at them as they took refuge on the rocks. Nothing less than the extermination of these interesting birds can be looked for, and one of the great breeding-places of the coasts for our eea-fowl will have to be blotted out. Can nothing be done to mitigate such reckless and deplorable destruction P Why should not the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals exert its influence to preserve the wild as well as the tame from this unmitigated cruelty? ”—Land and Water.

A WILD ELEPHANT AT HOME.

Vol. I. Page 107. a I passed a month upon the,Shyan frontier, in Upper Mar-taban, and there I once had occasion to confront a noble solitary wild elephant, who permitted me to gaze on him at leisure. One morning I had proceeded to a greater discance than usual, the jungle on either side being exceedingly dense. Scrambling down the steep bank, I at once found myself in the presence of a magnificent tusked elephant, some thirty yards distant or less, luxuriating in a natural shady arbour. Here he stood, holding a leafy bough with his trunk to brush away the flies, as is so common a practice with elephants, whether wild or tame. At sight of me he started, shook his ears, and uttered a sound between a snuffle and a grunt, regarded me attentively for a few seconds, and then resumed his occupation of whisking away the flies with utter nonchalance. My Mussulman servant came up and passed the gun to me behind, asking me if he should put a bullet into each barrel. I replied, ( Decidedly not.’ I gazed my fill at the superb elephant before me, and could not but remark how comfortably he had ensconced himself in his bower, convenient to the river. After a while, I returned, and had to repass the elephant’s retreat, where again I found him engaged as before, and he took not the slightest notice of our presence.” E. Blyth, in “ Land and Water.”

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