NOTES BY TERROR.

Otago Witness, Issue 2467, 26 June 1901, Page 54

NOTES BY TERROR.

— "Dagonet," in the London Referee, writes: — There has been p. good deal of dis-cuhsion at one time and anothe. as tc dogs committing suicide. But has anyone heard oE a do<j deliberately performing suttee- aa ? srgr of I came upoo an incident ot canine suttee :hk week in quite a curious way. I bought an old book. It i<3 called "A Thousand Notable Things." ond bears <his imprint : "London. Printed foi- M. Wotton and G. Conyer« at the Three Pigeons, over against the Inner Temple Gale in Fleet street, and' a the Golden Ring on Ladgatt* Hill, rvev against the Old Bailey, lt'B6.'' £n this quamt jld-world book I found my doj sl'ory. I give it in the writer's own words*: — "It is creditably reported to me for a very truth that f> certain innkeeper in Ware died, which tiad a dog that 'oved bin so well that, certain days after he mourned, and sought for his said master without eating of anything ; and when he could not find his said master he laid himself amon^ the hot coals in a chimney ; who, though he wa pulled out of the fire, yet he went in again <uid burned himself to death ; rare and strange thing- as hath been heard of; I think it is hard to find n servant s< loving to his Lord as this dog was to- hi& master."

— The English Stockkeeper received by last mail' contains o lot of interesting- news for Australians. That journal .ays: — ''The National Canine Defence League, which has done so much for dogs, has just given another proof -f its public-spirited policy by starting a fund for defraying quarantine expenses of doss of soldiers returning from the

war. In with this subject ths secretary nas received a letter from Lord Kitchener, in which the Commander-in-Chief in South Africa states that he 'has caused a notice to be inserted in Army Or» ders which will inform the whole army in South Africa of the- kind action of the league-/ He also expresses to the society how much this facility to bring home their faithful canine companions is appreciated by the soldiers." ■*

— The International Kennel Club, Eng? land, has decided to classify show dog 3 ua< der three headings: — (1) Sporting, (2) Nonsporting, (3) Terriers (other than toys). As the Kennel Club, the leading body in tho kennel world rher«, aleo has the question under consideration, it will be interesting to see whether or not their decision on the matter will agree with the finding of the International Kennel Club. As all shows a-re held under KlenneL Club rules or license, the decision of the latter body as to this and all other matters will be final; and it is therefore difficult to understand why the I.X.C. should take all the trouble of framing- regulations which they have no power to enforce.

— A remarkable performance by a dog and a cat was witnessed at the Empire Theatre, London, recently. It is really a comedy in three acts. In Act 1, Mr Wallenda (tht owner) is seen at dinner. Just as he haz settled, himself down comfortably to his soup the cat makes her way into the room, arching her back and caressing Mr Waflenda's leg a£ter the manner of cats when theiij owners are dining. Finally pussy's feelings so far overcome hei that she jumps up into her master's lap and propose* -to skate his soup with him. This proposal Mr Wafleadi,,, declines by putting hen ou"fe of "harm's • way., into a small basket in a corner of. the room. But he is destined not to have his dinner in peace, for as soon as the soup is removed and the joint comes on, another intruder makes an appearance in the shape of a boarhound, who, with his forelegs on the table, makes a most determined onslaught on the joint. He is repulsed' eventually and secured with a. collai* and chain at a safe distance from the tab'c. But the best-laid schemes of ffog-owners are sometimes, defeated. After tying up the boarhound', Mr Wallenda discovers that there is no pepper on the table, and goes out of the room to fetch some. Hardly has he got outside the door when the dog slips his collar, and in one bound is on the table demolishing the joint at the rate of 100 miios an hour. HaT; ing 1 finished his meal it suddenly occurs to him that swifc retribution is likely to follow on his master's return, and as he hears his master's steps- in the 1 distance-, in a moment he lias overturned the basket, and r taking pus*y by the ueck, places her among" tlie ruins of the stolen dinner, and then slips his neck back intc the collai" just as ' Mr Wallvnda comes back, pepper castor it* hand. Before- he lias time, however, to wreak vengeance on bhe cat, she jumps on his shoulder, and, whispering: in his ear and pointing_tc ihe dog-, explains in, her best pusay language who the villain really is. — - Otir Dogs.

— Mr F. H. H. Guiileinard writes in a rei csnt London Field on the subject of the origin of spaniels. . He quotes quaint Dr Cams' s contribution on the subject to '"Dc Ganibus Britannieis" in 157G: — "As though, these fcinde of dogges came originally and first of all out of Spaine, the common sort of people call them by one jjenerall WO rd — namely, spaniels. Did for use and customs cause that [the taill bfcyng as it were made somewhat bare and naked by shearing of superfltiitie of heare, they might arcliive the more li<?htnesse and swiftnease and be less hindered in swymming. In thi* Ileland Melita ... an Heland indeede famous and renoumed with couragious and puisanfc souldiourn valHantly fighting under the banner of tlhrist, where this kind of dogges had their principall beginning. These doggeß are little, pretty, proper, and fyne, and sought for to salisfie the delicateness of daintie dames. .These p-uppies the smaller they be-, the- inor. pleasui'e they provoke, as mere meete playfellowea for minsing mistreb^es tc beare in their bpsomes . .- . and licke tlieii lippes as they ryde in their

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