transact. She curls herself round, draws her puppies close to
her, makes the bed comfortable, sees that all her family are in order, and
then composes herself for a comfortable sleep. The meaning of her actions
is at this time so conspicuous, that I have repeatedly lingered to watch
them; and he who has never witnessed her conduct on such occasions, might
be entertained by observing it.

The animal subsequently requires little attention, beyond a change of bed
and a fair supply of nutritive food. She does best when least noticed; but
it is well to see that she takes a sufficiency of exercise. On the
following day she should be taken out; and on every day after that she
ought to be about pretty much as before. Some bitches, however, are such
devoted mothers as to sacrifice health, and occasionally life itself, to
enjoy the pleasure of being with their young ones. This excess of
affection must be controlled; for if not checked it will seriously injure
both parent and offspring. All animals, however, are not thus
distinguished. Some bitches cannot be induced to suckle the pups they have
given birth to; and others, though less frequent, will eat their progeny.
The disposition to desert or destroy their young seems to prevail among
the parentage of this world. In the female of the dog the maternal
instinct is most powerful; but under certain conditions of the animal's
body, the natural impulse seems to be perverted, and she takes the life
she would else have perished to preserve.

It is painful, knowing this, to reflect that on his own species man
inflicts the highest punishment, for an act that possibly may be, in the
human being as in brutes, the consequence of a mental excitement
accompanying the period of parturition. Women, when not in distress and
otherwise afflicted, rarely indeed are guilty of infanticide; and I have
observed annoyance or ill health proceed or accompany the like act in
animals. If the rabbit be looked at, her alarm seems to change her nature;
and the bitch that devours her pups will, upon inquiry, be generally found
to have suffered some species of persecution. That the brain is affected
there can be no doubt. The unnatural propensity is of itself a proof; but
the strange appearance, and the altered looks of the creature,
sufficiently denote her state. She is not then savage; her ferocity has
been gratified; and she seems rather to be afflicted with a remembrance of
the act she was unable to resist.