any danger to
his charge, and no suspicious character is allowed to molest.

It is possible to train such dogs to all sorts of useful service. In
their native country of Newfoundland they do the work of horses, and
harnessed to carts or sledges draw heavy loads. They learn to fetch
and carry baskets, bundles, and letters, and are quick, reliable
messengers.

Perhaps their most striking peculiarity is their fondness for the
water; they take to it as naturally as if it were their proper
element. They are not only strong swimmers, but also remarkable
divers, sometimes keeping their heads under the surface for a
considerable time. Nature seems specially to have fitted them for the
rescue of the drowning, and in this humane calling they have made a
noble record.

Innumerable stories are told of people, accidentally falling from
boats, bridges, or piers, who have been brought safely to land by
these dog heroes. The dog seizes the person by some part of the
clothing, or perhaps by a limb, and with the weight dragging at his
mouth, makes his way to the shore. He seems to take great pains to
hold the burden as gently as possible, keeping the head above water
with great sagacity. Some one has told of seeing a dog rescue a
drowning canary, holding it so lightly in his mouth that it was quite
uninjured.

[Illustration: Fr. Hanfstaengl, photo. John Andrew & Son, Sc.
A DISTINGUISHED MEMBER OF THE HUMANE SOCIETY
_National Gallery, London_]

It is in his capacity as a life saver that the Newfoundland dog of our
picture is represented, called by the pleasant jest of the painter, A
Distinguished Member of the Humane Society. Surely no member of the
honorable body could be more efficient than he in that good cause. He
lies at the end of a stone jetty, his fore paws hanging over its edge
a little above water level. Nothing can be seen behind him but the
gray sky, with sea gulls flying across: against this background the
massive head stands out grandly. He seems to look far out to sea, as
if following the course of a distant vessel. A gentle lifting of the
ears shows how alert is his attention; he is constantly on duty, ready
to spring into the water in an instant.

His attitude shows his great size to full advantage,--the splendid
breadth of his breast and the solidity of his flank. The open mouth
reveals the powerful jaw. A sense of his strength is deeply impressed
upon us. The pose suggests that of a couching lion, a