here, 't is the shepherd's task the winter long
To wait upon the storms: of their approach
Sagacious, into sheltering coves he drives
His flock, and thither from the homestead bears
A toilsome burden up the craggy ways,
And deals it out, their regular nourishment
Strewn on the frozen snow. And when the spring
Looks out, and all the pastures dance with lambs,
And when the flock, with warmer weather, climbs
Higher and higher, him his office leads
To watch their goings, whatsoever track
The wanderers choose.

* * * * *

A rambling schoolboy, thus
I felt his presence in his own domain,
As of a lord and master, or a power,
Or genius, under Nature, under God,
Presiding; and severest solitude
Had more commanding looks when he was there."

The shepherd would be helpless without his dog, the collie, whose
astuteness and skill can hardly be overstated. The trained sheep dog
learns to know every individual member of the flock, so that if a
straggler goes beyond bounds, he will reclaim it; if an intruder
enters he will drive it out. When the flock is to be led home, he
gathers the scattered portions into a compact body and keeps them in
the way. A sagacious dog belonging to Hogg once amazed his master by
gathering together a flock of seven hundred lambs which had broken up
at midnight and scattered in three directions.

The collie is fitted by nature with special qualifications for his
peculiar work. His neck is long and arched, that he may put his nose
well to the ground and stretch it when running. His half pricked ears
are the best possible for distinguishing sounds at a distance, and the
part that falls over protects the inner ear from the rain. His thick
coat is proof against rain, snow, or wind, and the heavy mane shields
the most vulnerable part of his chest, like a natural lung protector.
With bare hind legs, long and springy, he can make his way easily in
the heather. The long, tapering muzzle gives a peculiarly
intelligent look to the face. An authority on dogs says, "There is, if
the expression may be used, a philosophic look about him which shows
thought, patience, energy, and vigilance."

[Illustration: John Andrew & Son, Sc.
THE HIGHLAND SHEPHERD'S CHIEF MOURNER
_South Kensington Museum, London_]

The shepherd and his dog are constant companions from dawn to sunset,
sharing the responsibilities of their charge. Common h