ing that
many dogs, when once they have smelt your hand, never forget you. But
they also often appear to make mental notes of what they see, and to
retain these in their minds. A retriever that has worked long on an
estate will be found to know the position of almost every gate and stile
in every field, and will use his knowledge instantly as occasions arise.
He equally appears to know the rides of the woods within his beat, and
where they lead. In other words, he has, in hunting parlance, an eye for
country; and here is an instance from Daniel's life by way of
illustration.

To reach a neighbouring village on one occasion, the writer used a
tricycle. There was only one road to this village, distant five miles,
and this was bounded on one side by woods and on the other by the river
Thames, which it was necessary to cross at the outset. Here and there
between the road and the river were houses, the gardens and grounds of
which were surrounded by walls and fencing extending to the river-banks.
The tow-path was on the further side. It chanced that after three miles
had been traversed, another tricycle caught up the writer and passed him.
Dan was ahead, mistook this machine for his own, and went on out of
sight. The weather looking threatening, the writer decided to return
home, feeling confident that the dog would discover his mistake and
follow. A bicycle now overtook the writer, the rider of which, in answer
to inquiries, said that he had seen an Irish terrier entering the village
he had left, three miles back, cantering in front of a tricycle. There
was nothing to be done but to go leisurely home, waiting every now and
then to see if the dog was coming, while growing always more and more
uneasy at his non-appearance. At last the home was reached--and on the
front-door mat sat Daniel!

The dog was perfectly dry, and had still the dust of the road on him. He
could not therefore have swum the river; moreover, he had no taste for
water. Equally, he had not come along the only road; while it was
impossible for him to have travelled through the woods or along the land
lying between the road and the river. There was only one solution of the
difficulty, and this was undoubtedly correct. In his walks along the
hills the dog must have noticed a railway in the valley and its bridge
across the river. He had certainly never been along this railway or over
this bridge. But he remembered its existence when he was lost, made his
way