d. At any rate, care must be taken not to serve it out "too hot,"
although, in general, dogs are sagacious enough not to scald
themselves, as we see in Landseer's exquisite little picture on the
opposite page.

Dogs which are hard worked are by some said to be the better for
having two meals a-day--a very light one of mixed food in the morning
before going out, and a full meal, principally of flesh, on their
return in the evening; but, as a general rule, one good meal a day,
towards the evening, is sufficient, and they may be left to pick up
what they can: indeed the dealers never give more than one meal a-day.
Bones to pick may be allowed them occasionally, but hard bones in
excess are likely to wear and damage the teeth. Nothing is better than
paunch, tripe, or good wholesome horse or cow-flesh, boiled, and the
liquor mixed well with oatmeal porridge; the quantity of each about
equal. If horse or cow-flesh is not to be had, graves, in moderate
quantity and well scalded, are a tolerable, though not very desirable,
substitute. They are generally broken small, mixed with about one-half
the quantity of oatmeal, then thoroughly soaked in boiling water, and
well stirred; or, a better way still is to boil them together like
porridge.

Dogs, like men, require a change of food, and it has been strongly
asserted that barleymeal and oatmeal, without change, predisposes to
cutaneous disease, and even produces it; therefore, a judicious
feeder, like a good cook, will contrive to vary his bill of fare.
Porridge and milk, dog-biscuit, farinaceous food, the scraps of the
kitchen, the offal of bullocks or sheep, which should be well boiled,
make an excellent variety;--but we would by no means recommend too
frequent a repetition of the latter food. Potatoes are also good, and
although not so nutritious, or easy of digestion, as oatmeal, are less
heating.

Care should be taken never to present more to a dog than he will eat
with a good appetite; and when oatmeal and barleymeal are given mixed,
the former should first be boiled for twenty minutes, and then the
latter added, and boiled only for about eight or ten minutes. This
meal should, however, never be given in the hunting season, as it is
too heating, and occasions the dogs to be perpetually drinking. Their
food ought, as a general rule, to be given to them pretty thick, as
thin porridge does not stay the stomach so well. The feeding-troughs
for hounds should be sufficiently wid