New York Tribune

THE POWER OF IMITATION IN DOGS.

From The Spectator.

The following anecdote may interest those of your readers who are accustomed to observe the characteristic actions of dogs. I can vouch for its accuracy, as I was an amused eye-witness, and several members of my family were also present, and have often told the story. A friend of ours and his wife were spending a musical evening with us, and an old, black, English terrier, who belonged to the house, had been in the drawing-room, which was upstairs. The dog had been kindly noticed by our friend, who was partially lame, from paralysis. On leaving the drawing-room, the dog followed him to the top of the staircase (we, with his wife, were waiting below in the hall), and with cocked tail and ears stood gravely watching his slow, limpid descent. When the invalid was nearly at the foot of the stairs, the dog began to follow, limping on three legs (he was quite sound), in humorous imitation of our poor, afflicted friend; and this assumed lameness was gravely kept up, till he arrived on the mat. It was impossible to repress a smile, though our politeness was at stake, and the unconsciousness of our friend added to the difficulty.