There are certain days defined in the Almanack as 'dog
days,' -during which, according to the popular superstition, stray dogs are universally supposed to be mad, simply because they have lost -their way, and all dogs found with sunstroke or any other enfeebl- ing sickness utterly disqualifying for hostilities upon either man- kind or dogkind, are at once voted to execution. The doge in their turn will probably regard the periodic fits of our legislative .activity against them as seasons of our madness, and perhaps call them "man-days," in confidential intercourse with each other. If so, they will certainly regard Parliament as passing through its ' man-days ' just now. Some old peer having, we believe, been recently bitten,—we think by a dog in the strict execution of his -duty,—Mr. ,Secretary Bruce and Mr. Winterbotham have brought in a most bloodthirsty bill, intended, as far as we can -see, to do away With watch-dogs altogether. At least, any Court -of summary jurisdiction may "take cognizance of a complaint that „a dog is dangerous, and if it appears to the Court that such -dog ought to be destroyed," it "may make an order in s summary way directing the dog to be destroyed, and any con- stable may destroy the same accordingly." Further, "A dog shall be deemed to be dangerous (1) if it has bitten or attempted to bite any person ; (2) if it is mad -or reputed to be mad ; (3) if it has been bitten by any dog mad or reputed to be mad." In other words, a dog may be summarily destroyed if it bites a house- breaker attempting to enter a house at night, i.e., if it does its duty ; (2) if the neighbours are foolish enough to surmise that there is a mad look about its eye ; (3) if it has been attacked by
dog in which the neighbours discover an insane eye. Surely Englishmen are not beginning to be as suspicious and panic- stricken about their dogs as Parisians are about their leaders. We cannot believe that whenever a dog is in spirits, Englishmen -will be disposed to let anybody who chooses to shriek, "We are betrayed," not only take to his heels, but turn the police into assassins of the dog he is weak enough to fear and calumniate.
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