Stories about Animals

Whatever may be thought of the somewhat aristocratic pretensions of the lion, as the dog, after all, has the reputation of being the most intelligent of the inferior animals, I will allow this interesting family the precedence in these stories, and introduce them first to the reader. For the same reason, too-because they exhibit such wonderful marks of intelligence, approaching, sometimes, almost to the boundary of human reason-I shall occupy much more time in relating stories about them than about any other animal. Let me see. Where shall I begin?