At the beginning of the novel, Montag watches the Mechanical Hound "sleep" in its kennel, located in a dark corner of the firehouse. After he smokes a cigarette, the narrator describes what goes on during dull nights at the firehouse. On dull nights, the firemen set the ticking combinations of the olfactory system of the Mechanical Hound and let small animals loose for the Hound to seize and kill. The firemen let loose rats, chickens, and cats, while they make bets on which animal will be the first to get caught by the Hound. The Mechanical Hound kills the animals by stabbing them with a four-inch steel needle that protrudes from its nose and injects morphine or procaine into its prey. Montag no longer partakes in the betting because two years ago he lost a week's salary, which upset his wife. While the firemen bet downstairs, Montag lies in his bunk and listens to them laugh and yell while the Hound traps and kills the various animals.
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