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THE NEW

BOOK OF THE DOG

A COMPREHENSIVE NATURAL HISTORY OF
BRITISH DOGS AND THEIR FOREIGN RELATIVES,
WITH CHAPTERS ON LAW, BREEDING, KENNEL
MANAGEMENT, AND VETERINARY TREATMENT

By ROBERT LEIGHTON

ASSISTED BY EMINENT AUTHORITIES
ON THE VARIOUS BREEDS

ILLUSTRATED WITH TWENTY-ONE COLOURED PLATES AND
NUMEROUS PHOTOGRAPHIC PORTRAITS OF FAMOUS DOGS

VOLUME I
SPECIAL EDITION

CASSELL AND COMPANY, LIMITED

LONDON, NEW YORK, TORONTO & MELBOURNE

All Rights Reserved
191 i

TO
HER MOST GRACIOUS MAJESTY

QUEEN ALEXANDRA

WHO HAS EVER BEEN A TRUE FRIEND OF DOGS

THIS WORK IS

BY HER MAJESTY'S OWN KIND PERMISSION

RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED

PREFACE.

THIS work is produced with the design of providing accurate and authori-
tative information concerning the natural history of the various canine
breeds, and my aim has been to present the information in popular
form and in orderly sequence, adequately illustrated with portraits of
typical examples of all the known varieties of the domesticated dog, British
and foreign.

The popularity of the dog as an assistant in the pursuit of game, as the
object of a pleasurable hobby, and as a faithful companion, has never been
so great as it is at the present period. More dogs are kept in this country
than ever there formerly were, and they are more skilfully bred, more kindly
treated, and cared for with a more solicitous pride than was the case in earlier
generations. It would be difficult in the absence of statistics to estimate with
precision the number of dogs kept in the British Isles ; but the Inland Revenue
return for licences in 1908-9 for England and Wales was £614,966, and as
each licence costs 7s. 6d., this would mean that there were at the least
1,640,000 dogs for which the tax was paid. In the same proportion to the
population one may add another 800,000 for Ireland and Scotland. But
there are exemptions for certain working dogs and for all puppies, while
for many the payment of the tax is surreptitiously evaded or never col-
lected. It would be well within the margin of probability, therefore, to state
that there are over four millions of dogs in Great Britain and Ireland, or that
they are in the proportion of one to every ten of the human inhabitants.
Another indication of our national love for the dog is given in the increasing
number of competitive shows held under Kennel Club Rules at the various
centres of population. During 1909 as many as 822 separate dog shows were
held throughout the country, the owners of the canine exhibits representing
all classes of the community, from their Majesties the King and Queen down
to the humblest of their subjects. One can nowadays seldom enter a dwelling
in which the dog is not recognised as a member of the family, and it is notice-
able that the family dog is becoming less of a mongrel and more of a distin-
guishable and accredited breed.

I think I may claim that in the following pages no breed of importance has
been omitted from consideration. Each of the more prominent varieties has
been carefully and sufficiently dealt with by a writer of acknowledged authority,
without whose assistance the work could not have been satisfactorily performed.
I desire cordially to express my indebtedness to those who have rendered me

vi PREFACE.

their practical help : to Mr. E. W. Jaquet, the energetic Secretary of the Kennel
Club, for valuable advice most courteously given, and not less to Mr. F. Gresham,
Mr. W. J. Stubbs, Mr. G. S. Lowe, Mr. Francis Redmond, the Rev. Hans
Hamilton, Mr. George Raper, Mr. Handley Spicer, and Count Henri de Bvlandt,
for suggestions which I have adopted. My particular thanks are due to the
experts on the different breeds for the conscientious thoroughness with which
they have dealt with the subjects assigned to them. Their names are appended
to the chapters they have written. In many instances I am afraid that I
have taken what they may consider undue editorial liberties with their material ;
but where I have altered, excised, or amplified, it has mainly been with the
purpose of bringing the various chapters into literary harmony and proportion,
and I have been careful not to distort facts or misrepresent opinions.

I prefer to let the reader discover for himself the chapters which are of
especial importance, but I am perhaps justified in referring to Mr. Walter
Glynn's section on canine laws as the most exhaustive treatise on the legal
status of the dog that has yet been compiled, and I think I do not mistake
in regarding the section dealing with the dogs of foreign lands as unique in its
completeness. In this connection I desire to acknowledge my obligations to
the generous help of Mr. H. C. Brooke, whose intimate familiarity with rare
exotic breeds is perhaps unequalled.

For the selection of the illustrations I am myself wholly responsible. In
a large proportion of cases the specimens depicted are well-known examples
of their respective breeds or varieties ; but because a dog's portrait appears
in illustration he is not necessarily to be accepted as a superlative and faultless
individual. I consider it enough if he is typical of his kind. Obviously, the
labour of collecting so many hundreds of canine portraits has been no light one ;
but my requests have usually been met with a ready response from the many
dog owners at home and abroad who have kindly favoured me with photo-
graphs, or with the loan of pictures, or who have as kindly allowed the artists
to paint portraits of their dogs for reproduction in the series of colour plates.

ROBERT LEIGHTON.

CONTENTS.

PAGli

BASSET-HOUND, THE. By Mrs. C. C. Ellis 3°o

BEAGLE, THE. By George S. Lowe 228

BLOODHOUND, THE. By Howard Handley Spicer 140

BORZOI, THE, By Major S. P. Borman 180

BOULEDOGUE FRANCAIS. By F. W. Cousens, M.R.C.V.S., F.Z.S. ... 57

BULLDOG, THE. By W. J. Stubbs 33

BULLDOG, THE MINIATURE. By The Lady Kathleen Pilkington ... 52

CHESAPEAKE BAY DOG, THE 266

CHOW-CHOW, THE. By Mrs. B. F. Moore 124

COLLIE, THE. By James C. Dalgleish 98

CURLY-COATED RETRIEVER, THE. By L. P. C. Astley 259

DALMATIAN, THE. By F. C. Higxett 92

DEERHOUND, THE. By Robert Leighton 168

DOG IN HISTORY, ART, AND LITERATURE, THE. By Robert Leighton . . 12

FOXHOUND, THE. By George S. Lowe .... .... 205

FRENCH BULLDOG, THE By F. W. Cousens, M.R.C.V.S., F.Z.S. ... 57

GENERAL HISTORY OF THE DOG. By Robert Leighton 1

GLOSSARY OF TECHNICAL TERMS xi

GREAT DANE, THE. By E. B. Joachim 84

GREYHOUND, THE. By Fredk- Gresham 188

HARRIER, THE. By The Lady Gifford, M.H 222

HOUNDS, fllJN DOGS, AND OTHER SPORTING BREEDS r4«

CONTENTS.

IRISH WOLFHOUND, THE. By Fredk Gresham .
LABRADOR RETRIEVER, THE. By F. F. Schofield

MASTIFF, THE ENGLISH. By W. K. Taunton ....
MINIATURE BULLDOG, THE. By The Lady Kathleen Pilkington

NEWFOUNDLAND, THE. By Captain J. H. Bailey
NON-SPORTING AND UTILITY BREEDS .

OLD ENGLISH SHEEPDOG, THE. By Aubrey Hopwood
OTTERHOUND, THE. By George S. Lowe .

POINTER, THE. By George S. Lowe .
POODLE, THE. By Leonard W. Crouch, LL.B.

RETRIEVER, THE. By L. P. C. Astley.

RUSSIAN WOLFHOUND, THE (BORZOI). By Major S. P. Borman

SCHIPPERKE, THE. By E. B. Joachim ....

SETTER, THE. By F. C. Hignett

SHEEPDOG, THE OLD ENGLISH. By Aubrey Hopwood
SPANIEL, THE SPORTING. By Colonel R. Claude Cane
STAGHOUND, THE. By George S. Lowe
ST. BERNARD, THE. By Fredk Gresham .

WELSH HOUND, THE. By George S. Lowe.

WHIPPET, THE. By F. C. Hignett

WOLFHOUND, THE IRISH. By Fredk- Gresham

WOLFHOUND, THE RUSSIAN (BORZOI). By Major S. P. Borman

page
160

261

52

74
20

112
152

232
128

253
1 So

135
243
112
267
218
63

220
198
160
180

LIST OF COLOURED PLATES.

THE BLOODHOUND, Ch. HENGIST. From the Painting by Lilian Cheviot Frontispiece

MASTIFF BITCH, Ch. ELGIVA. From the Painting by J. D. Redvvorth . To face p. 22

THE BULL BITCH, Ch. SILENT DUCHESS. From the Painting by Frances

C. Fairman ............ .. 48

THE SMOOTH-COATED ST. BERNARD, Ch. THE VIKING. From the Painting

by Lilian Cheviot ........... ., 65

COLLIE. The Rev. Hans F. Hamilton's WOODMANSTERNE DEREK. From

the Painting by Lilian Cheviot ,, 106

FOUR CHAMPION CHOW-CHOWS, owned by Mrs. Scaramanga. From the

Painting by Maud Earl .......••■ .. I24

BORZOI. Ch. IVAN TURGENEFF. From the Painting by Maud Earl . . ,, 184

THE GREYHOUND BITCH, AGE OF GOLD. From the Painting by Lilian

Cheviot ,,196

THE PUCKERIDGE FOXHOUNDS, COLONIST AND CARDINAL. From the

Painting by G. Paice 210

ENGLISH SETTER, MALLWYD NED. From the Painting by Lilian Cheviot . „ 242

THE FLAT-COATED RETRIEVER, Ch. HIGH LEGH BLARNEY. From the

Painting by Maud Earl 253

SUSSEX SPANIELS, Ch. ROSEHILL ROCK and Ch. ROSEHILL RAG. From

the Painting by Lilian Cheviot 284

COCKER SPANIELS, Ch. EVA BOWDLER, Ch. JETSAM BOWDLER. JOCK

BOWDLER, and SUSAN BOWDLER. From the Painting by Lilian Cheviot ,, 298

b— Can,

GLOSSARY OF TECHNICAL TERMS.

In writing and speaking of dogs the expert is accustomed to use terms and phrases
not commonly understood by the inexperienced. The following glossary includes most
of these, alphabetically arranged for reference : —

Amateur Exhibitors arc persons who attach
themselves to certain breeds, and have bred or
exhibited them, or intend to do so, as distinct
from Professional Exhibitors, who get together
a team of show dogs of any breed which seems
advantageous, and take them round from show
to show for no other purpose than winning prize-
money.

Apple-headed. — This term implies that the
skull is round instead of flat on the top, as in the
Toy Spaniel and the Toy Black-and-Tan.

Apron. — The frill or long coat below the neck
of the Collie, Skye Terrier, Pomeranian, and other
long-haired dogs.

Awards. — The following is the order of Awards
at all Dog Shows : —

First, Second, and Third. Money prizes.

Reserve. Equal to Fourth, and taking the
place of third, should any objection be proved
against any of the higher winners.

V.H.C. Very highly commended.

H.C. Highly commended.

C. Commended.

Bat-eared. — Ears held erect like those of the
bat. Prominent in the Bouledoguc francais.

Beefy. — Applied to a Bulldog when its hind-
quarters are too large and beefy.

Belton (Blue and Lemon). — A word applied to
flecked Laverock Setters.

Blaze. — A white mark up the face and between
the eyes. Scottice : bawsent.

Breeching. — The tan-coloured hairs at the
back of the thighs of a Black-and-Tan Terrier,
Setter, or Collie.

Breeder. — The Breeder is the owner of a bitch
at the time of whelping, or a person to whom she
is lent, or leased, for breeding purposes.

Breeds. — The following is the Kennel Club's
Classification of Breeds in the Sporting and
Non-sporting Divisions : — ■

Sporting. — Bloodhounds, Otterhounds, Fox-
hounds, Harriers, Beagles, Basset Hounds,
Dachshunds, Greyhounds, Deerhounds, Bor-
zois, Irish Wolfhounds, Whippets, Pointers,
Setters, Retrievers, Labradors, Spaniels, Fox-
terriers, Irish Terriers, Scottish Terriers,
Welsh Terriers, Dandie Dinmont Terriers,

Skye Terriers, Airedale Terriers, Bcdling-
ton Terriers.
Non-Sporting. — Bulldogs, Bulldogs (Miniature),
Mastiffs, Great Danes, Newfoundlands, St.
Bernards, Collies, Old English Sheep Dogs,
Dalmatians, Poodles, Bull - terriers, White
English Terriers, Black-and-Tan Terriers, Toy
Spaniels, Japanese, Pekinese, Yorkshire Ter-
riers, Clydesdale Terriers, Maltese, Italian
Greyhounds, Black-and-Tan Terriers (Minia-
ture), Lhasa Terriers, Chow Chows, Pome-
ranians, Pugs, Schipperkes, Griffons Bruxellois,
Foreign Dogs not included in the above list
(whether Sporting or Non-sporting).
Brisket. — The lower part of the body in front of
the chest and between the arms.

Broken-up Face. — Applied generally to the
face of the Bulldog, Pug, and Toy Spaniel, and
includes the wrinkle, the receding nose, and deep
stop.

Brush. — A term applied to a tail that is heavy
with hair, as that of the Collie and of the St.
Bernard.

Butterfly Nose. — A nose that is mottled, or
showing spots of skin colour.

Button Ear. — An ear that drops over in front,
covering the inner cavity, as in the Fox-terrier,
Irish Terrier, and Pointer.

Cat Foot. — A short, round foot, with the knuckles
high and well developed, as in the Greyhound.

Challenge Certificate. — An award given to a
dog, in' bitch, winning the First Prize in the
Open Class at a Championship Show. The dog
is presumed to have challenged all comers, and
its proved merit is acknowledged by the certifi-
cate.

Championship. — The title "Champion" is given
to a dog winning three challenge certificates,
under three different judges, at three different
shows.

Character. — Showing the points of the breed
which the specimen is meant to represent.
Cheeky. — Thick in the cheeks.
Chest. — The chest of a dog is not what many
persons speak of as breast, or chest. It extends
beneath him. from the brisket to the belly
Chop. — The fore-face of the Bulldog.

Xll

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

Classes at Kennel Club Shows : —

Open Classes. — Open to all, no prize-winners

being debarred from competing.
Limit Classes. — For dogs which have not won
more than six First Prizes at Shows held under
K.C. Rules in such classes as arc eligible
for free entry in the K.C. Stud Book.
Novice Classes. — For dogs which have not
won a First Prize at a Show held under
K.C. Rules in any class where the First Prize
is £2 or more. Wins in Puppy. Local, Mem-
bers', or Selling classes excepted.
Special Novice Classes. — For dogs which
have not won a First Prize at a Show held
under K.C. Rules in such classes as are
eligible for free entry in the K.C. Stud Book.
Maiden Classes. — For dogs which have not
won a First, Second, or Third Prize at a Show
held under K.C. Rules. Wins in Puppy,
Local, Members', and Selling excepted.
Junior Classes. — For dogs under i,S months.
Breeders' Classes. — For dogs or bitches which

are bred by exhibitor.
Puppy Classes. — For dogs over three and

under twelve months old.
Litter Classes. — For Litters (not less than

two) under three months old.
Selling Classes. — For dogs entered to be
sold at a price not exceeding the limit named.
Brace. — For two dogs (either sex or mixed)
of one breed, each to be entered in some
other class than Brace or Team.
Team. — For three or more dogs (either sex
or mixed) of one breed, each to be entered
in some other class than Brace or Team.
Stud Dog and Brood Bitch Classes. — To be
judged on merits of progeny only. The
Stud Dog or Brood Bitch must be present at
the Show.
Cobby. — Well ribbed up ; short and compact
in proportion, like a cob horse.

Comb Fringe. — The hair that droops or hangs
down from the tail of a Setter.

Corky. — Compact and alert looking.
Couplings. — The body of a dog between the
limbs. The term denotes the proportionate
length of a dog, which is spoken of as being
short or long "in the couplings."

Cow-hocked. -The hocks turning inward, giving
an ungainly appearance to the hind legs. This
is a serious fault in a dog, and especially so in
(he larger breeds.

Crest. — The upper arch of a dog's neck, usually
applied to sporting dogs.

Cropping. — A cruel practice, obsolete in this
country since 1895, by which a dog's cars were
cut in order to make them stand erect and
pointed.

Culotte. — The feathery hair on the thighs of a
Pomeranian or a Schipperkc.

Cushion. — The swelling in the upper lips of a
Bulldog, or Mastiff, which gives them an appear-
ance of fulness.

Dewclaw. — An extra claw and rudimentary
toe found occasionally on the inside of the
lower portion of the hind leg of many dogs,
especially the St. Bernard and other mountain
breeds. They are usually removed with a strong
pair of scissors. This operation is best performed
in puppyhood, when the dam's tongue will soon
heal the wound.

Dewlap. — -The loose, pendulous skin under
a dog's chin ; prominent in the Bloodhound.

Dish-faced. — A depression in the nasal bone
which makes the nose higher at the tip than at
the stop.

Docking. — The cutting or shortening of a
dog's tail. The Spaniel's tail is docked to pre-
vent injury to it when hunting in coverts and
thick undcrgrowths. The operation should be
performed in very early puppyhood, the hair
being pulled well back towards the rump and about
one-half of the tail being taken off with a pair
of strong scissors. It was formerly the practice
to bite the tail off with the teeth to prevent
bleeding.

Down-faced. — When the nasal bone inclines
downward tow aids the point of the nose.

Draft. — To remove hounds from a kennel, or
pack.

Drop Ear. — The same as button car, but hang-
ing close to the cheeks.

Dudley Nose. — A flesh-coloured nose.

Elbow. — The joint at the top of the forearm.

Elbows Out. — Referred to a dog whose elbows
are not close to the body, as in the Bulldog.

Enter. — To train a sporting dog for his future
work. Young hounds when first put into a pack
are said to be entered.

Faking or Trimming. — A common but dis-
honest practice performed on a dog to make
him appear better than he actually is. There arc
special rules of the Kennel Club which deal
with this matter of the preparation of dogs for
exhibition, viz : —

A dog shall be disqualified from winning a
a prize, or from receiving one, if awarded,
at any Show held under Kennel Club Rules
save and except in such cases as are specified
hereunder, under the head " Exceptions," 1I
it be proved to the Committee of the Show :

1. That any dye, colouring, whitening, or
darkening matter has been used and remains
on any part of the dog.

2. That any preparation, chemical or otherwise
has been used, which remains on the coat

GLOSSARY OF TECHNICAL TERMS.

xiu

during the time of the exhibition, for the
purpose of altering its texture.

3. That any oil, greasy or sticky substance has
been used and remains in the coat during
time of exhibition.

4. That any part of a dog's coat or hair has
been cut, clipped, singed, or rasped down
by any substance.

5. That the new or fast coat has been removed
by pulling or plucking in any manner.

Note. — The coat may be brushed and
combed, so that old or shedding coat
and loose hairs may be removed.

6. That if any cutting, piercing, breaking by
force, or any kind of operation or act which
destroys tissues of the ears or alters their
natural formation or carriage, or shortens
the tail, or alters the natural formation of the
dog, or any part thereof has been practised,
or any other thing has been done calculated
in the opinion of the Committee of the Kennel
Club to deceive, except in cases of necessary
operation certified to the satisfaction of the
Kennel Club Committee.

7. That the lining membrane of the mouth
has been cut or mutilated in any way.
Exceptions : —

1. Shortening the tails of dogs of the following
breeds will not render them liable to dis-
qualification : — Spaniels (except Irish Water),
Fox-terriers. Irish Terriers, Welsh Terriers,
Airedale Terriers, Old English Sheepdogs,
Poodles, Toy Spaniels, Yorkshire Terriers,
Schipperkcs, Griffons Bruxellois, and such
varieties of foreign dogs as the Committee
may from time to time determine.

2. Dogs of the following breeds may have
their coats clipped : — Poodles.

3. Dewclaws may be removed in any breed.

4. Dogs with ears cropped prior to 9th April,
1898.

Fall. — The loose long overhanging hair over the
face of a Yorkshire, Skye, or Clydesdale Terrier.

Feather. — The fringe of hair at the back of
the legs, as in the Setter and Spaniel. It is also
applied to the body all over in long-haired breeds
like Collies and Newfoundlands.

Felted. — Matted, as applied to coat.

Fiddle-headed. — A long, gaunt, wolfish head,
as seen in some Mastiffs.

Field Trials. — Competitions instituted for the
improvement of sporting dogs — Pointers, Setters,
and Spaniels in particular. Retriever trials were run
at Vaynol Park in 187 1-2, but were discontinued
until 1906, when they were resumed under the
auspices of the Kennel Club.

Flag. — A term for the tail applied to Setters
Retrievers, etc.

Flews. — The chaps, or pendulous lips of the
upper jaw. The lips at the inner corners.

Frill. — The feather or beautiful mass of hair
projecting from the throat of a long-coated dog,
notably the Collie and the Setter.

Frog Face. — Applied to a Bulldog whose nose
is too prominently forward.

Grizzle. — An iron grey colour.

Hare-foot. — A long, narrow foot carried well
forward.

Harlequin. — Mottled, pied, or patchy in colour,
as in some of the Great Danes.

Haw. — An inner eyelid or membrana nictitana
more developed in some dogs than in others. It
is usually the colour of the iris, but red in many
hounds. It should never be cut unless diseased.

Height of a Dog. — The perpendicular measure-
ment from the top of the shoulder blade to the
ground.

Hocks. — The joints between the pasterns and
the upper part of the hind legs.

Hound Shows arc those consisting exclusively
of all, or any, of the following breeds : — Fox-
hounds, Staghounds, Otterhounds, Bloodhounds,
Harriers, and Beagles.

Huckle Bones. — The tops of the hip joints.

In the Money. — A phrase used to indicate
that a show dog has taken an award higher than
Reserve.

Kink Tail. — A tail with a single kink, or break
in it.

Kissing Spots. — The spots on the cheeks of some
Toys and others ; as the mole on the cheek of
the Pug.

Knee. — The joints attaching the fore pasterns
and the lorearms.

Layback. — The receding nose of a Pug, Bulldog,
or Toy Spaniel.

Leather. — The skin of the ear, most frequently
used in reference to the ear of the Bloodhound
and Dachshund.

Level-jawed. — Term applied to a dog whose
teeth meet evenly, and whose jaws arc neither
overshot nor undershot.

Lippy. — A term applied to the hanging lips of
dogs where such should not exist.

Lumber. — A superfluity of flesh, heavy and
ungainly.

Mask. — This phrase is frequently used when
speaking or writing of the dark muzzle of the
Mastiff, and some other breeds.

Merle. — A bluish-grey colour with black inter-
mingled.

Occiput. — The prominent bone at the back
or top of the skull, which gives the dome shape to
the head of the Bloodhound. It is from the back
of this prominence that the length of the head is
measured.

Till-: NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

Overshot. —Having the front upper teeth pro-
jecting over the lower. This fault in excess is
said to make the dog pig-jawed.

Pad. — The thickened protuberance on the sole
of a dog's foot.

Pastern. — The lowest section of the leg below
the knee, or hock, respectively.

Pencilling. — The dark lines divided by streaks
of tan on the toes of a Black-and-tan terrier.

Pig-jawed. — An exaggeration of an overshot
jaw.

Pily. — A peculiar quality of coat consisting of
two kinds of hair, the one soft and woolly, the
other long and wiry.

Plume. — The tail of the Pomeranian.

remain in quarantine for a period of six months.
This regulation was instituted with the purpose
of excluding animals infected with rabies.

Racy. — Slight in build, long in the legs, as the
Greyhound and Whippet.

Recognised Shows. — Recognised shows are those
held under Kennel Club Rules, or otherwise by
permission of the Kennel Club Committee. Un-
recognised shows are all other shows, and exhibits
at these become disqualified for entry at any
shows held under permission of the Kennel Club.

Registration. — Before being exhibited at a
Recognised Show a dog must be registered at
the Kennel Club on forms supplied for the pur-
pose, upon which particulars as to the dog's name,

PRINCIPAL POINTS OF THE DOG.

I.

Nose.

2.

Nasal Bone

3-

Stop.

4-

Skull.

5-

Occiput.

6.

Muzzle.

•J. Neck.

8. Shoulder.

g. Top of the Shoulder.

10. Elbow.

11. Forearm.

12. Knee.

13. Pastern.

14. Chest.

15. Top of Hip Joint.

16. Hock.

17. Stern.

18. Stifle Joint.

Puppy. — A puppy is a dop; under twelve months
old, dating from and including the date oi its
birth.

Quarantine.- -All dogs brought into Great
Britain from abroad are compelled by law to

pedigree, 'lite of birth and ownership, arc entered.
The fee lor such registration is 2s. 6d. The
last transfer of ownership of a registered dog since
it was last exhibited must be registered anew prior
to exhibition by a new owner.

GLOSSARY OF TECHNICAL TERMS.

Roach Back. — A back that is arched along the
spine, and especially towards the hindquarters.

Rose Ear. — An ear which folds backward, re-
vealing the inner burr of the ear, desirable in the
Bulldog, the Greyhound, and the Borzoi.

Rounding.- -The trimming of a hound's ears in
order to protect them from being torn by gorse.
The long tips of the ears are cut off with a half-
moon iron. In many kennels the operation of
rounding has been abolished.

Septum. — The division between the nostrils.
Shelly. — A thin, narrow body, such as that of the
Borzoi.

Shoulder.— The top of the shoulder blade, the
point from which the height of a dog is measured.
Sickle Hocks. — When the hind legs of a dog show
a bend at the stifle and are well let down, they are
said to have sickle-hocks. The sickle-hock is a
merit in the Greyhound, and the Collie, and,
indeed, in all dogs in which speed is a desideratum.
Sickle Tail. — A tail with an upward curve above
the level of the back.

Snipy-jawed. — A dog's muzzle when long, narrow
and peaked.

Spread. — The width between the arms of the
Bulldog.

Spring. — Round or well sprung ribs.
Stern. — The tail of a sporting dog, particularly
of the Foxhound.

Stifle. — The joint in a dog's hind leg next the
buttock ; corresponding with the knee joint in the
human leg.

Sting. — A tail which tapers to a fine point, as in
the Irish Water Spaniel, and the Bedlington Terrier.
Stop. — The depression just in front of the eyes
between the skull proper and the nasal bone. It
is most obvious in Bulldogs, Pugs, and short-faced
Spaniels.

Throatiness. — Applied to the loose skin about
the throat where none should exist, as in the
Pointer.

Thumb Marks. — The circular black spots on
the forelegs of a Black and Tan Terrier.
Timber. — Bone.

Trace.- -The dark mark down the back of a
Pug-
Tricolour — Black, tan. and white.
Topknot. — The long fluffy hair on the top of the
head of an Irish Water Spaniel, Dandic Dinmont,
and Bedlington.

True Arm. — The upper part of the foreleg,
contrasted with the lower, which is also known
as the forearm.

True Thigh. — The upper part of the hind leg.
Tucked up. — Tucked up loin as in the Borzois
and Greyhounds.

Tulip Ear. — An elevated or prick ear, as in some
of the Toy Terriers. This ear is not desirable in
any variety of sporting dog.

Turn-up. — The projecting, turned-up chin of a
Bulldog.

Undershot. — The lower incisor teeth projecting
beyond the upper, as in Bulldogs. This deformity
in a terrier is a disqualification in the prize-
ring.

Vent.— The tan-coloured hair under the tail.
Walking. — The owners of packs of hounds are
in the habit of sending out puppies and young
dogs to be nurtured and trained by neighbouring
farmers and cottagers, who give them the indi-
vidual attention which they might not receive
in the home kennels. This is called " walking."

Wall Eye. — A blue mottled eye, frequently
occurring in the Sheepdog.

Well sprung. — Nicely rounded.
Wheaten.— A pale, yellowish colour.
Wire-haired. — The harsh, crisp coat in rough-
haired terriers. Commonly used to distinguish
the long-haired varieties of dogs that are smooth
coated, even when the hair is not rough.

Wrinkle.— The loosely-folded skin over the skull
of a Bloodhound, St. Bernard, or Bulldog

MISS STEEVENS' JAPANESE PUPPIES.

Photograph by C. Rad, Wishaw.

THE NEW

BOOK OF THE DOG.

INTRODUCTORY.
I.

GENERAL HISTORY OF THE DOG.

" Then said he to Tobias, Prepare thyself for the journey, and God send you a good
journey. And when his son had prepared all things for the journey, his father said, Go
thou with this man, and God, which dwelleth in Heaven, prosper your journey, and
the angel of God keep you company. So they went forth both, and the young man's dog
with them." — Tobit v. 16.

I. — The Dog in Prehistoric Times. — In the
Academy at Brussels there is a delightful
picture Dy Breughel representing the Gar-
den of Eden, in which the artist has intro-
duced a rough Skye-terrier lying con-
tentedly curled at the feet of Adam and
Eve. This is a stretch of the probabilities ;
no dog of a recognisable breed lived at a
time so remote. There is, however, no
incongruity in the idea that in the very
earliest period of man's habitation of this
world he made a friend and companion of
some sort of aboriginal representative of
our modern dog, and that in return for its
aid in protecting him from wilder animals,
and perhaps in guarding his sheep and

goats, he gave it a share of his food, a corner
in his dwelling, and grew to trust it and
care for it.

There is ample evidence to prove the
existence of a semi-domestic dog in pre-
historic times. Probably the animal was
originally little else than an unusually
gentle jackal, or an ailing wolf driven by
its companions from the wild marauding
pack to seek shelter in alien surroundings.
One can well conceive the possibility of
the partnership beginning in the circum-
stance of some helpless whelps being brought
home by the early hunters and being after-
ward tended and reared by the women and
children. The present-day savage of New

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

Guinea and mid-Africa does not, as a rule,
take the trouble to tame and train an adult
wild animal for his own purposes, and
primitive man was surely equally indifferent
to the questionable advantage of harbour-
ing a dangerous guest. But a litter of
woolly whelps introduced into the home
as playthings for the children would grow
to regard themselves, and be regarded, as
members of the family, and it would soon
be found that the hunting instincts of the
maturing animal were of value to his
captors. The savage master, treading the

Danish " Kitchen -middens," or heaps of
household refuse, piled up by the men of
the Newer Stone age — an age when these
Neolithic peoples used chipped or pol-
ished flints instead of metal for their
weapons — are found bone remnants belong-
ing to some species of the genus Canis.
Along with these remains are some of the
long bones of birds, all the other bones of
the birds being absent. Now it is known
that there are certain bird bones — those of
the legs and wings — which dogs cannot
devour, and it is just these which remain,
while the absent ones are
of the kind which any dog
will eat. The inference
is that when the family
meal was finished the
scraps were cast to the
dogs, who ate what they
could.

Other doe bones of

PREHISTORIC ROCK TRACING REPRESENTING REINDEER,
BOAT, MEN, AND DOGS. CUT IN THE QUARTZ
SKEE PARISH, BOHUSLAN.
Height, 5 ft.: Width, K} ft.

primeval forests in search of food, would
not fail to recognise the helpfulness of a
keener nose and sharper eyes even than his
own unsullied senses, while the dog in his
turn would find a better shelter in associa-
tion with man than if he were hunting on
his own account. Thus mutual benefit
would result in some kind of tacit agree-
ment of partnership, and through the gener-
ations the wild wolf or jackal would gradu-
ally become gentler, more docile, and tract-
able, and the dreaded enemy of the flock
develop into the trusted guardian of the
fold.

Convincing evidence of this friendship
between the Canidce and primitive man
is to be found in the remains left by the
ancient cave-dwellers, where the half-petrified
bones of men and dogs are mingled ; and the
prehistoric savages of Northern Europe have
left many such silent mementoes of the
past which enable us to gain an insight
into the conditions of their daily life and
their domestication of animals. In the

HORSE IN A
MASSLEBERG,

later periods are found in
Denmark. At the time
when the flint knives were
succeeded by weapons of
bronze, a large dog existed,
and at the time when iron came into use there
was a still larger one, presenting certain
differences. Probably the oldest dog of which
there is any dependable record is one which
was partially domesticated in Switzerland
during the Lake dwelling period. It some-
what resembled our Hound and Setter, and
in the formation of its skull it was equally
remote from the wolf and the jackal. Thus
we see that at a time when our ancestors
were living in caves or on pile-supported
dwellings in a condition of civilisation akin
to that of barbaric races to be found in the
present day, the dog was already system-
atically kept and improved by selection.

If these fossil deposits were not sufficient
to prove that the earliest human beings of
whom we have any trace had subjected the
dog to their companionship, further evidence
is given in the rude, untutored drawings
which the men of the so-called Reindeer
period inscribed upon the imperishable
rocks as records of heroic deeds and adven-
tures. Most of these rock inscriptions, which

GENERAL HISTORY OF THE DOG.

ASSUR-BANI-PAL AND HIS ATTENDANTS PREPARING
FOR THE HUNT.

nrod Gallery,

for thousands of years have been laid bare
to the ravages of the northern climate, are
representations of ships and boats, with
figures of men and animals, and in many of
them are to be found
tracings of a small
quadruped in which
canine characteristics
are readily recognis-
able. In one such ex-
ample, discovered at
Bohuslan, on the shores
of the Cattegat, there
can be distinguished
several figures of dogs.
One seems to be mind-
ing a horse, another is
being led by a man,
and a third appears to
be chasing a reindeer.
Figures of dogs are
also to be found en-
graved by prehistoric Assyrian mastiffs

artists, who have From a Bas-relief in the B

striven to record their impressions on tablets
of bone and horn.

Evidence exists to show that a tame
species of Canidcz was possessed by the
ancient inhabitants of North and South
America, while dog worship in Peru was
an earlier cult even than the sun worship
practised by the Mexicans. In nearly all
parts of the world, indeed, traces of an
indigenous dog family are found, the only
exceptions being the West Indian Islands,
Madagascar, the eastern islands of the
Malayan Archipelago, New Zealand, and
the Polynesian Islands, where there is no
sign that any dog, wolf, or fox has existed
as a true aboriginal animal. In the ancient
Oriental lands, and generally among the
early Mongolians, the dog remained savage
and neglected for centuries, prowling in packs,
gaunt and wolf-like, as it prowls to-day
through the streets and under the walls of
every Eastern city. No attempt was made
to allure it into human companionship or to
improve it into docility. It is not until we
come to examine the records of the higher
civilisations of Assyria and Egypt that we
discover any distinct varieties of canine form.

Assyrian sculptures depict two such, a
Greyhound and a Mastiff, the latter de-
scribed in the tablets as " the chained-up,
mouth-opening dog " ; that is to say, it

HUNTING WILD HORSES.

itish Museum. Nimrotl Gallery, Panel 109.

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

was used as a watch-dog ; and several
varieties are referred to in the cuneiform
inscriptions preserved in the British Museum.
The Egyptian monuments of about 3000
B.C. present many forms of the domestic
dog, and there can be no doubt that among
the ancient Egyptians it was as completely
a companion of man, as much a favourite
in the house, and a help in the chase, as
it is among ourselves at present. In the

EGYPTIAN HOUNDS. CIRCA 3000 B.C.
Original type of the modern Great Dane.

city of Cynopolis it was reverenced next to
the sacred Jackal,* and on the death of a dog
the members of the household to which
he had belonged carefully shaved their
whole bodies, and religiously abstained from
using the food, of whatever kind, which
happened to be in the house at the time.
Among the distinct breeds kept in Egypt
there was a massive wolf-dog, a large,
heavily-built hound with drooping ears and
a pointed head, at least two varieties of
Greyhound used for hunting the gazelle,
and a small breed of terrier or Turnspit,
with short, crooked legs. This last appears
to have been regarded as an especial house-
hold pet, for it was admitted into the
living rooms and taken as a companion
for walks out of doors. It was furnished
with a collar of leaves, or of leather, or
precious metal wrought into the form of
leaves, and when it died it was embalmed.
Every town throughout Egypt had its
place of interment for canine mummies.

♦Petrie's "Religions of Ancient Egypt," and
Weidemann's " Religions of the Egyptians."

It is in connection with the sojourn of
the Israelites in Egypt that the first men-
tion of the dog in the Bible occurs, and
one is led to the inference that the detesta-
tion with which the Hebrews regarded the
dog may have been due to its being an
object of adoration to the Egyptians. This
reason alone can hardly have had much
weight, however, in view of the fact that
the Hebrews themselves kept oxen — animals
which were regularly worshipped by the
Egyptians ; but possibly there were other
more cogent reasons why the dog was not
appreciated in Palestine. It may be that
the Israelites had the misfor-
tune only to know this friend
of man in the character
of a pariah and a scavenger
that fed on offal and the
bodies of people who died in
the streets (i Kings xiv. n).
Certain it is that in both the
Old and New Testaments the
dog is commonly spoken of
with scorn and contempt as
an " unclean beast." " Is thy
servant a dog, that he should do this thing ? "
was a phrase in which the ancient Jew ex-
pressed his abhorrence of dirty work. Dogs
seem to have been bought and sold, but the
price paid for a dog was not acceptable as an
offering to God (Deut. xxiii. 18). Even the
familiar reference to the Sheepdog in the Book
of Job — " But now they that are younger
than I have me in derision, whose fathers
I would have disdained to set with the
dogs of my flock " — is not without a
suggestion of contempt, and it is significant
that the only biblical allusion to the dog
as a recognised companion of man occurs
in the apocryphal Book of Tobit (v. 16).

The pagan Greeks and Romans had a
kindlier feeling for dumb animals than had
the Jews. Their hounds, like their horses,
were selected with discrimination, bred
with care, and held in high esteem, re-
ceiving pet names ; and the literatures of
Greece and Rome contain many tributes
to the courage, obedience, sagacity, and
affectionate fidelity of the dog. The
Phoenicians, too, were unquestionably lovers

GENERAL HISTORY OF THE DOG.

of the dog, quick to recognise the points
of special breeds. In their colony in Car-
thage, during the reign of Sardanapalus,

13 4d<ry
C LAZED WAF
DOG.

Alfaandria ,

ANCIENT TOY DOG, MODELLED IN BLUE GLAZED

WARE, FROM ALEXANDRIA.

In the BHtish Museum.

they had already possessed themselves of
the Assyrian Mastiff, which they probably
exported to far-off Britain, as they are
said to have exported the Water Spaniel
to Ireland and to Spain.

II. — The Ferine Strain. — It is a significant
circumstance when we come to consider
the probable origin of the dog that there
are indications of his domestication at
such early periods by so many savage
peoples in different parts of the world.
As we have seen, dogs were more or less
subjugated and tamed by primitive man
in the Neolithic or Newer Stone age, by
the Assyrians, Egyptians, Phoenicians.
Greeks, and Romans, as also by the ancient
barbaric tribes of the western hemisphere.
The important question now arises : Had
all these dogs a common origin in a definite
parent stock, or did they spring from
separate and unrelated parents ? Did the
great Neolithic dog of Northern Europe,
the Sheepdog of Job's time, the Grey-
hounds, the Wolfhounds, and Lapdogs of
Egypt and Nineveh, the Mastiffs of Car-
thage, the divinely honoured animals of
Peru, and the pariah dogs of the Far East,

descend from a single pair, or have various
wild and indigenous species of Canidce. been
methodically tamed, and by degrees con-
verted into true domestic dogs by these differ-
ent peoples in different parts of the world ?

Half a century ago it was believed that
all the evidence which could be brought
to bear upon the problem pointed to an
independent origin of the dog. It was
assumed that, as distinct breeds existed in
remote periods of the world's history, there
was actually no time prior to those periods
for him to have been evolved from a savage
ancestor such as a wolf or a jackal, and
that it was highly unlikely that a number
of isolated primitive races of men should
have separately tamed different wild Canidce.
Youatt, one of the best authorities on the
dog, writing in 1845, argued that " this
power of tracing back the dog to the very
earliest periods of history, and the fact
that he then seemed to be as sagacious,
as faithful, and as valuable as at the present
day, strongly favours the opinion that he
was descended from no inferior and com-
paratively worthless animal ; and that he

MUMMY HEAD OF AN EGYPTIAN HOUND MEASURING
NINE INCHES FROM NOSE TO OCCIPUT. FOUND
AT THEBES AND PRESERVED IN THE BRITISH
MUSEUM.

was not the progeny of the wolf, the jackal,
or the fox, but was originally created,
somewhat as we now find him, the asso-
ciate and friend of man."

When Youatt wrote, most people believed

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

that the world was only six thousand
years old, and that species were originally
created and absolutely unchangeable. Lyell's
discoveries in geology, however, overthrew
the argument of the earth's chronology and
of the antiquity of man, and Darwin's
theory of evolution entirely transformed
the accepted beliefs concerning the origin
of species and the supposed invariability of
animal types. But prior to Youatt's time
the structural similarity between the dog
and the other Canidce had been discussed
by naturalists, and since it was obvious
that the tame domestic animal did not
precede its wild relative in the order of
descent, it was argued that the wolf, the
fox, and the jackal were the probable
ancestors of the dog. Buffon, the great
French naturalist, discussed this question
in detail, but came to the conclusion that
the dog had never been really a wild animal,
and that the Sheepdog was the original
progenitor of all modern varieties. Bell
believed that the wolf was the parent, and
there are still many who cling to the opinion
that all dogs are lineally descended from
the fox, while there are some naturalists
who discover an affinity between the dog
and the bear. None of these views, however,
takes a sufficiently wide survey of the whole
subject to be worthy of much consideration.

The fanciful theory that the wolf and
the dog are alike the lineal descendants
of the bear may at once be briefly
dismissed. It is true that there is some
correspondence in the dentition of the
genus Cams and the genus Ursus, that
the pupil of the bear's eye is round like
that of the dog, and that the persistent
black and tan colouring which Darwin was
perplexed to account for in the dog is
present in a marked degree in most of the
bears ; but no argument can account for
the disparity that the anatomy of the bear
is different from that of the dog family,
that the period of gestation in the bear
is five months instead of nine weeks, and
that bear cubs are born naked and remain
so for a month.

The general superficial resemblance be-
tween the fox and many of our dogs, such

as the Chow-Chow, the Pomeranian, some
of the terriers, and even the Collie, might
well excuse the belief in a relationship.
Gamekeepers are often very positive that
a cross can be obtained between a dog fox
and a terrier bitch ; but cases in which
this connection is alleged must be accepted
with extreme caution. The late Mr. A. D.
Bartlett, who was for years the super-
intendent of the Zoological Gardens in
London, studied this question with minute
care, and as a result of experiments and
observations * he positively affirmed that
he had never met with one well-authenti-
cated instance of a hybrid dog and fox.
Mr. Bartlett's conclusions are incontest-
able. However much in appearance the
supposed dog-fox may resemble the fox,
there are certain opposing characteristics
and structural differences which entirely
dismiss the theory of relationship. These
may be tabulated as follows :

Eye pupils. Fox. — Vertical.

Nose and Fox — Sharp, and
muzzle. the lips thin, but

whiskers well de-
veloped.

Mouth. Fox. — Canine teeth

long, slender,
sharp, and much
curved. The gape
of the fox is
larger than that
of a dog of simi-
lar size.

Ears. Fox. — Colour, out-

side, black ; in-
side, thickly
coated with long,
stiff hair.

Dog. — Circular.

Dog. — R o un d e d,
with thick lips
and few whiskers.

Dog. — Canine tech
stout, strong,
rather short, not
much curved.

Coat.

Leys. ftct.
and toes.

Fox. — Hair long,
points harsh,
lower half soft
and the base
dark coloured,
thick woolly un-
dercoat.

Fox.— Slender, long,
and with thin and
usually sharp
claws standing
forward.

Fox. — A round,
woolly brush,
reaching and
touching the
ground and ter-
minating with a
pendulous tuft.

Dog. — Colour, out-
side, the same as
the neck and
back; inside,
thinly edged with
short hair.

Bog. —Hair usually
of uniform colour
to the base of the
hair, although, in
the Elkhound, for
example, it is
light at the base
and dark at the
points.

Dog. — Short, stout,
and thick, blunt
claws directed
downward in the
front feet.

Dog. — Somewhat
flattened, never
reaching the
ground and ter-
minating in a
point.

Wild Animals in Captivity" (i{

GENERAL HISTORY OF THE DOG.

One thing is certain, that foxes do not
breed in confinement, except in very rare
instances. The silver fox of North America
is the only species recorded to have bred
in the Zoological Gardens of London ; the
European fox has never been known to
breed in captivity. Then, again, the fox
is not a sociable animal. We never hear of

general appearance, structure, habits, in-
stincts, and mental endowments that no
difficulty presents itself in regarding them
as being of one stock. There is, indeed,
no definition framable which will include
all the varieties of the domestic dog and
exclude all the wild species — none even
which will include all the dogs properly

1 '

HflH'

# v|

/■v

d \

v-~

M

m^B

SKULL OF A RETRIEVER.

SKULL OF AN AMERICAN WOLF.

foxes uniting in a pack, as do the wolves,
the jackals, and the wild dogs. Apart from
other considerations, as Bartlett pointed
out, a fox may be distinguished from a dog,
without being seen or touched, by its smell.
No one can produce a dog that has half the
odour of Reynard, and this odour the dog-
fox would doubtless possess were its sire
a fox-dog or its dam a vixen.

III. — Relationship with the Wolf and the
Jackal. — Whatever may be said concerning
the difference existing between dogs and
foxes will not hold good in reference to
dogs, wolves, and jackals. The wolf and
the jackal are so much alike that the only
appreciable distinction is that of size, and
so closely do they resemble many dogs in

so called, both wild and tame, and at the
same time exclude the wolf and the jackal.
Wolves and jackals can be, and have re-
peatedly been, tamed. Domestic dogs can
become, and again and again do become,
wild, even consorting with wolves, inter-
breeding with them, assuming their gre-
garious habits, and changing the character-
istic bark into a dismal wolf-like howl. The
wolf and the jackal when tamed answer to
their master's call, wag their tails, lick
his hands, crouch, jump round him to be
caressed, and throw themselves on their
backs in submission. When in high spirits
they run round in circles or in a figure of
eight, with their tails between their legs.
Their howl becomes a businesslike bark.
They smell at the tails of other dogs and

THE NEW BOOK OE THE DOG.

void their urine sideways, and lastly, like
our domestic favourites, however refined
and gentlemanly in other respects, they
cannot be broken of the habit of rolling on
carrion or on animals they have killed.*

This last habit of the domestic dog is
one of the surviving traits of his wild
ancestry, which, like his habits of burying

the St. Bernard and the miniature Black
and Tan Terrier, and is perplexed in con-
templating the possibility of their having
descended from a common progenitor. Yet
the disparity is no greater than that be-
tween the Shire horse and the Shetland
pony, the Shorthorn and the Kerry cattle,
or the Patagonian and the Pigmy ; and all

SKELETON OF A RETRIEVER IN THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF VETERINARY SURGEONS.

bones or superfluous food, and of turning
round and round on a carpet as if to make
a bed for himself before lying down, go
far towards connecting him in direct rela-
tionship with the wolf and the jackal.

Tlie great multitude of different breeds
of the dog and the vast differences in their
size, points, and general appearance are
facts which make it difficult to believe that
they could have had a common ancestry.
One thinks of the difference between the
Mastiff and the Japanese Spaniel, the
Deerhound and the fashionable Pomeranian,

* Darwin: •• Variations of Animals and Plants
undm" Domestication."

dog breeders know how easy it is to produce
a variety in type and size by studied
selection.

In order properly to understand this
question it is necessary first to consider
the identity of structure in the wolf and
the dog. This identity of structure may
best be studied in a comparison of the
osseous system, or skeletons, of the two
animals, which so closely resemble each
other that their transposition would not
easily be detected.

The spine of the dog consists of seven
vertebras in the neck, thirteen in the back,
seven in the loins, three sacral vertebrae,

GENERAL HISTORY OF THE DOG.

and twenty to twenty-two in the tail. In
both the dog and the wolf there are thirteen
pairs of ribs, nine true and four false. Each
has forty-two teeth, the dental formula
being : incisors \Zl, canines )Z], pre-
molars J I J, and molars "~°. They
both have five front and four hind toes.
Outwardly the common wolf has very

The coat of the wolf varies according to
climate and latitude with respect to both
its texture and colour. In the North it is
long and thick — longest on the belly and
legs, bushy on the tail, and erect on the
neck and sides, whilst in the South it is
shorter and rougher. The colour is generally
pale yellowish grey mingled with black,

SKELETON OF AN AMERICAN WOLF IN THE NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM, SOUTH KENSINGTON.

much the appearance of a large, bare-boned
dog, and a popular description of the one
would serve for the other. His tail, which
is long, hangs over his haunches like that
of the Esquimau dog, instead of being curled
upward. Distinguishing characteristics are
to be found in the lank body, the length of
snout in proportion to the head, the sloping
forehead, erect ears, and oblique eyes.
Great stress is laid by some naturalists upon
this obliquity of the wolf's eyes, but Dr.
Kane, Lieutenant Pear}', and other ex-
plorers in the far North, have stated that
they have often observed this same form
of eye among the dogs of their sledge teams.

lighter and often whitish grey below. The
forehead is whitish grey, the snout yellow-
ish grey, always mingled with black, the
lips whitish, and the cheeks yellowish,
sometimes indistinctly striped.

The wolf's natural voice is a loud howl,
but, as already stated, when confined with
dogs he will learn to bark. Although he is
carnivorous, he will also eat vegetables, and
when sickly he will nibble grass. In the
chase, a pack of wolves will divide into
parties, one following the trail of the quarry,
the other endeavouring to intercept its
retreat, exercising a considerable amount
of strategy, a trait which is exhibited bv

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

many of our sporting dogs and terriers
when hunting in teams.

A further important point of resemblance
between the Canis lupus and the Canis
fumiliaris lies in the fact that the period
of gestation in both species is sixty-three
days. There are from three to nine cubs
in a wolf's litter, and these are blind for
twenty-one days. They are suckled for two
months, but at the end of that time they
are able to eat half-digested flesh disgorged
for them by their dam — or even their sire.

We have seen that there is no authenti-
cated instance of a hybrid between the dog
and the fox. This is not the case with the
dog and the wolf, or the dog and the jackal,
all of which can interbreed. Moreover,
their offspring are fertile. Pliny is the
authority for the statement that the Gauls
tied their female dogs in the woods that
they might cross with wolves. The Es-
quimau dogs are not infrequently crossed
with the grey Arctic wolf, which they so
much resemble, and the Indians of America
were accustomed to cross their half-wild
dogs with the coyote to impart greater
boldness to the breed. Tame dogs living
in countries inhabited by the jackal often
betray the jackal strain in their litters, and
there are instances of men dwelling in
lonely outposts of civilisation being molested
by wolves or jackals following upon the
trail of a bitch in season.

These facts lead one to refer to the
familiar circumstance that the native dogs
of all regions approximate closely in size,
coloration, form, and habit to the native
wolf of those regions. Of this most import-
ant circumstance there are far too many
instances to allow of its being looked upon
as a mere coincidence. Sir John Richard-
son, writing in 1829,* observed that " the
resemblance between the North American
wolves (Canis lupus, var. occidentalis) and
the domestic dog of the Indians is so great
that the size and strength of the wolf seems
to be the only difference. I have more
than once mistaken a band of wolves for
the dogs of a party of Indians ; and the
howl of the animals of both species is pro-
* "Fauna Boreali Americana."

longed so exactly in the same key that
even the practised ear of the Indian fails
at times to discriminate between them."

As the Esquimau and Indian dogs re-
semble the North American wolf (C. lupus),
so the dog of the Hare Indians, a very
different breed, resembles the prairie wolf
(C. latrans). Except in the matter of
barking, there is no difference whatever
between the black wolf-dog of the Indians
of Florida and the wolves of the same
country. The Chow-Chow bears a striking
family likeness to some of the wolves of
China, and there is also a close resemblance
between some of the Indian pariah dogs
and the Indian wolf. The same phenom-
enon is seen in many kinds of European
dogs. The Shepherd Dog of the plains of
Hungary is white or reddish-brown, has
a sharp nose, short erect ears, shaggy coat,
and bushy tail, and so much resembles a
wolf that Mr. Paget, who gives the de-
scription, says he has known a Hungarian
mistake a wolf for one of his own dogs.
Many of the dogs of Russia, Lapland,
and Finland are comparable with the
wolves of those countries. Some of the
domestic dogs of Egypt, both at the present
day and in the condition of mummies, are
wolf-like in type, and the dogs of Nubia
have the closest relation to a wild species
of the same region, which is only a form
of the common jackal. Dogs, it may again
be noted, cross with the jackal as well as
with wolves, and this is frequently the case
in Africa, as, for example, in Bosjesmans,
where the dogs have a marked resemblance
to the black-backed jackal (C. mesomelas),
which is a South African variety.

These circumstances are so significant
that they leave only one difficulty to be
settled, and that is the question of voice.-
It has long been believed that the one in-
controvertible argument against the lupine
relationship of the dog is the fact that
all domestic dogs bark, while all wild
CanidcB express their feelings only by
howls. But the difficulty here is not so
great as it seems, since we know that
jackals, wild dogs, and wolf pups reared by
bitches readily acquire the habit. On the

GENERAL HISTORY OF THE DOG.

ii

other hand, domestic dogs allowed to run
wild forget how to bark, while there are
some which have not yet learned so to
express themselves. Sir Harry Johnston
gives evidence of this in his description
of the tame dogs in the neighbourhood of
the Zambesi. The passage is not too
long to quote :

" The dog of Central Africa is the usual
small fox -coloured pariah with erect ears
and jackal-like head. The tail, which is
generally long and smooth, is sometimes
carried over the back. Sometimes the colour
is mottled — brown and white, or black and
white. Still, where these piebald tints are
found there is reason to suspect inter-
mixture with foreign breeds, the usual
African type of the pariah dog being a
uniform fox colour. I have sometimes
fancied I saw native hunters using a smaller
breed of dogs with short legs for terrier
work, but I have never actually ascertained
that there is such a breed. Dogs are used a
good deal for hunting small game. I have
never heard of their being employed, as in
South Africa, to tackle big animals and
bring them to bay. This African dog has
a certain attachment to its native master,
but it is alwa}'s suspicious, furtive, and
cringing. Europeans they dread strangely,
but, though they growl angrily, they are
much too cowardly to bite. They have one
good negative quality : they cannot bark."*

It is a reasonable inference that the
faculty of barking is acquired and improved
by association with civilised man, who has
certainly encouraged and cultivated it.
The Romans appreciated the sonorous bark-
ing of their hounds, as witness Virgil's
reference :

" Vocat ingenti clamore Cithceron
Taygetique canes."

In mediaeval times in England it was
customary to attune the voices of a pack

* " British Central Africa," by Sir H. H.
Johnston (1897).

so that the hounds might be " matched
in mouths like bells, each under each."
Henry II., in his breeding of hounds, is
said to have been careful not only that
they should be fleet, but also " well-tongued
and consonous " ; and even so late as the
reign of Queen Anne it was usual to match
the voices of a pack. Thus we read in the
Spectator that " Sir Roger, being at present
too old for fox hunting, to keep himself
in action, has disposed of his Beagles and
got a pack of Stop-hounds. What these
want in speed, he endeavours to make
amends for by the deepness of their mouths
and the variety of their notes, which are
suited in such manner to each other, that
the whole cry makes up a complete con-
cert."

Almost extinct now is this old care to
harmonise the song of the pack. But we
should not like our hounds to be without
music, and we have a healthy contempt
for the watch-dog who will not bark. Were
we to breed a strain of wolves and jackals
in our kennels, we should try to teach
them to bark also, and would probably
succeed.

The presence or absence of the habit
of barking cannot, then, be regarded as an
argument in deciding the question con-
cerning the origin of the dog. This stum-
bling block in the discussion consequently
disappears, leaving us in the position of
agreeing with Darwin, whose final hypoth-
esis was formulated in the generalisation
that " it is highly probable that the domestic
dogs of the world have descended from
two good species of wolf (C. lupus and
C. latrans), and from two or three other
doubtful species of wolves — namely, the
European, Indian, and North African forms ;
from at least one or two South American
canine species ; from several races or species
of jackal ; and perhaps from one or more
extinct species " ; and that the blood of
these, in some cases mingled together,
flows in the veins of our domestic breeds.

12

THE DOG IN HISTORY, ART, AND LITERATURE.

" Of the dog in ancient story
Many a pleasant tale is told.'"

Whatever its direct origin, there is in-
dubitable proof that the domestic dog in
various recognisable breeds was co-existent

ACT/EON DEVOURED BY HIS DOGS. GROUP FROM
THE VILLA OF ANTONINUS PIUS, CIVITA LAVINIA.
(British Museum.)

with the earliest civilised societies, and
that it was the trusted companion of man
many hundreds of years prior to the time
when it became the painted Briton's pride.
Homer, the first of Greek poets, frequently
used the word " dog " as an epithet of
contempt and reproach to women lacking
in modesty and virtue, applying it to Helen
(Lib. VI. 344), whose incontinence was the

Mary Howitt.

cause of the Trojan war ; and " Thou dog
in forehead " is his taunt flung at a despic-
able man. But generally his allusions are
not uncomplimentary to canine sagacity,
and they show a certain sympathy and
esteem for an animal which was evidently
held in high value. When the " God of
the silver bow " strikes beasts and men
with pestilence, it is said :

" Mules first and dogs he struck, but at them-
selves,
Dispatching soon his bitter arrows keen,
Smote them."

Yet, mixed with these friendly dogs
there were apparently those of the pariah
kind. Cowards in battle are threatened
thus :

"... The vulture's maw
Shall have his carcase, and the dogs his
bones."

Shepherd dogs and hounds are more than
once indicated :

" As dogs that careful watch the fold by night,
Hearing some wild beast in the woods,

which hounds
And hunters with tumultuous clamour drive
Down from the mountain-top, all sleep

forego."

In the Iliad there is also mention of the
hunting of lions and boars by dogs. " They
all trembled as dogs around a lion " (Lib. V.
476), and again a brave warrior faces his
foes " as when a boar or lion looking fiercely
round, conscious of his strength, turns upon
the dogs and huntsmen" (Lib. XII. 41).
The Boarhound must have been a favourite
in Homer's time, for it enters frequently
into his similes of warfare :

THE DOG IN HISTORY, ART, AND LITERATURE. 13

" As when dogs and swains
In prime of manhood, from all quarters rush
Around a boar, he from his thicket bolts,
The bright tusk whetting in his crooked

jaws ;
They press him on all sides, and from be-
neath
Loud gnashing hear, yet firm, his threats
defy."

Homer's most celebrated reference to the
dog, however, is, of course, the incident
in the Odyssey, in which Odysseus, after
long years of war and wandering, returned
in disguise to Ithaca to be welcomed by
his aged dog, Argus, who went up to him
with wagging tail and close-clapped ears
and straightway died of sheer joy at his
master's unexpected return.

Ruskin, in writing of the dog in Art,*
says : " The Greeks seem hardly to have
done justice to the dog. My pleasure in
the entire Odyssey is diminished because
Ulysses gives not a word of kindness noi
of regret to Argus." This is true ; the
disguised king spoke no word, for he did
not wish to be recognised by Eumeneus.
But he did more than merely speak when
he saw his well - remembered hound yield
up its last fluttering breath at his feet.

" Odysseus saw, and turned aside
To wipe away the tear ;
From Eumeneus he chose his grief to
hide. . . ."

Certainly the Greeks did not do full
justice to the dog. Outside of Homer it
is rarely noticed in their literature, and
seldom favourably. In their sculpture also
it was not often introduced. In a work
attributed to Myron, one of the most
skilful artists of ancient times, there is a
dog closely resembling our Newfoundland,
said to have been the favourite dog of
Alcibiades. The two dogs in the familiar
"Actseon" group, as also the beautifully
modelled pair in the Graeco-Roman group
found at Monte Cagnolo, are small
hounds somewhat resembling our Lurcher.
Xenophon records two species of Spartan
dogs. Reference is made to their use
* " Modern Painters."

in battle, for which purpose they were
sometimes provided with spiked collars,
so that the " dogs of war " was no mere
figure of speech. At Marathon one of
these dogs gave such assistance to its master
that its effigy was engraved upon his tablet.
Plutarch, in his life of Themistocles, has a
pretty reference to a dog which perished
in swimming after its master who had aban-
doned it, and who, in remorse, afterwards
gave it a decent burial. The Greeks made
sacrifice of dogs to the gods of Olympus.
The mythical three-headed dog Cerberus was
supposed to guard the entrance to Hades
and to watch at the feet of Pluto, to which
deity a dog and a youth were periodically
sacrificed. A great number of dogs were
destroyed in Samothrace in honour of the
goddess Hecate.

Among the Romans, also, dogs were at
certain periods sacrificed to the gods. At
the festival of Robigalia, April 25th, a dog

GR/ECO-ROMAN GROUP OF DOGS OF GREYHOUND
TYPE. FOUND AT MONTE CAGNOLO. NEAR THE
ANCIENT LANUVIUM.
(British Museum.)

was offered at the fifth milestone on the
Via Claudia.* The Romans were fairly ad-
vanced in their knowledge of the dog and
his uses. So much so that a classification

* W. Warde Fowler : " Roman Festivals of the
Republican Period."

H

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

was drawn up. Three main divisions were
recognised : (i) Canes villatica, or watch-
dogs ; (2) Canes pastorales, or sheep-
dogs "; (3) Canes venatici, hunting dogs ;
which were further subdivided into pug-
naces, to attack the quarry ; nare sagaces,
to track it out ; and pedibus celcres, to over-
take it. In their commerce with distant
countries the Romans acquired new breeds
for particular uses or to improve their own
kennels. Symmachus mentions the pres-
ence of British pugnaccs (which were no
doubt Mastiffs) at the Coliseum in Rome,
and Claudian refers to-

boasted much. He said, ' Long will it be
before you hunt like this ! ' They assem-
bled and answered that they thought no
king had such luck in hunting. Then they
all rode home, and the King was very
glad " (Heimskringla, St. Olaf, c. 90).

Besides hunting dogs, the Northmen
possessed other kinds, among which were
shepherd and watch-dogs.

" When Olaf was in Ireland he went on
a coast-raid. As they needed provisions
they went ashore and drove down many
cattle. A bondi came there and asked
Olaf to give him back his cows. Olaf

3ZZZ-—

HAWKING PARTY, SHOWING HUNTING DOG&
From the Bayeux Tapestry.

" The British hound
That brings the bull's big forehead to the

ground."
Long before the introduction of Chris-
tianity into Northern Europe the dog
was understood and appreciated by the
Scandinavians, who probably obtained
many varieties during their commercial
expeditions to Italy and the East, and
their raiding expeditions " West-over-sea."
As one may gather from the Sagas, they
were accustomed to use dogs with the
hawks.

" One day the King (Olaf, of Sweden)
rode out early with his hawks and dogs
and men with him. When they let loose
the hawks, the King's hawk in one flight
killed two heathcocks, and at once he again
flew forward and killed three more. The
dogs ran underneath and took every bird
that fell to the ground. The King galloped
after, and picked up the game himself, and

replied that he might take them if he could
recognise them and not delay their journey.
The bondi had with him a large sheepdog.
He pointed out to it the herd of cattle,
which numbered many hundreds. The dog
ran through all the herds, and took away
as many cows as the bondi had said be-
longed to him. and they were all marked
with the same mark. Then they acknow-
ledged that the dog had found out the right
rattle. They thought it a wonderfully wise
dog. Olaf asked if the bondi would give
him the dog. ' Willingly,' answered the
bondi. Olaf at once gave him a gold ring,
and promised to be his friend. The dog's
name was Vigi, and it was the best of all
dogs. Olaf owned it long after this "
(Olaf Trigg vason's Saga, c. 35).

From Ireland, also, the Vikings appear to
have introduced the great Wolf-hound. In
the Saga of Nial's Burning, Paa (the pea-
cock) says to Gunnar :

THE DOG IN HISTORY, ART, AND LITERATURE.

15

" ' I will give thee three things : a golden
bracelet ; a kirtle which belonged to Myr-
kiarton, King of Ireland ; and a dog which
I got in the same country. He is huge of
limb, and for a follower equal to an able
man. Moreover, he hath man's wit, and
will bark at thine enemies, but never at
thy friends. And he will see by each
man's face whether he be ill or well dis-
posed towards thee. And he will lay down
his life for thee. Samr is his name.' Then
he said to the hound, ' From this day follow
thou Gunnar, and help him what thou
canst.' So the hound went to Gunnar,
and lay down at his feet, and fawned upon
him."

It is interesting to add that Samr, al-
though he could not avert the murder of
Gunnar, forestalled the performance of the
famous dog of Montargis by avenging his
master's death upon his murderer. Sad to
relate, however, he was himself killed in
revenge, for it is stated that " Onund of
Trollaskog smote Samr on the head with
his axe, so that it pierced the brain ; and
the dog, with a great and wonderful cry,
fell dead on the ground."

Like the Greeks and Romans, the Scan-
dinavians were in the habit of making
sacrifice of dogs as propitiation to their
deities. This circumstance does not, how-
ever, imply that they did not value their
dogs. Indeed, the contrary is the case ;
they sacrificed what they valued most,
and at a very early time the Northmen
imposed penalties for the killing of dogs.

" If a man kills a lapdog of another he
must pay twelve aurar if the dog is a lap-
dog whose neck one can embrace with one
hand, the fingers touching each other ; six
aurar are to be paid for a greyhound
(mj6hund), and for a hunting dog half a
mark, and also for a sheepdog, if it is tied
by the innermost ox, or untied by the outer-
most ox, also at the gate. One aurar is
to be paid for a dog guarding the house if
it is killed" (Frostath XI. 24).

It is more than probable that the Scan-
dinavians when founding their colony in
that part of France to which they gave
the name of Normandy took with them

many of their favourite breeds to become
the progenitors of the good chiens de
Normandie, the white St. Huberts, the
Bassets, Griffons, and those chiens courants
d poil ras, of which M. le Comte Lahens owns
the few surviving specimens. The Normans,
who were always lovers of good canine
society, brought dogs with them when they
came over to conquer England, but we
already possessed many good strains, and
our Mastiffs in particular were celebrated,
as were our Wolfdogs and Gazehounds.
There is a small group of British dogs
accompanying a hawking party figured in
the Bayeux Tapestry ; but the drawing is
crude, and it is hazardous to determine
the breeds.

One animal appears to be a black Mastiff,
although such a dog would hardly be used
in the hunting field, even in the eleventh
century, and it is to be presumed that all
three running in advance of King Harold's
palfrey are hounds. The two smaller dogs
cannot be identified, but they are probably
terriers rather than spaniels.

Between the Roman period and the
Middle Ages materials for the history of
the dog are scanty and indefinite, but there
is evidence that close attention was given
to those breeds which were used in various
forms of sport, and in their illuminated
manuscripts the monks were fond of intro-
ducing drawings of hounds, many of them
very beautiful, more particularly the stately
Deerhounds, which rank with the noblest
and most intelligent of dogs, and which
were classed among the three signs of a
gentleman — the two others being his horse
and his hawk. It was one of these that was
the favourite hound of King Arthur, who
hunted with him over the heaths of Tin-
tagel or among the woods of Caerleon in
pursuit of wolf, boar, or red deer. Very
famous was this " hound of deepest voice,"
for whose baying Queen Guinevere listened
as she halted with Geraint on the knoll
above the waters of Usk, Cavall his name
— a name only less famous in Arthurian
legend than that of Hodain, the hound
linked so strangely with the fates of Tristram
and Iseult. Such, too, was the yet more

10

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

celebrated Bran, the companion of Fingal.
" White-breasted Bran " was the best of
the " nine great dogs," and the " nine smaller
game-starting dogs " which always accom-
panied Fingal on his hunting expeditions
in Ireland and Scotland. The " surly strength
of Luath " — another of Fingal's dogs — is
duly celebrated in Gaelic tradition, but he
was not so perfect or graceful as Bran,

" With his hind legs like a hook or bent bow,
His breast like that of a garron (hunting pony),
His ear like a leaf."

In the early ages in England the hounds
entered greatly into the superstitions of
the people. They were believed to be
quick to detect the presence of invisible
spirits, and in connection with this aptitude
for seeing into the spirit-world they were
often the outward objects through which
devils and demons made their appearance.
There are persons — Mr. Rider Haggard
among the number — who still aver that
dogs can reappear as ghosts, and in many
remote places it is said that the Hounds
of Gabriel can be heard at night racing
in full cry above the gables, foreboding
trouble to those within. This belief in
the Wild Huntsman and his train of clam-
orous hounds is one of the most widespread
superstitions in Europe. It probably origin-
ated in the gabble of migrating geese.

Mention of the melancholy story of the
" peerless hound," Gelert, ought not to be
omitted. Tradition has it that King John
gave Gelert in 1205 to Llewellyn, who was
his son-in-law, and there is a village called
Bedd Gelert, near Snowdon, where the
faithful hound's grave is pointed out. But
the incident of a dog being killed in mis-
take for the wolf which was supposed to
have slain his master's heir dates from
much earlier times. It appears through
all the folk-tales, and was probably
derived from ancient Hindostan.* And

* "This famous tale is told at Haidarabad,
Lucknow, and Kashmir. In its more usual form,
as in the Panchatantra and the collection of
Somadeva, the mongoose takes the place of the
dog and kills the cobra on the baby's cradle." —
W. Crookc, B.A., " Popular Religion and Folk-
lore of Northern India."

this reference reminds one of the extent
to which dog-worship prevailed in India
from prehistoric times, and which is
still continued, especially in connection
with the god Bhairon. The temple of
Bhairon, in Benares, is the only sacred
building into which the dog is privileged
to enter. Throughout India the dog is
held in respect, as it is in all Moham-
medan lands. In no country where this
was not the case could there have originated
so beautiful a legend as that of Yudishthira,
who, on appealing to Indra for entrance
into heaven, asked that his dog might
accompany him. Indra replied that his
heaven had no place for dogs. Whereupon
Yudishthira responded : " Then I go not
into heaven, for to abandon the faithful
and devoted is an endless crime, like the
murder of a Brahmin. Never, therefore,
come weal or woe, will I abandon that
faithful dog that hath trusted in my power
to save it." Or that other equally beau-
tiful story, re-told by Sir Edwin Arnold,
of the woman who, while being led to her
death, caught sight of a helpless dog lying
at the wayside exhausted by the fierce heat,
glaring upon the water that was out of his
reach. The woman in compassion paused
and drew off her embroidered shoe, and,
making a cup of the heel's hollow, dipped it
in the neighbouring well and gave a draught
to the parched hound, which fawned upon
her in gratitude. The King who had con-
demned her marked the merciful act, and
in sudden clemency bade the woman go
free, saying, " Thou hast shown pity to
this brute beast in its misery. I dare not
show less pity unto thee."

In Western countries, as in Oriental, the
dog has had its special protecting deities
and its patron saints. St. Eustace is the
patron of dogs in the South of Europe. In
the North it is St. Hubert, who presides
over the chase and the destinies of dogs.
He is said to have been so inordinately fond
of the chase that he neglected his religious
duties for his favourite amusement ; till
one Good Friday, when hunting in the forest
with his famous hounds of the breed which
has since borne his name, he was confronted

THE DOG IN HISTORY, ART, AND LITERATURE. 17

by a stag bearing a crucifix between its
antlers, threatening him with eternal per-
dition unless he reformed. Upon this he
entered the cloister and became in time
Bishop of Liege and the apostle of Ardennes
and Brabant. He died at an advanced
age, a.d. 727.

thread from his miraculous stole is more
efficacious in cases of hydrophobia than
all the prophylactics of Pasteur. The St.
Hubert hounds were mighty of body, with
legs somewhat low and short — Bloodhounds
rather than Greyhounds. It is to be doubted
whether one of this famous race of

THE VISION OF ST. HUBERT.

The festival of St. Hubert is still held on
November 2nd, and on that day crowds of
pilgrims assemble at his shrine to invoke a
blessing on themselves and on their dogs.
At the church of Lime, where some relics of
the saint are preserved, the following rhyme
— half charm, half prayer — is recited :

" Saint Hubert glorieux,
Dieu me soil amoureux
Trois chases me defend ;
De la nuit du serpent.
Mauvais loup, mauvais chien,
Mauvais betes enragces
Ne puissent m'approcher,
Me voir, ne me toucher,
Non plus qu'ctoile an del,"

and it is believed that his blessing or a

" St. Hubert's breed,
Unmatched for courage, breath, and
speed,"

could now be anywhere discovered.

Much might be written of the famous dogs
of history — of the Mastiffs of the Knights
of Rhodes, who could distinguish a Turk
from a Christian by the smell of him ; of
the Spanish Bloodhounds, who helped in
the conquest of Mexico and Peru ; of Mathe,
the favourite of Richard II., who, as
Froissart asserts, deserted his master to
fawn upon and remain in the service of
the usurper ; and of the Spaniel which
saved the Dutch Republic by waking
William the Silent during the night
attack on the camp before Mons. But

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

it is too large a subject to be dealt with
here.

As for the dog in art, it would occupy
the leisure of a lifetime adequately to treat
so immense a theme. Yet it is a study
which would yield great results. The
student who should visit the galleries of
Europe and take careful note of not only
the magnificent canvases of Titian and
Velasquez and Veronese, in which the
Bloodhound so frequently looks out, grand
as surly kings and admirals, but also the
paintings of all other masters from the
earliest times to our own Landseer and
Riviere, would confer an invaluable boon
upon all lovers of canine nature. Hitherto
this method of tracing the dog's history
and variations has only been done in con-
nection with one breed, by Mr. W. Arkwright,
whose monograph on the Pointer is a verit-
able monument of erudition and discernment.

From the old flea-bitten Argus that first
recognised his disguised master in the
Odyssey down to Pope's Bounce, Byron's
Boatswain, Sir Walter Scott's Maida, to
Matthew Arnold's Geist and Kaiser, and
to Mrs. Browning's Flush, particular dogs
have been celebrated in the history of
letters. There is not much trace of a
real appreciation of the more generous
kinds, at least as friends and companions,
in the whole range of French literature.
On the other hand, there is scarcely one
great British poet, from Chaucer to Burns
and Moore and Tennyson, who does not,
more or less directly, impress us with the
conviction that he was a true lover of dogs.

In prose literature it is the same. The
dog appears now and then in the novels of
Fielding and Smollett. Dr. Johnson was
a lover of dogs, and knew the points of a
Bulldog.* Scott was noted as a good

* Johnson, after examining the animal atten-
tively : " No, sir, he is not well shaped, for there
is not the quick transition from the thickness of
the fore part to the tenuity — the thin part — behind,
which a Bulldog ought to have." Taylor said a
small Bulldog was as good as a large one. Johnson :
" No, sir ; for in proportion to his size he has
strength, and your argument would prove that a
good Bulldog may be as small as a mouse."
(Boswell, 1777.)

judge of all breeds. Perhaps the first
author to make a dog the hero and chief
character in a story was Captain Marryat,
in " Snarleyow," which was earlier than
Dr. John Brown's delightful " Rab and
His Friends." Ouida, who has done so
much towards promoting a greater kind-
ness to animals, infused with pathos her
admirable story of " A Dog of Flanders."
Nor should we forget Mr. Anstey's " Black
Poodle," or Mr. Robert Hichens' " Black
Spaniel," or Maurice Maeterlinck's beau-
tiful tribute to his dead Pelleas in " My
Dog." Mr. Ollivant's " Owd Bob," with
its thrilling descriptions of Sheepdog trials
in the dales of Kenmuir, is one of the best
of fictional dog books, comparable only
with Jack London's two deeply impressive
stories of the huskies of North-West Canada,
" The Call of the Wild," and " White Fang,"
in which is embodied from two points of
view the argument of the close relation-
ship between the dog and the wolf ; Buck
being a respectable civilised dog who
answers to the " Call of the Wild," and joins
a pack of wolves, and White Fang being a
starved, wolfine hanger-on to a dog-sled
who gradually adopts the ways of trained
and intelligent dogs.

Women have always played an important
part in our British love of the dog, and it
is interesting to note that the earliest
printed work in the English language
in which the various breeds then in
existence were scientifically classified was
the " Book of Field Sports," written by
Dame Juliana Berners, who was Prioress
of St. Alban's, about the middle of the
fifteenth century.* The catalogue of breeds
in her volume was not an extensive
one. " Thyse ben the names of houndes,"
she wrote, " fyrste there is a Grehoun, a
Bastard, a Mengrell, a Mastif, a Lemor,
a Spanyel, Raches, Kenettys, Teroures,
Butchers' Houndes, Dunghyll dogges, Tryn-
deltaylles, and Pryckeryd currys, and smalle
ladyes poppees that bere awaye the flees."

♦Edward Plantagenet's "Master of Game," in
which sporting dogs are interestingly dealt with,
was written earlier, it is true, but it remained
for centuries in inaccessible, manuscript.

THE DOG IN HISTORY, ART, AND LITERATURE.

19

The list is instructive, since it shows that
over four centuries ago at least five of the
varieties already owned the names by
which we know them to-day.

Dame Juliana Bemers was nearly a
hundred years in advance of Dr. John
Keys, or Caius, who in 1570, or there-
abouts, wrote a treatise on the English
dog. During his student days, in 1541,
Caius made a long sojourn in Italy. In
Padua, where he took his M.D. degree,
he became intimately acquainted with
Andreas Vesalius, the celebrated anatom-
ist, with whom he resided for eight months,
and who introduced him to Conrad Gesner,
the famous naturalist. Gesner was then
engaged upon his very ponderous " His-
tory of Animals," published eight years
afterwards in four folio volumes, and he
requested his friend to furnish him with
information on the dog. Caius, on return-
ing to Cambridge, gathered the required
facts and embodied them in a long letter,
written, of course, in Latin, which was
afterwards translated and published under
the title : " Of Englishe Dogges : A Short
Treatise in Latine by Johannes Caius,
drawne into Englishe by Abraham Fleming,
1576."

Apart from its historical interest the
treatise is now of no great value, but it
shows that even in the reign of Queen
Elizabeth such types as those of the Mastiff,
the Bulldog, the Bloodhound, Greyhound,
Beagle, Setter, Pointer, and Spaniel were
already clearly differentiated, and it recog-
nised the importance of special training for
the sporting breeds and the value of the
contributory work of the terrier in un-
earthing the fox and driving the otter from
his holt.

According to Dr. Caius —

f A gentle kind, serving the game.
All Englishe A homely kind, apt for sundry neces-

dogges -. sary uses,

be eyther of A currish kind, meet for many

I toyes.

He divides the first of these classes into
two sections — Venatici, which were used
for the purpose of hunting beasts ; and

Ancupatorii, which served in the pursuit
of fowl. The Venatici are described by
him as :

Leverarius, or Harriers.

Terrarius, or Terrars.

Sanguinarius, or Bloodhounds.

Agaseus, or Gazehpunds.

Leporarius, or Grehounds.

Lorarius, or Lyemmer.

Vertigus, or Tumbler.

Canis furax, or Stealer.

The next section is devoted to Aucupa-
torii, which comprised —

Dogges serving

y pastime of
hunting beastes
are divided into

Dogs used for
fowling

Index, or Setter.
Aquatic us, or Spaniell.

" The first," Dr. Caius notes, " findeth
game on the land. The other findeth
game on the water." And he proceeds
to give an ample account of the work of
the Spaniel and the Setter.

His fourth section consists of the follow-
ing varieties of the dog :

Canis Pastoralis, or^
The Shepherd's

Dogge.

The Mastive, or

Bandogge,

called

Canis Villaticus,

or

Carbenarius.

ihich hath
sundry
names
derived

from
sundry
circum-
stances,

'Keeper'sor Watch,
man's.

Butcher's Dogge.

Messinger'sor Car-
rier's.

Mooner.

Water Drawer.

Tinker's Curr.

Fencer.

In the concluding section are the

Ad monitor, or Wapp.
Vernerpator, or Turnespet.
Saltatov, or Dauncer.

Thus we see that Dr. Caius was able to add
very considerably to the number of breeds
noted by Dame Juliana Berners. His state-
ments concerning some of the dogs he
describes are sometimes extremely vague
and indirect, but one has to remember that
most of his information was gathered, not
from personal knowledge of dogs or from
books previously published, but from in-
quiry among the sporting friends whom,
as physician to the Queen, he met at the
court of Eli-zabeth, and of whom one was
certainly Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester,
an authority of some significance, since he
was the first sportsman to train setting
dogs in the manner generally adopted by
his successors and continued to the present
time.

20

SECTION I.
NON-SPORTING AND UTILITY BREEDS.

CANIS MOLOSSUS.
From "Icones Animaliun

CHAPTER I.
THE ENGLISH MASTIFF.

BY W. K. TAUNTON.

The deep mouth' d Mastiff bays the troubled night." — Kirke White.

and the frowning Chow-Chow, which are
of such recent introduction that they must
still be regarded as half-acclimatised for-
eigners. But of the antiquity of the Mastiff
there can be no doubt. He is the oldest
of our British dogs, cultivated in these
islands for so many centuries that the only
difficulty concerning his history is that
of tracing his descent, and discovering the
period when he was not familiarly known.

It is possible that the Mastiff owes
his origin to some remote ancestor of alien
strain. The Assyrian kings possessed a
large dog of decided Mastiff type, and used
it in the hunting of lions ; and credible
authorities have perceived a similarity in
size and form between the British Mastiff
and the fierce Molossian dog of the ancient
Greeks. It is supposed by many students
that the breed was introduced into early
Britain by the adventurous Phoenician
traders who, in the sixth century B.C.,
voyaged to the Scilly Islands and Corn-
wall to barter their own commodities in
exchange for the useful metals. Knowing the
requirements of their barbarian customers,
these early merchants from Tyre and Sidon
are believed to have brought some of the
larger fiugnaccs, which would be readily
accepted by the Britons to supplant, or
improve, their courageous but undersized
fighting dogs.

Before the invasion by Julius Caesar,
55 B.C., the name of Britain was little

>), by G. F. Riedcl.

OF the many different kinds of dogs
now established as British, not
a few have had their origin in
other lands, whence specimens have been
imported into this country, in course
of time to be so improved by selection
that they have come to be commonly
accepted as native breeds. Some are
protected from the claim that they are
indigenous by the fact that their origin is
indicated in their names. No one would
pretend that the St. Bernard or the New-
foundland, the Spaniel or the Dalmatian,
are of native breed. They are alien immi-
grants whom we have naturalised, as we
are naturalising the majestic Great Dane,
the decorative Borzoi, the alert Schipperke,

THE ENGLISH MASTIFF.

known to the Romans, and it is not to be
wondered at that Virgil makes no refer-
ence to British dogs ; but Gratius Faliscus,
writing in the eighth year of the Christian
era, recorded that the pugnaccs of Epirus
— the true Molossian dogs — were pitted

best specimens the Roman emperors ap-
pointed a special officer, Procurator Cynegii,
who was stationed at Winchester and en-
trusted with the duty of selecting and ex-
porting Mastiffs from England to Rome.
This statement is frequently repeated by

THE MASTIFF.
From " The Sportsn

Cabinet" (1803). By P. ReinagU, R.A.

against the pugnaccs of Britain, which over-
powered them. Gratius further indicates
that there were two kinds of the British
pugnaccs, a larger and a smaller, suggesting
the existence of both the Bulldog and
the Mastiff, the latter being employed to
protect flocks and herds. Strabo, writing
some thirty years later, refers to British
dogs used in hunting and in warfare, and,
mentioning the pugnaccs, he especially re-
marks that they had flabby lips and droop-
ing ears.

The courage of the " broad mouthed dogs
of Britain " was recognised and highly prized
by the Romans, who employed them for
combat in the amphitheatre. Many writers
have alleged that in order to secure the

persons who have mistaken the word
cyncecii for cynegii, and confounded the
title of a weaver's agent with that of an
exporter of dogs. An officer appointed to
ship fighting Mastiffs to Rome would have
been Procurator Pugnacium vel Molos-
sorum.

In Anglo-Saxon times every two villeins
were required to maintain one of these
dogs for the purpose of reducing the number
of wolves and other wild animals. This
would indicate that the Mastiff was recog-
nised as a capable hunting dog ; but at
a later period his hunting instincts were
not highly esteemed, and he was not re-
garded as a peril to preserved game ; for
in the reign of Henry III. the Forest Laws,

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

which prohibited the keeping of all other
breeds by unprivileged persons, permitted
the Mastiff to come within the precincts of
a forest, imposing, however, the condition
that every such dog should have the claws
of the fore feet removed close to the skin.
A scrutiny was held every third year to
ascertain that this law was strictly obeyed.
The name Mastiff was probably applied
to any massively built dog. It is not easy
to trace the true breed amid the various
nanus which it owned. Molossus, Alan,
Alaunt, Tie-dog, Bandog (or Band-dog),
were among the number. In the " Knight's
Tale " Chaucer refers to it as the Alaunt :

"Aboute his chaar ther wenten white alauntz,
Twenty and mo, as grete as any steer,
To hunten at the leoun or the deer,
And folwed hym, with mosel faste y-bounde.
Colered of gold, and touettes fyled rounde."

The names Tie-dog and Bandog intimate
that the Mastiff was commonly kept for
guard, but many were specially trained
for baiting bears, imported lions, and bulls.
The sport of bear-baiting reached its glory
in the sixteenth century. Queen Elizabeth
was fond of witnessing these displays of
animal conflict, and during her progresses
through her realm a bear-baiting was a
customary entertainment at the places
such as Kenilworth and Hatfield at which
she rested. Three trained Mastiffs were
accounted a fair match against a bear,
four against a lion ; but Lord Buckhurst,
Elizabeth's ambassador to France in 1572,
owned a great Mastiff which, unassisted,
successfully baited a bear, a leopard, and
a lion, and pulled them all down.

In the representations of the Mastiff in
the paintings of the sixteenth and seven-
teenth centuries, the dog was usually shown
with a white blaze up the face and an
undershot jaw, the ears were cropped and
the tail was shortened. Barnaby Googe in
1631 gave a description of the Bandog for the
house whii li enables us to apprehend what
it was like in the time of Charles I. — a
monarch who admired and kept the breed.

" First, the Mastic that keepeth the
house. For this purpose you must provide

you such a one as hath a large and mightie
body, a great and shrill voyce, that both
with his barking he may discover, and with
his sight dismaye the theefe, yea, being
not seene, with the horror of his voice put
him to flight. His stature must be neither
long nor short, but well set ; his head, great ;
his eyes, sharp and fiery, either browne or
grey ; his lippes, blackish, neither turning
up nor hanging too much down ; his
mouth black and wide ; his neather jaw,
fat, and coming out of it on either side a
fang appearing more outward than his
other teeth ; his upper teeth even with his
neather, not hanging too much over, sharpe,
and hidden with his lippes ; his counten-
ance, like a lion ; his brest, great and shag
hayrd ; his shoulders, broad ; his legges,
bigge ; his tayle, short ; his feet, very
great. His disposition must neither be
too gentle nor too curst, that he neither
faune upon a theefe nor flee upon his
friends ; very waking ; no gadder abroad,
nor lavish of his mouth, barking without
cause ; neither maketh it any matter
though he be not swifte, for he is but to
fight at home, and to give warning of the
enemie."

Coming to more recent times, there is
constant record of the Mastiff having been
kept and carefully bred for many generations
in certain old families. One of the oldest
strains of Mastiffs was that of Lyme Hall,
in Cheshire. They were large, powerful
dogs, and longer in muzzle than those
which we are now accustomed to see.
Mr. Kingdon, who was an ardent Mastiff
breeder fifty years ago, maintained that
this strain had been preserved without any
outcross whatever. On the other hand,
it has been argued that this is a statement
impossible to prove, as no record of pedi-
grees was kept. One well-known breeder
of former years goes further than this,
and states that Mr. Legh had admitted to
him that an outcross had been resorted to.

Another old and valuable strain was
that of the Mastiffs kept by the Duke of
Devonshire at Chatsworth. It is to these
two strains that the dogs of the present
dav trace back.

THE ENGLISH MASTIFF.

23

During the earlier part of the past cen-
tury the most noted Mastiff breeders were
Mr. Lukey and Captain Gamier, and a
little later Mr. Edgar Hanbury. Mr. Lukey
laid the foundation of his kennel, which
afterwards became so famous, by the
purchase of a brindle bitch from the Chats-
worth kennels. Among the many celebrated
dogs owned and bred by Mr. Lukey must

Bloodhounds, a breed with which his
name will ever be associated. Mr.
Green's Monarch (2,316) was another fawn
standing over 33 inches high. As a sire
he was principally noted as having sired
Scawfell (5,311), Nero (6,373), and Gwen-
dolen (6,390). The last, when mated with
Cardinal, produced many good Mastiffs.
Rajah (2,333) was a well-known winner

\ IP

I III- IP (11 ' il '

' ,!f|iM 1'A

MR. EDGAR HANBURVS RAJAH BY GRIFFIN PHYLLIS.

Drawn from lije by R. H. Moore.

be mentioned Governor, whose name ap-
pears in the pedigrees of most Mastiffs of
note. He was the grandsire of those two
celebrated Mastiffs Mr. Hanbury 's Rajah
and Mr. Field's King, the sire of Turk,
bred by Miss Anglionby. Mr. E. Nichols,
Miss Hales, Mrs. Rawlinson, and the Rev.
M. B. Wynne, were well-known breeders
and successful exhibitors in the early days
of dog shows.

The following are a few of the most
celebrated Mastiffs of the past forty years :
Turk (2,349) mentioned above, was a fawn,
and was considered the best Mastiff of
his day ; he won numerous prizes for his
different owners, and eventually ended his
days in the kennels of Mr. Edwin Brough,
who relinquished Mastiffs in favour of

in the early 'seventies, but it is not as a
show dog alone that this dog has a claim
to be mentioned, for he sired many good
Mastiffs, who in their turn left their mark
on the breed. Among them may be men-
tioned Mr. Nichol's Prince, a small dog
that was more useful at the stud than on
the show bench, and The Shah (4,457),
bred by Mr. Balleston, and afterwards
owned by Mr. C. T. Harris, by whom he
was claimed upon his first appearance as
a puppy at the Crystal Palace, 1874. He
was not quite so flat in skull as he should
have been, but otherwise he was a fine
Mastiff ; the best of his stock was The
Emperor (9,340).

Crown Prince (10,544) was a ^awn dog
with a Dudley nose and light eye, and was

24

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

THE CELEBRATED CH. BEAUFORT. BRED BY MR. J. SIDNEY TURNER BY BEAU LADY ISABEL.

REPUTED TO BE THE MOST PERFECT MASTIFF OF THE PAST TWENTY YEARS.
Photograph by Schrciber.

pale in muzzle, and whilst full credit must
be given to him for having sired many good
Mastiffs, he must be held responsible for
the faults in many specimens of more recent
years. Unfortunately, he was indiscrim-
inately bred from, with the result that in
a very short time breeders found it impossible
to find a Mastiff unrelated to him. The
registered pedigree of Crown Prince is by
Young Prince by Prince, mentioned above,
but the correctness of this pedigree was
disputed at the time. The matter was
thoroughly investigated, and there w-as not
sufficient evidence to show that any other
dog was the sire. He was bred by Mr.
Woolmore, and claimed by the Rev. W. J.
Mellor upon his first appearance on the
show bench after he had awarded him first
prize. He afterwards passed into the hands
of Dr. Forbes Winslow, and upon the
dispersal of that exhibitor's Mastiffs was
sold for 180 guineas.

Mr. Beaufoy's Beau (6,356) proved his

claim to be considered a pillar of the stud
book by siring Beaufort (18.504), unques-
tionably one of the best Mastiffs of the
past twenty years. He was a frequent
winner both in this country and in America,
where he was placed at stud for a time.

Cardinal (8,410) was a rich, dark brindle,
and one of the most successful sires of his
day. He inherited his colour from his
dam, a daughter of Wolsey. If for no other
reason, Cardinal deserves special mention,
as it is mainly due to him that the brindle
colour in Mastiffs has been preserved, for
I believe that I shall not be wrong in saying
that every prize winning brindle of recent
years is a direct descendant of this dog.

The result of crossing his progeny with
Crown Prince and Beaufort blood was
eminently satisfactory. Among others of his
descendants may be mentioned Marc An-
tony, Marksman, Invicta, Colonel Cromwell,
and Marcus Superba, who died quite young,
but not without leaving stock behind

THE ENGLISH MASTIFF.

25

him that have been a credit to him as a
sire.

It is to be deplored that ever since the
era of Crown Prince there has been a per-
ceptible diminution in the number of good
examples of this fine old English breed,
and that from being an admired and
fashionable dog the Mastiff has so declined
in popularity that few are to be seen either
at exhibitions or in breeders' kennels. At
the Crystal Palace in 1871 there were as
many as sixty-three Mastiffs on show,
forming a line of benches two hundred yards
long, and not a bad one among them ;
whereas at a dog show held twenty-five
years later, where more than twelve hundred
dogs were entered, not a single Mastiff
was benched.

The difficulty of obtaining dogs of un-
blemished pedigree and superlative type
may partly account for this decline, and
another reason of unpopularity may be

that the Mastiff requires so much attention
to keep him in condition that without it
he is apt to become indolent and heavy.
Nevertheless, the mischief of breeding too
continuously from one strain such as that
of Crown Prince has to some extent been
eradicated, and we have had many splendid
Mastiffs since his time. Crown Prince was
by no means the only great Mastiff bred
in Mr. Woolmore's kennels. Special men-
tion should be made of that grand bitch
Cambrian Princess (12,833), by Beau. She
was purchased by Mrs. Willins, who, mating
her with Maximilian (a dog of her own
breeding by The Emperor), obtained Mint-
ing, who shared with Beaufort the reputation
of being unapproached for all round merit
in any period. It was a misfortune to the
breed that Minting was allowed to leave
this country for the United States, where
he was easily able to hold his own on the
show bench. Beaufort, his only equal, not

THE BEAUTIFUL FAWN MASTIFF CH. MINTING BY MAXIMILIAN-— CAMBRIAN PRINCESS.

EXPORTED IN 1SBS TO THE UNITED STATES, WHERE HE WAS REGARDED
AS SECOND ONLY TO CH. BEAUFORT
Photograph by Schreiber.

26

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

arriving in America until after Minting's
death.

Of Mastiff breeders of recent years
Mr. J. Sidney Turner will always be remem-

nificent breed.
Park is one of

MR. C. AUBREY SMITHS COLONEL CROMWELL, BORN 1899
BRED BY MR. A. W. LUCAS BY INVICTA LEDA.

bered as the breeder of Beaufort, Hotspur,
Orlando, and other Mastiffs, which have
left their mark on the breed. Unfortunately,
Mr. Turner did not continue his breeding
operations beyond the second generation ;
otherwise, judging from his success during
the time he kept Mastiffs, we should
probably have seen more of these dogs
of high quality than has been the
case of late. Mr. Mark Beaufoy's name
will be principally associated with Beau,
although he owned several others of acknow-
ledged merit. At one time the kennels of
Captain and Mrs. J. L. Piddocke contained
many excellent Mastiffs, Toozie, Jubilee
Beauty, and Ogilvie being remarkably good
headed dogs. Lieut. -Colonel Walker, al-
though not a very frequent exhibitor, has
been a persistent breeder for many years,
and has bred several Mastiffs of which
anyone mighl be proud.

Mr. Robert Leadbetter has also been
prominent among the owners of this mag-
His kennel at Haslemere
the largest at present in
England. He started
by purchasing Elgiva,
a well-known and un-
beaten champion who
won many specials
open to other breeds
as well as her own.
It is to be regretted
that Elgiva failed to
contribute progeny to-
wards the continuance
of her kind. Among
other Mastiffs owned
by Mr. Leadbetter may
be mentioned Marcella,
a bitch descended from
Captain Piddocke's
strain, and Prince Son-
derberg, one of Mr.
Laguhee's breeding by
Mellnotte out of Nell.
Prince Sonderberg's re-
cent death has unfor-
tunately deprived us
of a dog which might
have won distinction.
Mr. C. Aubrey Smith is an enthusiastic
admirer of the breed, and has owned several
prize Mastiffs, among which is Colonel
Cromwell. He is a fawn of large size, and
a dog that should do well at stud, although
I do not call to mind any of his progeny
that have yet made a great name on the
show bench. This dog was bred by Mr.
A. W. Lucas, a breeder of many years'
standing, who can claim to have produced
more prize Mastiffs within recent years than
any other breeder. Among a few of his
breeding that occur to me there are Black
Prince (1.377 g) and Paula (1,418 h), both
now the property of Mr. J. H. Martin of
Bangor, Maine, U.S.A., their sire Invicta
(i,375 c), Marcus Superba, and many others,
including Lady Claypole and Marchioness.
The last two are the property of Mr. Spalding,
who recently turned his attention to the
Mastiff with very satisfactory results, his

THE ENGLISH MASTIFF.

27

Helmsley Defender and others of his breed-
ing having secured prizes at most of the
principal shows.

The following description of a perfect
Mastiff, taken from the Old English Mastiff
Club's " Points of a Mastiff," is so ad-
mirable that I need hardly add any-
thing as to what future breeders should
aim to attain. If they will study
this description carefully and use all
their efforts to produce a Mastiff as
near it in all points as can be, I feel
confident that they will be more satis-
fied with the result than is likely to
be the case if they give their atten-
tion to certain qualities and leave the
others to take care of themselves.

THE PERFECT MASTIFF.

1. General Character and Symmetry. —
Large, massive, powerful, symmetrical and
well-knit frame. A combination of grandeur
and good nature, courage and docility.

2. General Description of Head. — In gen-
eral outline, giving a square appearance when
viewed from any point. Breadth greatly to
be desired, and should be in ratio to length
of the whole head and face as 2 to 3.

3. General Description of Body. — Massive,
broad, deep, long, powerfully built, on legs
wide apart, and squarely set. Muscles
sharply denned. Size a great desideratum,
if combined with quality. Height and substance
important if both points are proportionately
combined.

4. Skull. — Broad between the ears, forehead
flat, but wrinkled when attention is excited.
Brows (superciliary ridges) slightly raised. Mus-
cles of the temples and cheeks (temporal and
masseter) well developed. Arch across the skull
of a rounded, flattened curve, with a depression
up the centre of the forehead from the medium line
between the eyes, to half way up the sagittal suture.

5. Face or Muzzle. — Short, broad under the
eyes, and keeping nearly parallel in width to the
end of the nose ; truncated, i.e. blunt and cut off
square, thus forming a right angle with the upper
line of the face, of great depth from the point of
the nose to under jaw. Under jaw broad to the
end ; canine teeth healthy, powerful, and wide
apart ; incisors level, or the lower projecting
beyond the upper, but never sufficiently so as to
become visible when the mouth is closed. Nose
broad, with widely spreading nostrils when viewed
from the front ; flat (not pointed or turned up) in
profile. Lips diverging at obtuse angles with

the septum, and slightly pendulous so as to show
a square profile. Length of muzzle to whole head
and face as 1 to 3. Circumference of muzzle
(measured midway between the eyes and nose)
to that of the head (measured before the ears)
as 3 to 5.

MR. SPALDING'S CH. HELMSLEY DEFENDER

BY BLACK PRINCE LADY CLAYPOLE.

Photograph by Russell.

6. Ears. — Small, thin to the touch, wide apart,
set on at the highest points of the sides of the
skull, so as to continue the outline across the
summit, and lying flat and close to the checks
when in repose.

7. Eyes. — Small, wide apart, divided by at
least the space of two eyes. The stop between
the eyes well marked, but not too abrupt. Colour
hazel-brown, the darker the better, showing no
haw.

8. Neck, Chest and Ribs.— Neck— Slightly arched,
moderately long, verv muscular, and measuring
in circumference about one or two inches less
than the skull before the ears. Chest — Wide, deep,
and well let down between the fore-legs. Ribs
arched and well-rounded. False ribs deep and
well set back to the hips. Girth should be one-
third more than the height at the shoulder.
Shoulder and Arm — Slightly sloping, heavy and
muscular.

9. Forelegs and Feet. — Legs straight, strong,
and set wide apart ; bones very large. Elbows
square. Pasterns upright. Feet large and round.
Toes well arched up. Nails black.

28

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

io. Back, Loins and Flanks. — Back and loins
wide and muscular ; flat and very wide in a
bitch, slightly arched in a dog. Great depth of
flanks.

ii. Hind Legs and Feet. — Hind quarters broad,
wide, and muscular, with well developed second
thighs, hocks bent, wide apart, and quite squarely
set when standing or walking. Feet round.

MR. W. SHEARER CLARK'S BRINDLE LORD JIM

BY TOM BOWLING SELINA.

AN EXAMPLE OF THE SHORT-FACED MASTIFF.
Pholograj'li by C ffei'rf, Wishaw.

12. Tail. — Put on high up, and reaching to
the hocks, or a little below them, wide at its
root and tapering to the end, hanging straight in
repose, but forming a curve, with the end point-
ing upwards, but not over the back, when the
dog is excited.

13. Coat — Colour. — Coat short and close lying,
but not too fine over the shoulders, neck, and
back. Colour, apricot or silver fawn, or dark
fawn-brindle. In any case, muzzle, ears, and nose
should be black, with black round the orbits, and
extending upwards between them.

Scale of Points.

General character and symmetry . 10

Body (height and substance) . . 10

Skull 12

Face and muzzle iS

Kars 4

Eyes 6

Chest and ribs S

Fore-legs and feet 6

Back, loins, and flanks .... S

Hind legs and feet ro

Tail 3

Coat and Colour 5

Grand total . . 100

There are one or two points to which I
should wish to direct particular attention.
One of the most important of these is
width of muzzle combined with depth.
This is, I admit, very difficult to obtain in
anything like perfection, and I cannot but
think that it is one that has been too much
overlooked by breeders in their efforts to
produce Mastiffs with the shortest muzzle
possible. That the muzzle of a Mastiff
should be short is an admitted fact, but it
should be in proportion to the size
of the head, which is given in the Club's
points as " length of muzzle to whole head
and face as 1 to 3." I am doubtful whether
the muzzles of many Mastiffs of the present
day will be found to correspond with this
measurement. Mr. J. Sidney Turner's Or-
lando was a grand-headed dog, but very
defective in hind quarters. He got many
good-headed Mastiffs and the length of
muzzle in proportion to the whole head
and face was as nearly in accordance with
the Club's requirements as possible. It is
to the inordinate desire to obtain the short-
est muzzle possible which existed some
few years ago, and which I am afraid is
not altogether absent at the present day,
that the falling off in many desirable quali-
ties of the breed, unfortunately so notice-
able in recent years, may be attributed.
It is practically impossible for breeders to
breed dogs with abnormally short muzzle,
and yet at the same time obtain size,
length of bodv, and other attributes of
this breed.

Opinions seem to differ as to whether
the Mastiff should have a level mouth or
be somewhat undershot. Personally I pre-
fer a level mouth, and should always try
to get it if possible, and I am inclined to
think that many who uphold the undershot
jaw are in agreement with me, and would
prefer the level mouth were the difficulty
of combining it with squareness of muzzle
not so great. There can be little doubt
that more Mastiffs are bred with undershot
jaws than without, and there is no gain-
saying the fact that many, if not most,
of the best specimens of the breed have
possessed undershot jaws.

THE ENGLISH MASTIFF.

29

Size is a quality very desirable in this
breed. The height of many dogs of olden
days was from thirty-two to thirty-three
inches. The height should be obtained
rather from great depth of body than
length of leg. A leggy Mastiff is very un-
desirable. Thirty inches may be taken as
a fair average height for dogs, and bitches
somewhat less. Many of Mr. Lukey's
Mastiffs stood 32 inches and over ; Mr.
Green's Monarch was over 33 inches, The
Shah 32 inches, and Cardinal 32 inches.

The method of rearing a Mastiff has
much to do with its ultimate size, but it
is perhaps needless to say that the selection
of the breeding stock has still more to do
with this. It is therefore essential to
select a dog and bitch of a large strain
to obtain large Mastiffs. It is not so
necessary that the dogs themselves should
be so large as that they come from a large
strain. The weight of a full-grown dog
should be anything over 160 lb. Many
Mastiffs have turned the scale at 180 lb.
The Shah, for instance, was 182 lb. in weight,
Scawfell over 200 lb.

I am not an advocate for forcing young
stock, and I have frequently noticed that
in the case of puppies of extraordinary
weight we have seldom heard of any of
them attaining any unusual size when
full grown. The fact is that these puppies
make their growth early in life and stop
growing just at the time other puppies are
beginning to fill out and develop. There
are, of course, exceptions to this. For
instance, Orlando weighed 140 lb. when
only eight months old. A Mastiff puppy
of ten months old should have the appear-
ance of a puppy, and not of a full-grown
dog. A dog should go on growing until
he is three years of age, and many continue
to improve after that.

Colour is, to a great extent, a matter of
taste. The two colours recognised at the
present time are brindle and fawn. The
former is considered by those who have
given the question most attention to have
been the original colour of the breed.
Black Mastiffs are spoken of as having been
known in years gone by, and occasionally

we hear of a dog of this colour having been
seen even now. I have never come across
one myself, although I have often seen
brindle puppies so dark they might have
been mistaken for black ; nor can I call to
mind having heard in recent years of a
dog of this colour whose pedigree was
known. A correspondent in the Live Stock
Journal spoke of having seen a black dog
of Mastiff type, which was not of pure
blood, and went on to say that " when I
was paying a visit to the Willhayne kennels,
in the summer of 1879, I remember Mr.
Kingdon showing me a coal-black bitch
of the Lyme Hall breed. She had not a
white hair on her, and I was surprised at
her colour. She was not at all large."
It is stated that Charles I. advertised for
a lost " Bob-tailed Black Mastiff," and
from the correspondence that took place
some years ago upon the subject of the
colour of Mastiffs, it is evident that black
was by no means an unknown colour at
one time. Red was another colour that

MR. ROBERT LEADBETTERS PRINCE SONDERBERQ,
BORN 1903, BY MELLNOTTE NELL.

was in evidence thirty or forty years ago,
but it has been allowed to die out, and I
have not seen a Mastiff of that colour, whose
pedigree could be depended upon, for many
years. By crossing blacks and reds it would
no doubt have been possible to produce

3°

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

brindles ; this is the case in cattle, and
there seems no reason why it should not
be so in Mastiffs — in fact, it is asserted
that this system of breeding was resorted
to many years ago.

Although, as I have said, brindle was

MR. SPALDING'S BITCH CH. MARCHIONESS.
BORN 1901, BRED BY MR. A. W. LUCAS BY

DALSTON BENEDICT LYNDHURST JENNY.

Photograph by Russell.

the original colour, and was an ordinary
one in Mastiffs in the early part of the last
century, its place was gradually usurped
by the fawn, and twenty-five years or so
ago there was great risk of the colour be-
coming extinct. Mr. J. Hutchings kept a
kennel of Mastiffs of this colour, but the
type of his dogs did not meet the views of
the breeders of the day. Wolsey (5,315),
by Rajah out of Mr. Hanbury's Queen
(2,396), a magnificent brindled bitch, was
about the only dog of note in those days,
but his stud services could not be ob-
tained by breeders generally, and so it
devolved upon Wolsey's grandson Cardinal
to perpetuate the colour. Within the last
five years there have been more brindles
exhibited than fawns, judging by the fact
that more of the former have won prizes
than the latter.

White is not a desirable colour, but it
will frequently appear on the chest and
feet, and in some cases puppies are born
with white running some distance up the
leg. This, however, disappears almost en-

tirely— or, at any rate, to a great extent —
as the puppy grows up. Light eyes, which
detract so much from the appearance of a
Mastiff, were very prevalent a few years
ago, and, judging from some of the young
stock exhibited recently, there seems a
great risk of them becoming so again.
When this eye appears in a brindle it is
even more apparent than in a fawn ; the
remedy is to breed these dogs to brindles
with a good dark eye, and of a strain
possessing this quality.

One of the great difficulties that breeders
of the present day have to contend against
is in rearing the puppies ; so many bitches
being clumsy and apt to kill the whelps
by lying on them. It is, therefore, always
better to be provided with one or more
foster bitches. At about six weeks old
a fairly good opinion may be formed as
to what the puppies will ultimately turn
out in certain respects, for, although they
may indeed change materially during
growth, the good or bad qualities which are
manifest at that early age will, in all proba-
bility, be apparent when the puppy has
reached maturity. It is, therefore, fre-
quently easier to select the best puppy
in the nest than to do so when they are
from six to nine or ten months old.

The colour is sometimes deceptive, and
what appears to a novice as a brindle
puppy turns out to be a very dark fawn,
which gradually gets lighter as the puppy
grows. It has occurred that Mastiffs bred
from rich dark brindles have been whelped
of a blue or slate colour. In course of
time the stripes of the brindle appear, but
puppies of this colour, which are very
rare, generally retain a blue mask, and have
light eyes. Many such puppies have been
destroyed; but this practice is a mistake,
for although it is not a colour to be de-
sired, some of our best Mastiffs have been
bred through dogs or bitches of this shade.
As an instance I may mention my own
dog, Constable (22,705). His grand-dam
Columbine was a blue brindle. I parted
with her as a puppy to a well-known breeder,
who afterwards offered her back to me on
account of her colour. Knowing how she

THE ENGLISH MASTIFF.

3i

was bred I readily accepted the offer.
She was by Cardinal out of Cleopatra by
Cardinal out of Gwendolen by Monarch.
Putting her to her sire I obtained Empress
of Tring, a capital brindle of good size.
Just at the time I wanted a cross out,
Mr. Sidney Turner offered to let me have,
at quite a nominal price, Hotspur, a son
of Crown Prince, and a dog for which he
had refused £100 when a puppy. Mating
Empress of Tring with him, I got many
good Mastiffs, one of the best being Con-
stable, who made his debut at the show
held by the Kennel Club in 1887, where
he created a sensation among Mastiff
breeders.

I have gone rather more into this than
I intended, but I want to demonstrate, in
the first place, that it is not always wise to
destroy a puppy, which, although it may
not be a show specimen, may prove from
its breeding invaluable as a stud dog or
brood bitch. I also wish to show that in-
breeding, if judiciously carried out, may
in certain instances prove of inestimable
advantage. My own experience of in-
breeding does not lead me to endorse the
opinion that it must necessarily cause a
diminution of size. In Toys it may be
resorted to with that particular object,
and, in that case, naturally the smallest
specimens would be bred from ; but I see
no reason why, if dogs of large size are
selected, it should not have a contrary
result. I am speaking of in-breeding car-
ried on within certain limits and not
indiscriminately. Nevertheless, close in-
breeding, if attempted by anyone not
understanding the principles of selection,
may prove disastrous. It is far easier
to perpetuate a fault than to eradicate
one, and, therefore, great care should be
exercised in the animals selected for the
experiment of in-breeding.

Puppies should be allowed all the liberty
possible, and never be tied up : they
should be taken out for steady, gentle
exercise, and not permitted to get too fat
or they become too heavy, with detrimental
results to their legs. Many puppies are
very shy and nervous, but they will grow

out of this if kindly handled, and eventu-
ally become the best guard and protector
it is possible to have.

Some Mastiffs are possessed of strange
idiosyncrasies. Turk and many of his
descendants had a great antipathy to
butchers and butchers' shops. Neither of
my own two Mastiffs, Cardinal and Gwen-
dolen, would go near a butcher's shop if
it could be avoided, and I have frequently
been puzzled in walking through London
at four or five o'clock in the morning, on
my way to catch an early train to some
show, to know why these two dogs would
cross the road for no apparent reason, and
refuse to recross it until some way further
on. Eventually I discovered this invariably
happened when passing a butcher's shop.
At Norwich show Cardinal suddenly jumped
up and flew out at three visitors who
were standing admiring him. My man
remarked that there must be a butcher
close by, or the dog would never do such
a thing. The idea was laughed at, but
upon his saying he was sure it was so,
one of the three admitted that he was a
butcher.

The temper of a Mastiff should be taken
into consideration by the breeder. They
are, as a rule, possessed of the best of
tempers, but there may be, of course, an
exception now and again. A savage dog
with such power as the Mastiff possesses
is indeed a dangerous creature, and, there-
fore, some inquiries as to the temper of
a stud dog should be made before deciding
to use him. Although I have owned Mas-
tiffs for between thirty and forty years,
and at one time I kept a somewhat large
kennel of them, I have never had the
misfortune to have a bad-tempered one.
In these dogs, as in all others, it is a question
of how they are treated by the person
having charge of them.

The feeding of puppies is an important
matter, and should be carefully seen to
by anyone wishing to rear them success-
fully. If goat's milk is procurable it is
preferable to cow's milk. The price asked
for it is sometimes prohibitory, but this
difficulty may be surmounted in many

32

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

cases by keeping a goat or two on the
premises. Many breeders have obtained a
goat with the sole object of rearing a litter
of puppies on her milk, and have eventu-
ally discarded cow's milk altogether, using
goat's milk for household purposes instead.
As soon as the puppies will lap they should
be induced to take arrowroot prepared
with milk. Oatmeal and maizemeal, about
one quarter of the latter to three quarters
of the former, make a good food for puppies.
Dog biscuits and the various hound meals,
soaked in good broth, may be used with
advantage, but I do not believe any dogs,
especially Mastiffs, can be kept in con-
dition for any length of time without a
fair proportion of meat of some kind.
Sheeps' paunches, cleaned and well boiled,
mixed with sweet stale bread, previously
soaked in cold water, makes an excellent
food and can hardly be excelled as a staple
diet. In feeding on horseflesh care should
be taken to ascertain that the horse was
not diseased, especially if any is given
uncooked.

Worms are a constant source of trouble
from the earliest days of puppy-hood, and

no puppy suffering from them will thrive ;
every effort, therefore, should be made to
get rid of them. It has been asserted that
the use of goat's milk is a preventative
against worms, but I am afraid that very
little reliance can be placed on this state-
ment.

Constantly physicking puppies or grown
dogs is a mistake made by many Mastiff
owners, and still more so by their kennel-
men. With proper feeding, grooming, ex-
ercise, and cleanliness, Mastiffs can be kept
in good condition without resort to medicine,
the use of which should be strictly pro-
hibited unless there is real need for it.
Mastiffs kept under such conditions are
far more likely to prove successful stud
dogs and brood bitches than those to which
deleterious drugs are constantly being given.
Although, as I have said, puppies should
not be tied up, they should be accustomed
to a collar and to be led when young. A
dog is far less likely to be nervous in the
show ring if he has been led about when
young than one who has a collar and chain
on for the first time only a few hours before
he is sent off to some exhibition.

CH. ARCHIE OF HASLEMERE and CH. CZAAR PETER by ch. marksman — lyndhurst rose.

THE PROPERTY OF ROBERT LEADBETTER, ESQ.. M.F.H.
Photograph by Findlottl &■ Co., High Wycombe.

33

STUDIES IN BULLDOG EXPRESSION.
Photograph by T, Rcvcley, Wantage.

LAMPHIERS CH. KING
DICK (BORN 1858)
BY TOMMY SLUT.

scendant of the

CHAPTER II.
THE BULLDOG.

BY W. J. STUBBS.

" Well, of all dogs it stands confessed
Your English bull-dogs are the best,
I say it, and will set my hand lo't,
Camden records it, and I'll stand to'/."

Christopher Smart, 1722-1770.

THE Bulldog is
known to have
been domi-
ciled in this country
for several centuries,
but many theories
are advanced as to
the origin of the
breed.

It is generally ad-
mitted to be a de-
Alaunt," Mastive, or
Bandog, described by Dr. Caius, who states
that " the mastyve or Bandogge is vaste,
huge, stubborne, ougly and eager, of a
hevy and burthenous body, and therefore
but of little swiftnesse, terrible and fright-
ful to beholde, and more fearce and
fell than any Arcadian curre. They are
called (in Latin) Villatici, because the}'

are appoynted to watche and keepe farme
places and country cotages sequestered from
common recourse and not abutting upon
other houses by reason of distaunce. They
are serviceable against the Foxe and Badger
to drive wilde and tame swyne out of
medowes, pastures, glebelandes, and places
planted with fruite, to bayte and take the
bull by the eare when occasion so requireth.
One dogge, or two at the uttermost, sufnceth
for that purpose, be the bull never so mon-
sterous, never so fearce, never so furious,
never so stearne, never so untameable. For
it is a kinde of dogge capable of courage,
violent and valiaunt, striking could feare
into the harts of men but standing in
feare of no man, in so much that no weapons
will make him shrincke nor abridge his
boldnes. Our English men (to th' intent
that theyr dogges might be the more fell

34

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

and fearce) assist nature with arte, use and
custome, for they teach theyr dogges to
baite the Beare, to baite the Bull, and other
such like cruell and bloudy beastes (appoint-
ing an overseer of the game), without any
collar to defend theyr throtes, and often-
times they traine them up in fighting and
wrestling with a man having for the safe-
garde of his lyfe eyther a Pikestaffe, a

THE BULLDOG (1803>.

From " The Sportsman's Cabinet." By P. Reinagle, A'.. 1 .

clubbe, or a sworde, and by using them
to such exercises as these theyr dogges
become more sturdy and strong. The force
which is in them surmounteth all beleefe,
the faste holde which they take with their
teeth exceedeth all credit ; three of them
against a Beare, foure against a lyon, are
sufficient both to try masteryes with them
and utterly to overmatch them. Which
Henry the seventh of that name, King of Eng-
land (a prince both politique and warlike),
perceaving on a certaine time, commaunded
all such dogges (how many soever they were
in number) should be hanged, beyng deeply
displeased, and conceaving great disdaine
that an yll faured rascall curre should with
such violent villany assault the valiaunt
L)'on King of all beastes."

The Bulldog was, however, well known
and appreciated for his unparalleled courage
by the ancient Romans, for, as already men-
tioned (p. 14), he is given the distinction of

pulling down a bull by Claudian, the last of
the Latin classic poets, in the words :

" The British hound
That brings the bull's big forehead to the
ground."

Symmachus also mentions the presence of
British Bulldogs at the Coliseum in Rome.
FitzStephen, who lived in the reign of
Henry II. (1154-1189), says it was
customary on the forenoon of every
holiday for young Londoners to
amuse themselves with bulls and
full-grown bears baited by dogs.
Spenser wrote (1553-1598) :

" Like as a mastiff, having at a bay
A salvage bull, whose cruell homes

do threat
Desperate daunger if he them assaye.""

Hentzner in his itinerary, printed
in Latin (1598), describes the per-
formance of a bull baiting at
which he was present. He says :
'" There is a place built in the form
of a theatre which serves for baiting
of bulls and bears ; they are fastened
behind and then worried by great
English bulldogs ; but not without
risk to the dogs ; and it sometimes happens
they are killed on the spot ; fresh ones
are immediately supplied in the places
of those that are wounded or tired."

The first mention of the word Bulldog
occurs in a letter, now in the Record Office,
written by Prestwich Eaton from St. Sebas-
tian to George Wellingham in St. Swithin s
Lane, London, in 1631 or 1632, " for a
good Mastive dogge, a case of bottles re-
plenished with the best lickour, and pray
proceur mee two good bulldoggs, and let
them be sent by ye first shipp."

The two following advertisements, pub-
lished in the reign of Queen Anne, are con-
tained in the Harleian MSS. :

" At the Bear Garden in Hockley in the
Hole, near Clerkenwell Green, this present
Monday, there is a great match to be fought
by two dogs of Hampstead, at the Reading
Bull, for one guinea to be spent ; five lets
goes out of hand ; which goes fairest and

THE BULLDOG.

35

farthest in wins all. The famous Bull of
fireworks, which pleased the gentry to
admiration. Likewise there are two Bear
Dogs to jump three jumps apiece at the
Beare, which jumps highest for ten shillings
to be spent. Also variety of bull-baitmg
and bear-baiting ; it being a day of general
sport by all the old gamesters and a bull-
dog to be drawn up
with fireworks. Begin-
ning at three o'clock."
" At William Well's
bear garden in Tuttle
fields, Westminster, this
present Monday, there
will be a green Bull
baited ; and twenty
Dogs to fight for a
collar ; and the dog
that runs farthest and
fairest wins the collar ;
with other diversions
of bull- and bear-bait-
ing

" Beginning at two
of the clock."

The object aimed at
in the pursuit of bull-
baiting was that the
dog should pin and
hold the bull by the
muzzle, and not leave
it. The bull was naturally helpless
when seized in his most tender part. As
the bull lowered his head in order to use
his horns it was necessary for the dog to
keep close to the ground, or, in the words
of the old fanciers of the sport, to " play
low." Larger dogs were at a disadvantage
in this respect, and, therefore, those of
smaller proportions, which were quite as
suitable for the sport, were selected.

The average height of the dogs was
about 16 inches, and the weight was gener-
ally about 45 lbs., whilst the body was
broad, muscular, and compact, as is shown
in the pictures of " Crib and Rosa " and
" Bull Broke Loose," which are reproduced
in these pages.

In bull-baiting a rope about fifteen feet
in length was fastened to the root of the

horns, and the other end was secured to
an iron ring fixed to a stone or stake driven
into the ground. The dog kept his head
close to the ground, or if of large size, he
crawled on his belly to avoid being above
the animal's horns. The bull, on the other
hand, kept his nose close to the ground,
and maiw of the veterans had sufficient

CRIB and ROSA

(1817).
HN SCOTT.

cunning, or instinct, to scrape a hole in
the ground for themselves when one was
not already provided, and would then
endeavour to toss the dog with his horns.

The actual ring for bull-baiting still
remains in several places in England, such
as Hedon, Preston, Colchester, and Brading,
in the Isle of Wight. Several towns, such
as Birmingham and Dorchester, retain
traces of the sport in the nomenclature of
the streets.

In the minute and carefully kept house-
hold accounts of Sir Miles Stapleton, pub-
lished in The Antiquary, reference is made
to the replacement of the ring for bull-
baiting, and the stone to which it was
fixed, in the market-place of Bedale, Y< »rks ,
in 1661.

Pepys mentions in his diary that he was

36

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

BULL BROKE LOOSE (1820).
From an Old Print.

present at a bull-baiting in Southwark,
on August 4th, 1666, when the bull tossed
one of the dogs " into the very boxes,"
describing the performance as " a very
rude and nasty pleasure."

Bull-baiting lingered with us much longer
than bear-baiting, and was a far more
universal sport throughout England. The
baited bull was supposed to be more tender
for eating than when killed in the orthodox
manner, and in various boroughs the butchers
who sold unbaited bull beef were subjected
to considerable penalties. During the
Commonwealth the sport was condemned
by the Puritans, but subsequent to the
Restoration the pastime was generally re-
sumed with even greater zest.

In 1802 a Bill was introduced into Par-
liament for the suppression of bull-baiting.
but it was resisted, especially by Mr. Wind-
ham, as part of a conspiracy by the Jacobins
and Methodists to render the people grave
and serious, and to uproot constitutional
government !

Notwithstanding the efforts of Wilber-
force and Sheridan, the bill was defeated by
a majority of 13.

A worse fate befell a similar measure which
was introduced in 1829 ; it was defeated
by 7?, votes to 28.

After the Reform Bill became law the
protests could no longer be set at naught,
and bull-baiting was made illegal in 1835.

The last recorded bull-baitings held in
England were at Wirksworth in 1840, at
Eccles in 1842, and at West Derby in 1853,
all of which, of course, were held in an
illicit manner.

When bull-baiting was prohibited by
law the sportsmen of the period turned their
attention to dog-fighting, and for this
pastime the Bulldogs were specially trained.
The chief centres in London where these
exhibitions took place were the Westminster
Pit, the Bear Garden at Bankside, and the
Old Conduit Fields in Bayswater.

In order to obtain greater quickness of
movement many of the Bulldogs were
crossed with a terrier, although some
fanciers relied on the pure breed. It is
recorded that Lord Camelford's Bulldog
Belcher fought one hundred and four
battles without once suffering defeat.

I quote from The Sporting Magazine of

THE BULLDOG.

37

1825 the following account of what, after
all, must have been an exhibition disgusting
to those who witnessed it and degrading to
the dogs themselves : —

" The Westminster Pit was crowded on
Tuesday evening, January 18th, with all
the dog fanciers in the metropolis to witness
a battle between the celebrated dog Boney
and a black novice called Gas, lately intro-
duced to the fancy by Charley, to whom
the dog belongs. The stakes were forty
sovereigns, and everything was arranged
to the satisfaction of the amateurs. The
pit was lighted with an elegant chandelier
and a profusion of wax lights. The dogs
were brought to the scratch at eight o'clock
in excellent condition, and were seconded
by their respective masters. Boney was
the favourite at 3 to 1, and so continued
till within ten minutes of the termination
of the contest — a confidence arising solely
from his known bottom, for to the impartial
spectator Gas took the lead throughout.
The battle lasted an hour and fifty minutes,
when Boney was carried out insensible. He
was immediately bled and put into a warm

bath. There were nearly three hundred
persons present."

The method of conducting the fight was
for each dog in turn to cross a chalked
line and bring his opponent out of his
corner. The dogs were handled by their
keepers in the ring, and once they were
released they flew at each other's throats,
and having established a hold they pro-
ceeded to grind and tear each other to the
death.

The tactics adopted by the dogs varied
according to the training they had received.
Some would fight at the head, others at the
legs, which were frequently broken, whilst
others attempted to tear open the throat.
When a dog loosened his hold to breathe
the " round " was terminated, and each
dog was taken to his respective corner and
sponged down by his keeper. A minute's
grace was allowed between each round, and
the fight sometimes lasted for two or three
hours.

It will be observed in the picture of the
Westminster Pit that three of the dogs
outside the arena are being forcibly held

pr ; ■• jp+ '

WESTMINSTER PIT (1820).
From an Old Print.

38

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

back from joining in the fray, into which they
appear to be eager to enter. As a matter
of fact, it was not necessary to incite the
dogs to fight, as they were only too anxious
to be at work, and while being restrained
they would scream with rage and lick their
lips in anticipation of what was to follow.
In order that the ears might not form an
easy object to hold they were usually
cropped close to the head, and this practice
was generally followed well into the 'seven-
ties. Dog-fighting gradually declined dur-
ing the middle of the last century, and
practically ceased thirty years ago.

Practices of this nature doubtless led
to the lack of interest taken in the breed,
and to the expression of opinion in British
Field Sports that " the Bulldog devoted
solely to the most barbarous and infamous
purposes, the real blackguard of his species,
has no claim upon utility, humanity, or
common sense, and the total extinction
of the breed is a desirable consummation " ;
whilst in Parliament he was described as
the incarnation of ferocity, loving blood-
shed and combat, and the cause of the
perpetuation of the cruelties which it was
desired to suppress.

There is no doubt that the Bulldog knew
no fear. His tenacity of purpose was
present even in his death struggles. Colonel
Smith, writing in 1840, states that he saw
a Bulldog pinning an American bison and
holding his nose down till the animal
gradually brought forward its hind feet,
and, crushing the dog to death, tore his
muzzle, most dreadfully mangled, out of
the dog's fangs.

The decline of bull-baiting and dog-
fighting after the passing of the Bill pro-
hibiting these sports was responsible for
a lack of interest in perpetuating the breed
of Bulldogs. Even in 1824 it was said to
be degenerating, and gentlemen who had
previously been the chief breeders gradually
deserted the fancy.

At one time it was stated that Wasp,
Child, and Billy, who were of the Duke of
Hamilton's strain, were the only remaining
Bulldogs in existence, and that upon their
decease the Bulldog would become extinct —

a prophecy which all Bulldog lovers happily
find incorrect.

The specimens alive in 1817, as seen in
prints of that period, were not so cloddy
as those met with on the show bench at
the present day. Still, the outline of Rosa
in the well-known print of Crib and Rosa,
which is reproduced on p. 35, is considered
to represent perfection in the shape, make,
and size of the ideal type of Bulldog. The
only objections which have been taken are
that the bitch is deficient in wrinkles about
the head and neck, and in substance of
bone in the limbs.

The following description of the Bull-
dog contained in Goldsmith's " Animated
Nature," 1840 edition, affords interest to
present-day readers, inasmuch as modern
breeding and environment have eliminated
the worst, and improved the best charac-
teristics of the dog : " The round, thick head,
turned-up nose, and thick, pendulous lips
of this formidable dog are familiar to all.
The nostrils of this variety are frequently
cleft. The want of that degree of discern-
ment which is found in so many of the
canine varieties, added to the ferocity of
the bulldog, make it extremely dangerous
when its courage and strength are employed
to protect the person or property of its
owner, or for any domestic purpose ; since,
unlike many of the more sagacious, though
less powerful dogs, which seem rather more
anxious to give the alarm when danger
threatens, by their barking, than to proceed
immediately to action, the bulldog, in
general, makes a silent but furious attack,
and the persisting powers of its teeth and
jaws enable it to keep its hold against any
but the greatest efforts, so that the utmost
mischief is likely to ensue, as well to the
innocent visitor of its domicile as to the
felonious intruder. The savage barbarity
which, in various shapes, is so apt to show
itself in the human mind, particularly when
unchecked by education and refinement,
has encouraged the breed of this variety
of the dog, in order that gratification may
be derived from the madness and torture
of the bull and other animals, when exposed
to the attacks of these furious beasts ; and

THE BULLDOG.

39

it is observed that since the decline of such
sports, Bulldogs have diminished in num-
ber— an instance whence we may learn
how much the efforts of mankind operate
on the domesticated genera of the animal
kingdom.

" The internal changes which determine
the external characteristics of this dog
consist in a great development of the
frontal sinuses, a development which elevates
the bones of the forehead above the nose,
and which leads in the same direction the
cerebral cavity. But the most important
change, and that, perhaps, which causes
all the others, although we cannot perceive
the connexion, is the diminution of the
brain. The cerebral capacity of the Bull-
dog is sensibly smaller than in any other
race, and it is doubtless to the decrease
of the encephalon that we must attribute
its inferiority to all others in everything
relating to intelligence. The Bulldog is
scarcely capable of any education, and is
htted for nothing but combat and ferocity.
A fifth toe is occasionally found more or
less developed on the hind feet of this race.
This, like all other races far removed from
the primitive type, is difficult of repro-
duction. Their life, also, is short, though
their development is slow, they scarcely
acquire maturity under eighteen months,
and at five or six years show signs of de-
crepitude."

The commencement of the dog-show era
in 1859 enabled classes to be provided for
Bulldogs, and a fresh incentive to breed
them was offered to the dog fancier. In
certain districts of the country, notably
in London, Birmingham, Sheffield, Man-
chester, and Dudley, a number of fanciers
resided, and it is to their efforts that we
are indebted for the varied specimens of the
breed that are to be seen on the modern
show bench.

Amongst others in this connection may
be mentioned Messrs. J. W. Berrie, of
Tooting ; T. Verinder, J. Ashburne, B. White,
W. George, C. Aistrop, P. Rust, and
H. Layton, of London ; G. W. Richards,
F. Lamphier, and T. Turton, of Sheffield ;
J. Lamphier, J. Hinks, and F. Reeves, of

Birmingham ; J. Henshall and Peter Eden,
of Manchester ; and A. Clay, of Wolver-
hampton ; several of whom are still living.

One of the first specimens, if not actually
the first, exhibited which was worthy of
the name of Bulldog, belonged to Mr. James
Hinks, of Birmingham. He was a white
dog, and gained the first prize at Birming-
ham in i860. He was priced for sale at
ten guineas.

In 1864, at the Agricultural Hall in
London, forty Bulldogs were on exhibition,
and Mr. Jacob Lamphier, of Soho Street,
Birmingham, won the first prize with his
celebrated dog Champion King Dick, who
was by Tommy ex Slut. This dog was
48 lbs. in weight, and a red smut in colour,
and is admitted to have been one of the
best Bulldogs that ever lived. He was
born in 1858, and died when eight years
of age, a few days after the demise of his
master.

As a proof — if any were needed — of the
devotion, fidelity, and affection of the
Bulldog, the following account of the death
of this grand dog will be read with interest.

Mr. Lamphier was afflicted with con-
sumption, and at intervals, during the
last twelve months of his life, was confined
to his room. King Dick, being a great
favourite, was his constant companion.
In April, 1866, Mr. Lamphier died. Dick
was at the time confined to the yard, and
continued to be so until after the funeral.
The first day he was let loose he instantly
rushed upstairs into his master's room and
made straight for the easy chair in which
his master used to sit, but it was vacant ;
he put his paws on the bed, looked under
it, rushed backwards and forwards crying
piteously, ran to a back room which he
searched thoroughly ; coming back, he-
went to the chair and bed again. Miss
Lamphier, who was in the room, tried to
comfort him, but without success ; he
lay down on the rug before the fire, and
never seemed to lift his head up again.
No caress, no endearments, could rouse
him. He refused all food that was offered
to him, and it was with great difficulty
that he was drenched with some beef tea.

4Q

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

Stimulants were also given to him, but all
was of no avail ; lie gradually fell away
from the fat, heavy dog that he had been
to a complete skeleton, and on the fourth

mr h. laytons ROYAL GEORGE

(BORN 18781 BY CRIB ROSE.

day after he had missed his old master
King Dick himself was dead.

Among the chief prize winners of the
'sixties and 'seventies from which the
present-day dogs are descended may be
mentioned Old King Cole, King Cole,
Champions Venom, Monarch, and Game-
ster, who were bred by Mr. J. W. Berrie
Champion Duke, by the Duke of Hamilton
Champion Smasher, by Mr. Harry Layton
Champions Ruling Passion, His Lordship
and Cigarette, and Lord Nelson, by Tom
Ball, of Peckham ; Champion Queen Mab,
by Fred Reeves ; Champion Crib, Thunder,
and Sir Anthony, by Fred Lamphier. and
Champions Sancho Panza and Diogenes, by
Mr. P. Rust.

Of these probably the dog which is
owned as a sire by most of the modern
dogs is Champion Crib, who was a heavy-
weight brindle dog, with an immense skull.
short in back and limbs, without being in
any way a cripple or monstrosity. He was
purchased from Mr. Lamphier by Mr.
Turton — hence his common sobriquet of
Turton's Crib — and was never beaten in
the show ring.

His mating with Mr. Berne's Rose, Mr.
Lamphier's Meg, Mr. Rust's Miss Smiff,
and Mr. W. Beckett's Kit, established the
four great prize-winning strains of our own
time, although there are several other
strains which do not descend from Crib.

Of the contemporarv strains we find a
large proportion of dogs trace their descent
from Mr. Fred Reeves' Stockwell, who was
sired by Don Pedro, who himself was by
the Dudley nosed Sahib, belonging to the
Crib-Kit strain. The general characteristics
of the Stockwell strain are good heads and
bodies, and the best representatives of
the strain are Champions Dimboola, Boaz,
Baron Sedgemere, Housewife, and Battle-
dora, Barney Barnato, True Type, Bala-
clava, Amber Duchess, Jack of Spades,
Uxbridge Matadore, and Spa Victoria.

Don Salano, who was a litter brother to
Stockwell, is also very fully represented
by present-day dogs, the chief characteristics
of the strain being found in their lowness
to ground, well - defined but sometimes
small skulls, and good body properties.
The best dogs of this strain are Champions
Bicester Beauty, Felton Prince, Totora, and

MR. H. LAYTONS CH. GAMESTER
(BORN 1878) BY CRIB ROSE.

Pressgang, Cyclops, First Attempt, High-
wayman, Khalifa — the sire of Champion
Mahomet — Lord Francis. Ivy Leaf, Lucy
Venn, Don Perseus, and Don Alexis the

THE BULLDOG.

41

last of whom in turn sired Champion
Primula, Birkdale Beauty, Don Cervantes,
Woodcote Galtee More, and Merlin.

The Bruce strain is noted for its long

MRS. SPRAGUES CH. GRABBER
(BORN 1881) BY REEVES1 CRIB ZULU.

skulls possessing the desired properties of.
distance between the eyes and from the
eyes to the ears. The ears are small, and
usually set neatly on the head. Champion
Bedgebury Lion, a brindle pied dog, was
by The Alderman, who in turn was by
Bruce II. He was born August 16th, 1888,
and was bred by Mr. Beresford Hope.
He had a wide, flat skull, large nostrils,
good ears, and turn-up of underjaw, but
might have been wider out at the shoulders.
He created quite a sensation when brought
out as a nine-months' old puppy at the Bull-
dog Club Show in 1889. Some writers
indicate a definite strain from Bedgebury
Lion, but the real properties are derived
from Bruce II., who was by Gamester,
and therefore of the Crib — Rose strain. The
best-known dogs of the Bruce strain are
The Alderman, Satan II., The Antiquary
(later known as Master Bruce), Mersham
Jock, Banana, Enfield Tartlet, Boom-de-ay,
Captain Jack, Pyecrust, Shylock, and Baby
Bacchus.

The King Orry strain stands out promin-
ently as being noted for producing big,

long-skulled dogs, with good lay-back, well
turned-up underjaws, and neat ears. The
bodies are usually well shaped. Many
present-day winners belong to this strain,
and are good in the foregoing properties.

King Orry, born on January 25th, 1889,
was bred by Mr. Tasker, and was a white
dog with black and brindle markings. He
was by Pagan, ex Koorie, and therefore
also of the Crib — Rose strain.

The best known dogs of the King Orry
strain are Champions Boomerang, Broad-
lea Squire, Katerfelto, Felton Duchess,
Facey Romford, and Prince Albert, Kata-
pult, Duke of Albemarle, Diavolo, Bombard,
Demon Monarch, Forlorn, First Success,
President Carnot, and General French.

The Prisoner strain is of recent date, but
it has certain well-defined properties, not-
ably the width and turn-up of underjaw.
Other characteristics are large skulls, well
broken-up faces, and good sound bodies,
but the ears are inclined to be heavy.

Prisoner was by First Result, who be-
longed to the Don Salano strain, and his
other ancestors were Champion Pathfinder
(who had an exceptionally well turned-

MR. G. R. MURRELL'S KING ORRY
(BORN 1889) BY PAGAN KOORIE.

up underjaw, and was the grandson of
Champion Monarch, who in turn was of
the Crib — Rose strain) and Champion His
Lordship, who was by Don Pedro, who

42

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

MR. W. F JEFFERIES' RIVAL STONE BY BRITISH STONE BANZIA STONE.

Photograph by The Art Portrait Co., Camberwell.

belonged to the Crib — Kit strain. It will
be seen that dogs of the Prisoner strain
are well outcrossed, seeing that they com-
bine two of the four original strains. The
best representatives are Champion Port-
land, Klondike, Fugitive, Persephone, Cham-
pion Lady Bute, Lord Milner, Stealaway,
and Kilburn King.

The most sensational strain of dogs at
the present day is that founded by Mr.
Jefferies, as a result of mating his Lucy
Loo with Mr. R. G. S. Mann's John of the

Funnels, who was by Wadsley Jack, and,
therefore, of the Crib — Miss Smiff strain.
One of the puppies of the resulting litter
was later known to the fancy as Champion
Rodney Stone, and had the distinction
of being the first Bulldog to be sold for
£1,000. He was purchased by Mr. R.
Croker, of New York. Rodney Stone
had, together with his son Buckstone, the
remarkable property of stamping his ex-
pression and body properties on resulting
progeny to several generations. The writer

THE BULLDOG.

43

has frequently recognised the wide front,
the distinctive appearance of the eyes, and
the turned-up under jaw in dogs of the third
generation who have only claimed Rodney
Stone once as a sire in their pedigree.

The following prize-winning dogs are all
descended from Champion Rodney Stone,
and the list comprises some of the best

dogs of the present day : Champion Regal
Stone, Buckstone, True Type, Lodestone,
Stolid Joe, Comely Maid, Champion Park-
holme Crib, Stonecrop, Champion Thackeray
Primstone, Rosewarne Grabber, Rhoda
Stone, Royal Stone, Lucy Stone, Buxom
Stone, John Campbell, Champion Rufus
Stone, Lady Albertstone, and Champion

THE CELEBRATED ENGLISH AND AMERICAN CH. RODNEY STONE
BY JOHN OF THE FUNNELS —LUCY LOO.
BRED BY MR. WALTER JEFFERIES.
Photograph by T. Reveley, Wantage.

44

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

Beowulf. Other equally famous dogs of
this strain are Rex Stone, British Stone,
and Dick Stone, but they have never been
exhibited on the show bench. All these
dogs have good wide fronts, small ears,
long square skulls with plenty of cushion,
and good turn-up of underjaw. The bodies
as a rule are good, but in some specimens
there is a tendency to sink the first rib
behind the shoulder.

Among other good dogs well known in
the prize ring, but which, owing to out-
crosses or being descended from some of
the contemporaries of Champion Crib, are
not properly belonging to the foregoing
strains, are Champion Ivel Doctor, who
sired the present-day winners, Champions
Nuthurst Doctor and Hampshire Lily ;
Bapton Monarch, by Avenger, who sired
Champion Woodcote Chinosol ; Champion
Bromley Crib, who sired Swashbuckler — a
present-day pillar of the stud book — who
in turn sired Champions Moston Michael
and Woodcote Sally Limn, Octavia and
Felton Peer ; Carthusian Cerberus, who
sired Champion Heywood Duchess, who is
the dam of the sensational half-sisters,
Champions Silent Duchess and Kitty Royal,
two of the three best living bitches at
present exhibited.

In forming a judgment of a Bulldog the
general appearance is of most importance,
as the various points of the dog should be
symmetrical and well balanced, no one
point being in excess of the others so as
to destroy the impression of determination,
strength, and activity which is conveyed
by the typical specimen. His body should
be thickset, rather low in stature, but
broad, powerful, and compact. The head
should be strikingly massive and large in
proportion to the dog's size. It cannot be
too large so long as it is square ; that is,
it must not be wider than it is deep. The
larger the head in circumference, caused
by the prominent cheeks, the greater the
quantity of muscle to hold the jaws to-
gether. The head should be of great depth
from the occiput to the base of the lower
jaw, and should not in any way be wedge-
shaped, dome-shaped, or peaked. In cir-

cumference the skull should measure in
front of the ears at least the height of the
dog at the shoulders. The cheeks should
be well rounded, extend sideways beyond
the eyes, and be well furnished with muscle.
Length of skull — that is, the distance be-
tween the eye and the ear — is very desirable.
The forehead should be flat, and the skin
upon it and about the head very loose,
hanging in large wrinkles. The temples, or
frontal bones, should be very prominent,
broad, square and high, causing a wide
and deep groove known as the " stop "
between the eyes, and should extend up
the middle of the forehead, dividing the
head vertically, being traceable at the top
of the skull. The expression "well broken
up " is used where this stop and furrow
are well marked, and if there is the at-
tendant looseness of skin the animal's
expression is well finished.

The face, when measured from the front
of the cheek-bone to the nose, should be
short, and its skin should be deeply and
closely wrinkled. Excessive shortness of
face is not natural, and can only be obtained
by the sacrifice of the " chop." Such
shortness of face makes the dog appear
smaller in head and less formidable than
he otherwise would be. Formerly this
shortness of face was artificially obtained
by the use of the " jack," an atrocious form
of torture, by which an iron instrument
was used to force back the face by means
of thumbscrews. The nose should be
rough, large, broad, and black, and this
colour should extend to the lower lip ; its
top should be deeply set back, almost be-
tween the eves. The distance from the
inner corner of the eye to the extreme tip
of the nose should not be greater than the
length from the tip of the nose to the edge
of the under lip. The nostrils should be
large and wide, with a well-defined straight
line visible between them. The largeness
of nostril, which is a very desirable property,
is possessed by few of the recent prize-
winners.

When viewed in profile the tip of the nose
should touch an imaginary line drawn from
the extremity of the lower jaw to the top

THE BULLDOG.

45

of the centre of the skull. This angle of the
nose and face is known as the lay back,
and can only properly be ascertained by
viewing the dog from the side.

Dogs having flesh-coloured noses are
called " Dudleys " on account of a strain of
such animals having been kept at Dudley
in Worcestershire. Dogs possessing this
blemish have invariably light-coloured eyes
and a yellow appearance in the face gener-
ally. Although the Bulldog Club decreed
in 1884 that dogs having Dudley noses
should be disqualified from winning prizes
at any show, it is of interest to point out
that the special prize for the best dog in
the show was awarded at the Bulldog
Club's first show in 1876 to Bacchus, who
had this defect. Another good dog with
a Dudley nose was Sahib, the sire of Don
Pedro, who in turn was the sire of such
good dogs as Champions Dryad, Don Salano,
Kitty Cole, His Lordship, and Cigarette.
Efforts are being made to breed out this
defect, although otherwise good specimens
still occasionally appear from certain well-
known strains. Other dogs have a parti-
coloured or " butterfly " nose, which detracts
from their general appearance, but, unlike
Dudleys, they are not disqualified for the
blemish.

The inclination backward of the nose
allows a free passage of the air into the
nostrils whilst the dog is holding his quarry.
It is apparent that if the mouth did not
project beyond the nose, the nostrils would
be flat against the part to which the dog
was fixed, and breathing would then be
stopped.

The upper lip, called the " chop," or
flews, should be thick, broad, pendant and
very deep, hanging completely over the
lower jaw at the sides, but only just join-
ing the under lip in front, yet covering
the teeth completely. The amount of
" cushion " which a dog may have is
dependent upon the thickness of the flews.
The lips should not be pendulous.

The upper jaw should be broad, massive,
and square, the tusks being wide apart,
whilst the lower jaw, being turned up-
wards, should project in front of the upper.

The teeth should be large and strong,
and the six small teeth between the tusks
should be in an even row. The upper
jaw cannot be too broad between the tusks.
If the upper and lower jaws are level,
and the muzzle is not turned upwards
the dog is said to be " down-faced," whilst
if the underjaw is not undershot he is said
to be " froggy." A " wry-faced " dog is
one having the lower jaw twisted, and this
deformity so detracts from the general
appearance of the dog as seriously to
handicap him in the show-ring.

The underjaw projects beyond the upper
in order to allow the dog, when running
directly to the front, to grasp the bull, and,
when fixed, to give him a firmer hold. The
eyes, seen from the front, should be situated
low down in the skull, as far from the ears,
the nose, and each other as possible, but
quite in front of the forehead, so long as
their corners are in a straight line at right
angles with the stop, and in front of the
forehead. They should be a little above
the level of the base of the nasal bone,
and should be quite round in shape, of
moderate size, neither sunken nor promi-
nent, and be as black in colour as possible —
almost, if not quite, black, showing no white
when looking directly to the front.

A good deal of a Bulldog's appearance
depends on the quality, shape, and carriage
of his ears. They should be small and thin,
and set high on the head ; that is, the
front inner edge of each ear should, as
viewed from the front, join the outline
of the skull at the top corner of such out-
line, so as to place them as wide apart,
as high, and as far from the eyes as possible.
The shape should be that which is known
as " rose," in which the ear folds inward at
the back, the upper or front edge curving
over outwards and backwards, showing
part of the inside of the burr. If the ears
are placed low on the skull they give an
apple-headed appearance to the dog. If
the ear falls in front, hiding the interior,
as is the case with a Fox-terrier, it is said
to " button," and this type is highly objec-
tionable. Unfortunately, wdthin the last
few years the " button " and " semi-tulip "

46

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

ear have been rather prevalent amongst the
specimens on the show bench.

If the ear is carried erect it is known as
a " tulip " ear, and this form also is objec-

MRS. EDGAR WATERLOWS CH. NUTHURST

DOCTOR (BORN 1901)

BY CH. IVEL DOCTOR CH. PRIMULA.

tionable. Nevertheless, at the beginning
of the nineteenth century two out of every
three dogs possessed ears of this description.
The neck should be moderate in length,
very thick, deep, muscular, and short, but
of sufficient length to allow it to be well
arched at the back, commencing at the
junction with the skull. There should
be plenty of loose, thick, and wrinkled
skin about the throat, forming a dewlap
on each side from the lower jaw to the
chest.

The chest should be very wide laterally,
round, prominent, and deep, making the
dog appear very broad and short-legged
in front. The shoulders should be broad,
the blades sloping considerably from the
body ; they should be deep, very powerful,
and muscular, and should be flat at the top
and play loosely from the chest.

The brisket should be capacious, round,
and very deep from the top of the shoulder
to the lowest part, where it joins the chest,

and be well let down between the forelegs.
It should be large in diameter, and round
behind the forelegs, neither flat-sided nor
sinking, which it will not do provided
that the first and succeeding ribs are well
rounded. The belly should be well tucked
up and not pendulous, a small narrow
waist being greatly admired. The desired
object in body formation is to obtain great
girth at the brisket, and the smallest
possible around the waist, that is, the
loins should be arched very high, when the
dog is said to have a good " cut-up."

The back should be short and strong,
very broad at the shoulder and com-
paratively narrow at the loins. The back
should rise behind the shoulders in a grace-
ful curve to the loins, the top of which
should be higher than the top of the
shoulders, thence curving again more sud-
denly to the tail, forming an arch known
as the " roach " back, which is essentially
a characteristic of the breed, though, un-
fortunately, many leading prize-winners of
the present day are entirely deficient in

MR. L. CRABTREES CH. BOOMERANG

(BORN 1893) BY KING ORRY MILDURA.

Photograph by Hedges, Lytham.

this respect. Some dogs dip very con-
siderably some distance behind the shoulders
before the upward curve of the spine begins,
and these are known as " swamp-backed " ;

THE BULLDOG.

47

others rise in an almost straight line to
the root of the tail, and are known as
" stern-high."

The tail should be set on low, jut out
rather straight, then turn downwards, the
end pointing horizontally. It should be
quite round in its whole length, smooth
and devoid of fringe or coarse hair. It
should be moderate in length, rather short
than long, thick at the root, and taper
quickly to a line point. It should have
a downward carriage, and the dog should
not be able to raise it above the level of the
backbone. The tail should not curve at
the end, otherwise it is known as " ring-
tailed." The ideal length of tail is about
six inches.

Many fanciers demand a " screw " or
" kinked " tail, that is, one having con-
genital dislocations at the joints, but such
appendages are not desirable in the best
interests of the breed.

The forelegs should be very stout and
strong, set wide apart, thick, muscular, and
short, with well-developed muscles in the
calves, presenting a rather bowed outline,

the back appear long or detract from the
dog's activity and so cripple him.

The elbows should be low and stand well
away from the ribs so as to permit the body

MR J. W. PROCTORS CH. KITTY ROYAL (BORN 1904)

BY CH. PRINCE ALBERT CH. HEYWOOD DUCHESS.

Photograph by Bell, Heywood.

MR. L CRABTREES CH. KATERFELTO

(BORN 1893) BY KING ORRY MILDURA.

Photograph by T. Fall.

but the bones of the legs must be straight,
large, and not bandy or curved. They
should be rather short in proportion to
the hindlegs, but not so short as to make

to swing between them. If this property
be absent the dog is said to be " on the
leg." The ankles or pasterns should be
short, straight, and strong. The forefeet
should be straight and turn very slightly
outwards ; they should be of medium size
and moderately round, not too long or
narrow, whilst the toes should be thick,
compact, and well split up, making the
knuckles prominent and high.

The hindlegs, though of slighter build than
the forelegs, should be strong and muscular.
They should be longer, in proportion, than
the forelegs in order to elevate the loins.
The stifles should be round and turned
slightly outwards, away from the body,
thus bending the hocks inward and the
hindfeet outward. The hocks should be
well let down, so that the leg is long and
muscular from the loins to the point of
the hock, which makes the pasterns short,
but these should not be so short as those
of the forelegs. The hindfeet, whilst being
smaller than the forefeet, should be round

48

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

and compact, with the toes well split up,
and the knuckles prominent.

The most desirable weight for a Bulldog
is about 50 lbs.

The coat should be fine in texture, short,
close, and smooth, silky when stroked from
the head towards the tail owing to its
closeness, but not wiry when stroked in
the reverse direction.

The colour should be whole or smut,
the latter being a whole colour with a
black mask or muzzle, It should be
brilliant and pure of its sort. The colours
in order of merit are, first, whole colours
and smuts, viz. brindles, reds, white, with

MR. JAMES DUNCAN'S CH. MAHOMET

(BORN 1901) BY KHALIFA LADY DOROTHY

Photograph by II'. P. Dmuio. F.Z.S.

their varieties, as whole fawns, fallows,
etc., and, secondly, pied and mixed colours.
Opinions differ considerably on the colour
question ; one judge will set back a fawn
and put forward a pied dog, whilst others
will do the reverse. Occasionally one comes
across specimens having a black-and-tan
colour, which, although not mentioned in
the recognised standard as being debarred,
do not as a rule figure in the prize list.
Some of the best specimens which the writer
has seen have been black-and-tans, and a
few years ago on his awarding a first prize
to a bitch of this colour, a long but non-
conclusive argument was held in the canine
press. Granted that the colour is objection-
able, a dog which scores in all other properties

should not be put down for this point alone,
seeing that in the dog-fighting days there
were many specimens of this colour.

In action the Bulldog should have a
peculiarly heavy and constrained gait, a
rolling, or " slouching " movement, appear-
ing to walk with short, quick steps on the
tip of his toes, his hindfeet not being lifted
high but appearing to skim the ground,
and running with the right shoulder rather
advanced, similar to the manner of a horse
when cantering.

The foregoing minute description of the
various show points of a Bulldog indicates
that he should have the appearance of a
thick-set Ayrshire or Highland bull. In
stature he should be low to the ground,
broad and compact, the body being carried
between and not on the forelegs. He
should stand over a great deal of ground,
and have the appearance of immense power.
The height of the foreleg should not exceed
the distance from the elbow to the centre of
the back, between the shoulder blades.

Considerable importance is attached to
the freedom and activity displayed by the
animal in its movements. Deformed joints,
or weakness, are very objectionable. The
head should be strikingly massive and
carried low, the face short, the muzzle very
broad, blunt, and inclined upwards. The
body should be short and well-knit, the
limbs, stout and muscular. The hind-
quarters should be very high and strong,
but rather lightly made in comparison
with the heavily-made fore-parts.

As an indication of the relative value
of the points mentioned in the foregoing
description the following standard of points
is inserted : —

Month

Chop

Width and squareness
of jaw

Projection and up-
ward turn of lower
jaw .

Size and condition of
of teeth

Breadth .
Depth .

Complete covering of
front teeth

—5

THE FAMOUS BULLDOG CH SILENT DUCHESS BY STOLID JOE CH. HEYWOOD DUCHESS.

OWNED BY MR. AND MRS. ARTHUR MAYOR. BIERTON. AYLESBURY
Fno.i the PAIHTINC or FRANCES C. FAIRMAN

THE BULLDOG.

49

Face

Slop

Skull

Eyes

Ears

Chest & Neck

Shoulders

Body

Back Roach

Forelegs .

Hind Legs

Shortness
Breadth .
Depth .

Shape and upward
turn of muzzle .
Wrinkles .

Depth

Breadth

Extent

Size

Height

Breadth and square

ness
Shape
Wrinkles

Position .
Size
Shape
Colour

Position
Shape
Size
Thinness

Length .
Thickness
Arch

Dewlap .
Width, depth

Size
Coat
Tad
General appearance

—5

—5
5

and

-15

-5

roundness of chest i

Size . . 2

Breadth . . .2

Muscle . . .1

Depth and thickness
of brisket . . 2

Capacity and round-
ness of ribs . 3

Shortness . . 2

Width of shoulders . i
Shape, strength, and

arch of loin . 2

Stoutness . . i

Shortness . . I

Development .
Feet

Stoutness
Length .

Shape and develop-
ment .
Feet

li

Total

—5

Whilst I do not wish to encroach upon
the chapters in this work devoted to the
care and veterinary treatment of dogs in
general, I yet feel that it is desirable to
touch upon certain matters affecting the
Bulldog in particular.

It must be acknowledged, in the first
place, that there are many strains of this
breed which are constitutionally unsound.
For this reason it is important that the
novice should give very careful considera-
tion to his first purchase of a Bulldog. He
should ascertain beyond all doubt, not only
that his proposed purchase is itself sound
in wind and limb, but that its sire and dam
are, and have been, in similarly healthy
condition. The dog to be chosen should
be physically strong and show pronounced
muscular development. If these require-
ments are present and the dog is in no sense
a contradiction of the good qualities of its
progenitors, but a justification of its pedigree,
care and good treatment will do the rest.
It is to be remembered, however, that a
Bulldog may be improved by judicious
exercise. When at exercise, or taking a
walk with his owner, the young dog should
always be held by a leash. He will in-
variably pull vigorously against this re-
straint, but such action is beneficial, as it
tends to develop the muscles of the shoulders
and front of the body.

When taking up the Bulldog fancy,
nine out of every ten novices choose to
purchase a male. I always advise the
contrary course and recommend a bitch.
The female is an equally good com-
panion in the house or on the road ; she
is not less affectionate and faithful ; and
when the inevitable desire to attempt
to reproduce the species is reached the
beginner has the means at once available.
It is always difficult for the uninitiated
to select what is likely to be a good dog
from the nest. In choosing a puppy care

5o

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

should be taken to ensure that it has plenty
of bone in its limbs, and these should be
fairly short and wide ; the nostrils should be
large and the face as short as possible. The
chop should be thick and heavily wrinkled
and the mouth square. There should be a
distinct indent in the upper jaw, where the
bone will eventually curve, whilst the lower
jaw should show sings of curvature and
protrude slightly in front of the upper jaw.

MESSRS. JEFFERIES AND STUBBS' RYLSTONE
BY BRITISH STONE SALLY STONE.

The teeth from canine to canine, including
the six front teeth, should be in a straight
line.

See that the ears are very small and thin,
and the eyes set well apart. The puppy
having these properties, together with a
domed, peaked, or " cocoanut " shaped
skull, is the one which, in nine cases out of
ten, will eventually make the best headed
dog of the litter.

The breeding of Bulldogs requires un-
limited patience, as success is very diffi-
cult to attain. The breeder who can rear
five out of every ten puppies born may be
considered fortunate. It is frequently found
in what appears to be a healthy lot of
puppies that some of them begin to whine
and whimper towards the end of the first
day, and in such cases the writer's experi-
ence is that there will be a speedy burial.

It may be that the cause is due to some
acidity of the milk, but in such a case one
would expect that similar difficulty would
be experienced with the remainder of the

litter, but this is not the usual result.
Provided that the puppies can be kept alive
until the fourth day, it may be taken that
the chances are well in favour of ultimate
success.

Many breeders object to feeding the mother
with meat at this time, but the writer
recently had two litter sisters who whelped
on the same day, and he decided to try
the effect of a meat versus farinaceous
diet upon them. As a result the bitch
who was freely fed with raw beef reared a
stronger lot of puppies, showing better
developed bone, than did the one who
was fed on milk and cereals.

Similarly, in order that the puppy, after
weaning, may develop plenty of bone and
muscle, it is advisable to feed once a day
upon finely minced raw meat. I am ac-
quainted with two successful breeders who
invariably give to each puppy a teaspoonful
of cod liver oil in the morning and a similar
dose of extract of malt in the evening,
with the result that there are never any
rickety or weak dogs in the kennels, whilst
the development of the bones in the skull
and limbs is most pronounced.

Owing to their lethargic disposition, young
Bulldogs are somewhat liable to indigestion,
and during the period of puppyhood it is
of advantage to give them a tablespoonful
of lime water once a day in their milk food.

Many novices are in doubt as to the best
time to breed from a Bull bitch, seeing
that (est rum is present before she is fully
developed. It may be taken as practically
certain that it is better for her to be allowed
to breed at her first heat. Nature has so
arranged matters that a Bull bitch is not
firmly set in her bones until she reaches
.111 age of from twelve to eighteen months,
and therefore she will have less difficulty
in giving birth to her offspring if she be
allowed to breed at this time. Great mor-
tality occurs in attempting to breed from
maiden bitches exceeding three years of
age, as the writer knows to his cost.

It is desirable, in the case of a young bitch
having her first litter, for her master or mis-
tress to be near her at the time, in order
to render any necessary assistance ; but

THE BULLDOG.

5i

such attentions should not be given unless
actual necessity arises.

Some bitches with excessive lay-back
and shortness of face have at times a diffi-
culty in releasing the puppy from the
membrane in which it is born, and in such
a case it is necessary for the owner to open
this covering and release the puppy, gently
shaking it about in the box until it coughs
and begins to breathe.

The umbilical cord should be severed from
the afterbirth about four inches from the
puppy, and this will dry up and fall away
in the course of a couple of days.

In general, it is true economy for the
Bulldog breeder to provide a foster-mother
in readiness for the birth of the expected
litter ; especially is this so in the case of a
first litter, where the qualifications for
nursing by the mother are unknown.
Where there are more than five puppies it is
also desirable to obtain a foster-mother in
order that full nourishment may be given
to the litter by both mothers.

The best time of the year for puppies
to be born is in the spring, when, owing to
the approaching warm weather, they can
lead an outdoor life. By the time they are
six months old they should have sufficient
stamina to enable them to withstand the
cold of the succeeding winter. It has been
ascertained that Bulldogs which have been
reared out of doors are the least liable to
suffer from indigestion, torpidity of the
liver, asthma or other chest ailments,
whilst they invariably have the hardiest
constitution.

Bulldogs generally require liberal feeding,
and should have a meal of dry biscuit the
first thing in the morning, whilst the even-
ing meal should consist of a good stew of
butcher's offal poured over broken bis-
cuit, bread, or other cereal food. In the
winter time it is advantageous to soak a

tablespoonful of linseed in water over-
night, and after the pods have opened
turn the resulting jelly into the stew pot.
This ensures a fine glossy coat, and is of
value in toning up the intestines. Care
must, however, be taken not to follow this
practice to excess in warm weather, as the

mr A w. vowles' JIM CERBERUS

BY CARTHUSIAN CERBERUS LADY ABERFELTO.

heating nature of the linseed will eventually
cause skin trouble.

With these special points attended to, in
addition to the directions for the care,
feeding, and breeding of dogs in general,
the novice should find no difficulty in suc-
cessfully becoming a Bulldog fancier, owner,
and breeder.

In conclusion, it cannot be too widely
known that the Bulldog is the only breed
of dog which can, with perfect safety, be
trusted alone to the mercy of children, who,
naturally, in the course of play, try the
patience and good temper of the firmest
friend of man.

52

Photographs by Lavis, Eastbourne.

CHAPTER III.

THE MINIATURE BULLDOG.

BY THE LADY KATHLEEN PILKINGTON.

" Pelle'as had a great, bulging, powerful forehead, like that of Socrates or Verlaine ; and, under a
little black nose, blunt as a churlish assent, a fair of large, hanging and symmetrical chops, which
made his head a sort of massive, obstinate, pensive, and three-cornered menace. He was beautiful
after the manner of a beautiful natural monster that has complied strictly with the lazes of his
species. And what a smile of attentive obligingness, of incorruptible innocence, of affectionate
submission, of boundless gratitude, and total self-abandonment, lit up, at the least caress, that
adorable mask of ugliness!" — Maeterlinck.

TOY Bulldogs are an acquired taste,"
said a friend to me ; and while I was
meditating an adequate reply, he
rashly added : " Like coffee or caviare."
This gave me my opening, and I hastened to
assure him that there is nobody — who is any-
body, that is to say — who does not nowadays
both know and highly appreciate coffee, cavi-
are, and Toy Bulldogs ! Not to so do would
be, indeed, to argue oneself unknown ! It is
also another of the many proofs that history
repeats herself. For fifty or sixty years
ago, Toy — or, rather, as a recent edict
of the Kennel Club requires them to be
dubbed, Miniature — Bulldogs were common
objects of the canine country-side. In
fact, you can hardly ever talk for ten

minutes to any Bulldog breeder of old
standing without his telling you tall stories
of the wonderful little Bulldogs, weighing
about fifteen or sixteen pounds, he either
knew or owned, in those long-past days !

Prominent among those who made a
cult of these " Bantams " were the lace-
workers of Nottingham, and many prints
are extant which bear witness to the excellent
little specimens they bred. But a wave of
unpopularity overwhelmed them, and they
faded across the Channel to France, where,
if, as is asserted, our Gallic neighbours
appreciated them highly, they cannot be
said to have taken much care to preserve
their best points. When, in 1898, a small
but devoted band of admirers revived

THE MINIATURE BULLDOG.

53

them in England, they returned most at-
tractive, 'tis true, but hampered by many
undesirable features, such as bat ears,
froggy faces, waving tails, and a general
lack of Bulldog character. However, the

LADY K. PILKINGTON'S CH. BUMPS
BY CH. PETER AMOS CAROLINE.

Toy Bulldog Club then started num-
bered on its committee the late Mr. G. R.
Krehl (who previously to that date had
already imported some good specimens to
England), the Hon. Mrs. Baillie, of
Dochfour, Miss Augusta Bruce, Lady Lewis,
and the present writer. The club took
the dogs vigorously in hand, and, having
obtained them their charter as a recognised
breed from the Kennel Club, proceeded to
make slow but sure progress, and this not-
withstanding the fact that in 1902 a violent
split occurred in its ranks. Owing to various
differences of opinion a certain number
of members then left and proceeded to form
themselves into what is now known as the
French Bulldog Club of England. Thanks
to the original club's unceasing efforts, Toy
Bulldogs have always since been catered for
at an ever increasing number of shows.
The original solitary " mixed open " class,
for all sexes and sorts, is now split up into
various separate classes, suited to sex,
seniority, and other distinctions. Their
weight, after much heated discussion and
sundry downs and ups, was finally fixed

at twenty-two pounds and under, this
decision, by the way, costing them their
original prefix. For the Kennel Club rightly
decided that a sturdily built Bulldog of
twenty-two pounds weight can in no sense
be deemed a "Toy"! So the breed then
blossomed forth as " Bulldogs — Miniature,"
and have thriven well on the change both
of weight and name. In order to encourage
small specimens a class for those under
twenty pounds is guaranteed by the club
at most big shows, and is generally well
filled.

Another recent change has been that
of ears. Bat ears, after being sadly suffered
for a long time in the scale of points, have
at last been firmly marked as a disqualifica-
tion, and this by order of the Kennel Club.
From the 1st of January, 1907, all in-
breeding with French Bulldogs has been
absolutely forbidden, and the two breeds,
so long confusedly intertwined, have at
length been finally dissociated. Equally
disqualifying are the shades of colour known
as black and blue — the latter a kind of
slaty grey, detested in the eyes of big
Bulldog breeders.

P*^l

~kw

5f *

\gL

am

J%L

wMl

H^B^^Hki^a

MRS. G. J. WEINBERG'S BABY BULLET
BY BLACK MASK POPLAR PLEASURE.

The original aim of Miniature Bulldogs — ■
i.e. to look like the larger variety seen
through the wrong end of a telescope — if
not actually achieved, is being rapidly
approached, and can no longer be looked

54

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

3TON'S CH. NINON
DE LENCLOS BY ST. ACCI-

upon as merely the hopeless dream of a and small, dating from sixty to eighty
few enthusiasts ! That to get, in a dog years ago, the bat or prick ears are fre-
weighing under twenty-two pounds, the quently to be noted ; a fact which weak-
ens the contention held by
many that they are the
sign of a pure French
breed, originating across
the Channel.

To enumerate in detail
the Miniature Bulldog scale
of points is quite unnecessary, as it is simply
that of the big ones writ small. In other
words, " the general appearance of the
Miniature Bulldog must as nearly as possible
resemble that of the Big Bulldog " — a terse
sentence which comprises in itself all that
can be said on the subject.

The club has a large and ever-increasing
membership, and possesses
the Duchess of Sutherland as
President. From its original
start the Duchess has been
a warm supporter of the
breed, and has owned some
good specimens in the past.
The Hon. Mrs. Baillie, of
Dochfour, is still on the
committee, and

enormous size of skull, " clod-
diness " of body, and thick-
ness of bone obtainable in a
forty-five or sixty pounds spe-
cimen, is a hard task there is
no denying, but such prodi-
gious strides have been made
of late that one feels, given
a few more years of patience
and perseverance, it will come
very near fulfilment.

Before passing to other
matters, it is perhaps only
right to mention,
with all deference
to our Gallic
friends, that in
many old prints
of Bulldogs, big

another mem-
ber of the club
is Mr. George
Weinberg, of
larger Bulldog
fame. He owns
splendid

Photo: 1 . hm-lty. H'.iij.'.i.o ,

THE MINIATURE BULLDOG.

55

miniatures in Tablet and Baby Bullet,
and was the former owner of the incom-
parable Champion Xo Trumps, one of the
best ever seen.

Of this goodly company comes last,
but far from least, Mrs. C. F. C. Clarke,

MISS M. O. FARQUHARSON S PETER PAN
BY CHARLEY TOBY VENUS.

also a well known owner of big " bulls."
She has of late turned her attention
to breeding and showing the smaller
variety, and with great success, as her
Mersham Snowdrop and Tiger — the latter
bred by her — abundantly testify. In
fact, had not Tiger unluckily just topped
the weight limit he would undoubtedly
have been about the best dog ever benched,
and, as far as points (and particularly head
properties) go, is as typical a Miniature
Bulldog as could be found. The present
writer has also the honour of being a com-
mittee-woman, and her Champion Ninon de
l'Enclos, Lady Cloda, Susan Anne, and
Champion Bumps, the latter a very typical
little dog and winner of twelve champion-
ships, have all upheld the prestige of the
breed on the show bench. Mr. B. Marley,
whose wife owns the celebrated Felton
Bulldog kennels, is another member of the
committee, so it will be seen that patrons

of the big breed by no means scorn their
smaller brethren.

A few years ago Lady de Grey owned a
splendid little dog in Champion Bite, and
Mr. W. R. Temple's Tulip and Mrs. Baillie's
Crib and Lena II. were all hard to beat.
Of present-day dogs Mrs. Burrell, the sport-
ing lady-master of the North Northumber-
land Foxhounds, can bench a real good
one in Champion Little Truefit, as can
Mrs. G. Raper in Little Model and Miss
Farquharson in Peter Pan, the latter a
beautiful little fawn dog, possessing rare
bone and Bulldog character.

So much for the breed as show dogs,
though a great deal more might be written
of other successful winners on the bench.
As companions and friends they are second
to none, being faithful, fond, and even
foolish in their devotion, as all true friends
should be. They are absolutely and in-
variably good-tempered, and, as a rule,
sufficiently fond of the luxuries of this life
— not to say greedy — to be easily cajoled

MRS. BURRELL'S CH.
BY SWASHBUCKLER —

LITTLE TRUEFIT

ROSE OF YORK.

Photograph by Macgregor, Kelso.

into obedience. Remarkably intelligent,
and caring enough for sport to be sym-
pathetically excited at the sight of a

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

rabbit without degenerating into cranks on
the subject like terriers. Taking a keen
interest in all surrounding people and
objects, without, however, giving way to
ceaseless barking ; enjoying outdoor exer-
cise, without requiring an exhausting
amount, they are in every way ideal pets,
and adapt themselves to town and country
alike.

As puppies they are delicate, and re-
quire constant care and supervision ; but
that only adds a keener zest to the at-
tractive task of breeding them, the more
so owing to the fact that as mothers they
do not shine, being very difficult to manage,
and generally manifesting a strong dislike
to rearing their own offspring. In other
respects they are quite hardy little dogs,
and — one great advantage — they seldom
have distemper. Cold and damp they par-
ticularly dislike, especially when puppies,
and the greatest care should be taken to
keep them thoroughly dry and warm.
When very young indeed they can stand,

and are the better for, an extraordinary
amount of heat.

From a pecuniary point of view, given
average good luck and management, Toy
Bulldog breeding is a remunerative pur-
suit. Good specimens, fit for the show
bench, command extremely high prices, and
a ready sale is always to be had for less
good ones for moderate sums as pets,
the more so as, owing to their extraordin-
arily good tempers, they are much in re-
quest for children, with whom they can be
absolutely trusted. No amount of teasing
appears to rouse them to more than a
somewhat bored grunt.

In fact, to sum up, they possess many
advantages and few disadvantages. Any-
one who has owned and loved a Toy Bull
can seldom get really to care for any other
kind of dog, and sooner or later takes
unto himself or herself again another snort-
ing little specimen, whose ugly wrinkled
face and loving heart cannot fail to make
life the pleasanter.

A STUDY IN EXPRESSION — MERSHAM TIGER
Photograph by T. ReveUy, Wantage.

57

CHAPTER IV.

THE FRENCH BULLDOG (BOULEDOGUE FRANCAIS).

BY FREDERICK W. COUSENS, M.R.C.V.S., F.Z.S.

; Sir, he's a good dog, and a fair dog. Can more be said? " — Shakespeare.

AUTHORITIES across the Channel are
of opinion that the French Bulldog is
strictly a breed of French origin, yet
they are willing to admit that of compara-
tively recent years there have been from time
to time importations from England which
have been used as a cross with the native
dog, and that this cross has, perhaps, led
to a nearer approximation to the British
type than was the case prior to the admixture
of British blood. M. J. Bontroue, the
Secretary of the French Bulldog Club of
Paris, and Secretary of the French Kennel
Club, holds this opinion very strongly, as
do Mr. Gordon Bennet, President of the
Pans Club, and Prince de Wagram, its
President d'Honneur. Mr. Max Hartenstein,
of Berlin, who was first interested in the
French Bulldog in 1870, and has owned and
bred great numbers of them, declares that
" there can be no two opinions as to the fact
of the French Bulldog being a distinct
French breed, with a longer history and
more remote origin than is generally under-
stood." He is aware of the introduction
of small British specimens into France ;
not, however, necessarily for the purpose
of interbreeding, but principally because
French fanciers desired to have a bright,
vivacious, bantam specimen. He is of
opinion that in Paris, in 1870, the breed,
as a whole, was smaller than it is to-day.

The late Mr. George R. Krehl, of London,
one of the greatest authorities, with whom
the subject of the French Bulldog was very
thoroughly discussed by the present writer,
went still further back into the past (nearly
three hundred years), and from his re-
searches built up a plausible and very pro-
bable theory as to the origin of this breed
in France. In a letter written by him to
the Stockkeeper Christmas Supplement, 1900,

he showed grounds for believing that the
variety came originally from Spain. There
was published with Mr. Krehl's letter a
copy of an antique bronze placque dated
1625, bearing in bas-relief the head of a
Bulldog with either cropped, or bat, ears,

lady lewiss CH. HARPDON CRIB

BY CH. POLO DE BAGATELLE LA GITANA.

and the inscription, " Dogue de Burgos,
Espana, anno MDCXXY." the artist's
name being Cazalla. This placque has been
examined by a connoisseur and pronounced
authentic. The historic value of this bronze
will be at once appreciated, when it is re-
membered that Burgos is the principal town
of old Castile in Spain, noted for the breeding
of dogs used in the arena for bull-baiting.

" We have no generic name for this
family," Mr. Krehl wrote. " but in France
they are called dogues, whence we get our
own word dog, but we have corrupted the
meaning of it. The heads of the group are
the Spanish Bulldog, the dogne de Bordeaux,

58

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

and the little toy oddities of Paris, bred and
reared by Lutetian bootmakers, and, lastly,
the English Bulldog. It is clear to me, as an
unprejudiced cynologist, entirely unaffected
by what previous authorities have said on
the subject, that the original home of the
breed was Spain, where the dog was ' made '
for its special mission. The fair name of
Spain always was, and still is, associated
with sport in which the bull plays the lead-
ing role. The Spaniard fashioned a dog to
suit tiiis sport, with a firm, strong body,
stout legs, and a short neck of powerful
muscle, a big head with wide mouth and
prominent upturned under jaw, so that
the dog could still breathe while retaining
his grip, and his weight would tire out the
bull, which was unable to fling him off.
From Spain dogs of this kind migrated to
France ; it is only a short excursion to
Bordeaux, where the services of the animals
were in demand for fighting and for dog and
donkey contests. Then they travelled up
to Paris, which has always had an eye for
the artistic, and where they bantamised the
breed into a semblance of the modern toy
Bulldog."

Mr. W. J. Stubbs wrote a little booklet
in 1903 which was printed for private circula-
tion, entitled " The History of the French
Bulldog." He says as to origin, " There
appears to be no doubt that the French Bull-
dog originated in England, and is an offshoot
of the English Bulldog, not the Bulldog one
sees on the bench to-day, but of the tulip-
eared and short underjawed specimens which
were common in London, Nottingham, Bir-
mingham, and Sheffield in the early 'fifties."
As evidence of this, he goes on to relate how
this type of dog was exported to France in
the early 'fifties, giving the names of three
breeders or dealers who were known to
have been exporters. He also says, " There
was a constant emigration of laceworkers
from Nottingham to the coast towns of
Normandy, where lace factories were spring-
ing into existence, and these immigrants fre-
quently took a Bulldog with them to t he-
land of their adoption."

This is as may be, and is extremely useful
and interesting information; but it re-quires

careful consideration before it can be
accepted as proving that the French Bulldog
originated in England. As a matter of fact,
it only proves what all the French authori-
ties are perfectly willing to admit, namely,
that at different times within the last forty
years British Bulldogs have been imported
into France. The inference Mr. Stubbs
draws is that these imported dogs originated
the breed of French Bulldogs ; whereas the
contention of the French and German
authorities is that these imported specimens
were used only as a cross, to introduce fresh
blood into the breed already in existence.

The converse method was also adopted.
Prior to 1902 French Bulldogs were imported
into this country with the object of resusci-
tating the strain of bantam Bulldogs,
which in course of years had been allowed
to dwindle in numbers, and were in danger
of becoming extinct. The small English
variety was then called, somewhat errone-
ously, " Toy Bulldogs," their weight limit
being 20 lbs. Dogs of this weight could
scarcely be called " toys." Eventually the
Kennel Club sensibly decided to rename
them the Miniature Bulldog.

It was this very question of weight which
brought about the parting of the ways of the
French Bulldog from the Toy English varie-
ties. Previous to 1902 some of the members of
the Toy Bulldog Club were of opinion that
the weight limit should be raised from 20 lb.
to 22 lbs., and Lady Lewis proposed this
alteration, but her motion was lost.

On July 10th, 1902, a meeting was called
at the house of the writer to consider the
whole position, when it was decided to form
a new Club with the sole object of promoting
the breeding and importation of pure-
French Bulldogs, adopting practically iden-
tical weights and points with the French
Bulldog Clubs of France, Germany, Austria,
and America. The name chosen was " The
French Bulldog Club of England." The
founders were : Lady Lewis, President ;
Mrs. Romilly, Hon. Treasurer ; Mrs. F. W.
Cousins. Hon. Secretary ; Mrs. Charles
Waterlow, Mrs. F. Bromwich, Mr. and Mrs.
Walter Jefferies, Mrs. Townsend Green, and
Mr. F. W. Cousens.

THE FRENCH BULLDOG.

59

r*

ii

ii

When the foundation of this Club became
an accomplished fact, there was considerable
opposition, not only from the Toy Bulldog
Club, but from numerous British Bulldog
v owners and breeders, whose princ pal opposition
arose upon the two points : Was there such
a breed as French Bulldogs ? Could any other dog
than the British specimen claim the name of Bulldog ?
Much ink was spilt in a wordy warfare in the Kennel
Press. No good object can be attained, however,
in reviewing the details of past differences.

The French Bulldog Club let
grow under their feet ;
members, they pluckily de-
cided to hold a show of
their own, to demonstrate
the soundness of their posi-
tion. Their first show was
accordingly held at Tatter-
sail's, fifty-one French Bull-
dogs being placed on ex-
hibition. All of these
were pure bred French spe-
cimens, either imported or
bred from imported an-
cestors. The success of

^'A,J O STANMORE

*gp. coQur-

Photographs by T. Fall.

this exhibition proved to a demonstration
that the claims of the French Bulldog Club
were based on facts, and the Kennel Club's

official recognition
and registration of
the breed under
the name of Boule-
dogues Frangais
finally settled the
disputed points.

The following is
the Club's descrip-
tion of the French
Bulldog (published
1903) :—

1. General Appearance.
— The French Bulldog
ought to have the ap-
pearance of an active,
muscular dog, of cobby
in bone for its size.
?.. Head. — The head is of great importance. It
should be large and square, with the forehead
nearly flat : the muscles of the cheek should be
well developed, but not prominent. The stop
should be as deep as possible. The skin of the
head should not be tight, and the forehead should
be well wrinkled. The muzzle should be short,
broad, turn upwards, and be very deep. The
lower jaw should project considerably in front of
the upper, and should turn up, but should not
show the teeth.

3. Eyes. — The eyes should be of moderate size
and of dark colour. No white should be visible
when the dog is looking straight in front of
him. They should be placed low down and
wide apart.

4. Nose. — The nose must be black and large.

5. Ears. — Bat ears ought to be of a medium
size, large at the base and rounded at the tips.

6o

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

.Thev should be placed high on the head and
carried straight. The orifice of the ear looks
forward, and the skin should be fine and soft to,
the touch.

6. Neck. — The neck should be thick, short,
and well arched.

7. Body. — The chest should be wide and
well down between the legs, and the ribs well
sprung. The body short and muscular, and well
cut up. The back should be broad at the
shoulder, tapering towards the loins, preferably
well roached.

not apply generally to other breeds. But
there are special points to be tried for
which at present are most noticeably lacking.
If there is one fault more than another
to be found in any considerable number of
the breed in this country it is with their
tails. Very many of these are too long,
still more are carried too gaily, and set on too
high. Again, the shape of the tail is not
always correct ; in main-, instead of being

SKULLS OF (11 ENGLISH AND (2) FRENCH BULLDOGS.

SHOWING THE DIFFERENCES
APPEARANCE OF THE FREW

STRUCTU
DOG AN

AL CHARACTERISTICS, NOTABLY THE ROUNDED
THE SQUARENESS OF THE ENGLISH.

8. Tail. — The tail ought to be set on low
and be short ; thick at the root, tapering to
a point, and not carried above the level of the
back.

9. Legs. — The forelegs should be short, straight,
and muscular. The hind-quarters, though strong,
should be lighter in proportion to the fore-quarters.
The hocks ought to be well let down, and the
feet compact and strong.

10. Coat. — The coat should be of medium
density ; black in colour is very undesirable.

There is nothing of special importance
to be said in respect to breeding which does

broad at the base and tapering to a fine
point, they are too small at the base, too
much the same size throughout, and have
no fine point. Another fault of a less glaring
character is the too great length of body,
instead of the smart cobby body which is
desirable. A little more attention should
also be paid to breadtli of chest and "cut
up " in loin, so many dogs showing the same
diameter of bedy at any part of the barrel.
Personally, I am very partial to a nice
" roach " back, but one must acknowledge

THE FRENCH BULLDOG.

61

that the French do not cultivate this
feature to any marked extent.

We should endeavour to breed out the
large, awkward ears which incline to hang
outwards instead of being erect. These
heavy ears, with incorrect carriage, spoil and
change the entire appearance, which should
be bright, crisp, and vivacious, rather than
heavy and sluggish. There is a tendency
also to pay too little attention to eyes, which
should not be full like those of a toy Spaniel
nor bulging like those of many Pugs. The
full eye is a fault ; the bulging eye is an
abomination.

As will be seen in the illustration of the
French and English skulls, there is a great
fundamental difference in formation. They
are both skulls of bitches ; the French one
is from a bitch bred by Mrs. F. W. Cousens
by her imported dog Napoleon Buonaparte
ex Coralie by Champion Polo de Bagatelle ;
the English from a prize-winning bitch of
championship pedigree on both sides.

The question of underjaw is the one point
on which fanciers of the breed in France
differ seriously with some few of the English
breeders. The French Bulldog Club of
England stated in their 1903 description of
the breed that " the lower jaw should project
considerably in front of the upper," and
ten points in a hundred were given for under-
jaw in their standard of points. On this
side of the Channel we have been so accus-
tomed to regard a prominent underjaw in a
Bulldog as absolutely necessary to salvation,
that directly we begin to import and breed
French Bulldogs we do not stop to ask
what is correct, but finding a Bulldog with
a comparatively small underjaw we pro-
ceed to put on a bigger one as fast as possible.
I must own to a little weakness in this direc-
tion myself ; but, after all, one's personal
fancies should not be made the standard
for altering a foreign breed, and I think it
would be a great pity, even a calamity, to
allow our very natural love of underjaw to
alter the appearance which the French
Bulldog should possess. It cannot be
said too often or too forcibly that a French
Bulldog is not by any manner of means a
small English dog with bat ears ; and if we

wish to preserve the quaint characteristics
of the breed we must not presume to make
'fundamental structural alterations.

Perhaps a word against the heavy pendu-
lous lips and the equally pendulous skin on
the throat of a few specimens will be enough
to warn breeders that they must not emulate
the flews, or dewlap, of a Bloodhound. If
the lips well cover the teeth and the sides of
the upper lips slightly overlap the under,
that is correct ; the skin on the throat
should be loose, but not pendulous.

The question of rickets looms large in all
Bulldog breeding, the English variety being,
perhaps, the more generally affected. If
breeders would carefully avoid using rickety
subjects, and pay more careful attention
to diet from weaning-time until maturity,
the race would materially benefit in health
and appearance, and would be much easier
to breed and rear.

The quarantine regulations in force at the
present time rather handicap the breeders
of French Bulldogs, limiting their supply
very considerably, partly on account of the
six months' detention, and partly because
of the inevitable expense attached to the
arrangements. There is, however, a suffi-
cient number of the breed now in Great
Britain to obviate the necessity of in-
breeding to any disastrous extent. It be-
hoves those who have the interest of this
little dog at heart to continue the importa-
tion of fresh blood not only from France,
but, where possible, from Germany, Austria,
and America. By introducing entirely fresh
blood, or even blood of the same strain that
has been in a totally different climate for
several generations, the stamina and phy-
sique is improved, and type is not sacrificed ;
also by doing this greater facilities are
afforded for legitimate in-breeding, which,
in some cases, is undeniably necessary to
procure or retain certain special charac-
teristics.

All breeders of the French Bulldog know
to their cost the difficulties to be encountered
in rearing puppies. Unless a bitch lias
proved herself a good mother, it is always
advisable to have a foster-mother in readiness
— by preference one who has had her puppies

62

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

;i day or two in advance. For one or two
small puppies a cat makes an excellent
mother. If the pups have to be fed by hand
Plasmon and milk, with a teaspoonful of

mrs. f w. cousen's NAPOLEON BUONA-
PARTE BY TALI FLORA

Photograph by T. Full.

cream to every half pint, is the best sub-
stitute for bitches' milk, being, indeed, the
chemical equivalent. Warmth is very essen-
tial for the first fortnight ; the use of blankets
and hot water bottles must be employed un-
less the pups are well mothered by their own
dam or a foster-mother, or if the weather be
cold. Directly the puppies are weaned a
certain proportion of lean, raw, scraped meat
should be given, as well as Benger's Food
made with milk, Plasmon wholemeal bis-
cuits soaked in milk. Force and milk, and
bread and milk. Feed every two or three
hours at first, keeping the puppies warm
and dry. At four months old three meals
a day should suffice, then give Spratt's
puppy biscuits dry and broken up, good

gravy or soup poured over stale bread
crumbs, and one meal of lean raw meat.

Watch for worms ; keep a look-out when
teething, and allow a large bone for the
puppies tc gnaw, but not eat.

The pups which one does not wish to keep
should be sold at the age of six weeks.

Although to my knowledge many French
Bulldogs are good ratters, and some few can
account for a rabbit, they are by no means
a sporting breed ; they are essentially dogs
to be used as companions and household
pets, being very quaint, jolly, engaging
little personages, who are full of life and

MRS CHARLES WATERLOW S CH. STANMORE

ARGUS BY BILL FOLLETTE.

Photograph by T. Fall.

vivacity. Their size and temperament render
them particularly suitable for living in a
house or flat ; they are quiet and yet
bright, full of life yet not too boisterous.

63

CHAPTER V.

THE ST. BERNARD.

BY FREDK. GRESHAM.

Behold this creature's form and state,
Which Nature therefore did create.
That to the world might be expressed
What mien there can be in a beast ;
And that we in this shape may find
A lion of another kind.
For this heroic beast does seem
In majesty to rival him,

I

the late CH. FLORENTIUS

BY PRINCE OF FLORENCE

BELLINE III.

THE PATRIARCH OF

MRS. JAGGERS KENNELS.

^HE his-
tory of
the St.
Bernard dog in
this country
would not be
complete with-
out reference
being made to
the noble work
that he has done
in Switzerland,
his native land :
how the Hos-
pice St. Bernard kept a considerable num-
ber of dogs which were trained to go
over the mountains with small barrels
round their necks, containing restoratives,
in the event of their coming across any
poor travellers who had either lost their
way, or had been overcome by the cold.
We have been told that these intelligent
creatures saved many lives in this way,
the subjects of their deliverance often
being found entirely buried in the snow.
In such cases they were, however, gene-
rally too late to rescue the unfortunate
victims, whose bodies were placed in the
morgue at the Hospice, where they may be
seen undecayed, although they may have
rested there several years.

The stuffed skin of the dog Barry, who
rescued no fewer than forty wanderers who
had lost their way crossing the Alps, is to
be seen at the Museum at Berne. The

And yet vouchsafes to man to show
Both service and submission too.
From whence we this distinction have
That beast is fierce, but that is brave.
This dog hath so himself subdued
That hunger cannot make him rude,
And his behaviour does confess
True courage dwells with gentleness."

Katherine Philips.

poor dog died in harness when fifteen years
old. It is stated that he was shot when in
the act of going to the aid of a benighted
wayfarer, who mistook him for a wolf.

Handsome as the St. Bernard is, with his
attractive colour and markings, he is a
cross-bred dog. From the records of old
writers it is to be gathered that to refill
the kennels at the Hospice which had been
rendered vacant from the combined catas-
trophes of distemper and the fall of an
avalanche which had swept away nearly all
their hounds, the Monks were compelled
to have recourse to a cross with the New-
foundland and the Pyrenean sheepdog, the
latter not unlike the St. Bernard in appear-
ance. Then, again, there is no doubt what-
ever, that at some time the Bloodhound has
been introduced, and it is known for a cer-
tainty that almost all the most celebrated St.
Bernards in England at the present time are
closely allied to the Mastiff.

The result of all this intermixture of
different breeds has been the production of an
exceedingly fine race of dogs, which form
one of the most attractive features at our
dog shows, and are individually excellent
guards and companions. As a companion,
the St. Bernard cannot be surpassed, when
a large dog is required for the purpose.
Most docile in temperament and disposition,
he is admirably suited as the associate of a
lady or a child. 'Well does the writer re-
member a once well-known champion, who,
when quite a puppy, used to carry his little

64

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

girl's basket to a coppice hard by and bring
it home again when it was filled with violets.
The St. Bernard is sensitive to a degree,
and seldom forgets an insult, which he
resents with dignity. Specimens of the breed
have occasionally been seen that are savage,
but when this is the case ill-treatment of

ALPINE MASTIFFS.

From the Painting by Sir Edwin Landsur, R.A.

some sort has assuredly been the provoking
cause.

The dogs at the Hospice of St. Bernard
are small in comparison with those that
are seen in England belonging to the same
race. The Holy Fathers were more par-
ticular about their markings than great size.
The body colour should be brindle or orange
tawny, with white markings ; the muzzle
white, with a line running up between the
eyes, and over the skull, joining at the
back the white collar that encircles the neck
down to the front of the shoulders. The
colour round the eyes and on the ears should
be of a darker shade in the red ; in the
centre of the white line at the occiput there
should be a spot of colour. These markings
are s.iid to represent the stole, chasuble and
scapular which form part of the vestments
worn by the Monks ; but it is seldom

that the markings are so clearly defined ;
they are more often white, with brindle or
orange patches on the body, with evenly-
marked heads.

In England St. Bernards are either dis-
tinctly rough in coat or smooth, but the
generality of the Hospice dogs are broken
in coat, neither rough
nor smooth, having a
texture between the
two extremes. The
properties, however, of
the rough and smooth
are the same, so that
the two varieties are
often bred together,
and, as a rule, both
textures of coat will
be the result of the
alliance. The late M.
Schumacher, a great
authority on the breed
in Switzerland, averred
that dogs with very
rough coats were found
to be of no use for
work on the Alps, as
their thick covering
became so loaded with
snow and their feet so
clogged that they suc-
cumbed under the weight and perished.
On that account they were discarded by
the Monks.

In connection with the origin of the St.
Bernard, M. Schumacher wrote in a letter
to Mr. J. C. Macdona, who was the first to
introduce the breed into Great Britain
in any numbers : " According to the tradi-
tion of the Holy Fathers of the Great Saint
Bernard, their race descends from the
crossing of a bitch (a Bulldog species) of
Denmark and a Mastiff (Shepherd's dog) of
the Pyrenees. The descendants of the
crossing, who have inherited from the
Danish dog its extraordinary size and
bodily strength, and from the Pyrenean
Mastiff the intelligence, the exquisite
sense of smell, and, at the same time,
the faithfulness and sagacity which cha-
racterise them, have acquired in the space

THE ST. BERNARD.

65

of five centuries so glorious a notoriety
throughout Europe that they well merit the
name of a distinct race for themselves."
From the same authority we learn that it

Continent and made them take a part in his
attractive entertainment ; but the associa-
tions of the St. Bernard with the noble
deeds recorded in history were not then so

is something like six hundred years since the widely known, and these two dogs passed

«5H

MRS. A. H. PARKER'S ROUGH-COATED BITCH, CH. CH RYSANTH E ME

BY CH, EGMONT NAMELESS.

BRED BY MESSRS. INMAN AND WALMSLEY.

St. Bernard came into existence. It was
not, however, till competitive exhibitions
for dogs had been for some years established
that the St. Bernard gained a footing in
Great Britain. A few specimens had been
imported from the Hospice before Mr.
dimming Macdona (then the Rev. Cumming
Macdona) introduced us to the celebrated
Tell, who, with others of the breed brought
from Switzerland, formed the foundation of
his magnificent kennel at West Kirby, in
Cheshire. Albert Smith, whom some few
that are now alive will remember as an
amusing lecturer, brought a pair from the
Hospice when returning from a visit to the

away without having created any par-
ticular enthusiasm.

Later on, at a dog show at Cremorne
held in 1863, two St. Bernards were ex-
hibited, each of whom rejoiced in the name
of Monk, and were, respectively, the pro-
perty of the Rev. A. N. Bate and Mr. W. H.
Stone. These dogs were exhibited without
pedigrees, but were said to have been
bred at the Hospice of St. Bernard. Three
years later, at the National Show at Bir-
mingham, a separate class was provided for
the saintly breed, and Mr. Cumming Macdona
was first and second with Tell and Bernard.
This led to an immediate popularity of the

66

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

St. Bernard. Tell was the hero of the shows
at which he appeared, and his owner was
recognised as being the introducer into this
country of the magnificent variety of the
canine race that now holds such a prominent
position as a show dog.

The names of Tell and Bernard have been
handed down to fame, the former as the
progenitor of a long line of rough-coated
offspring ; the latter as one of the founders
of the Shefford Kennel, of which more anon.
Mr. Macdona continued his successful career
both as an exhibitor and breeder. Her
Royal Highness the Princess of Wales
(now Queen Alexandra) graciously accepted
a beautifully-marked dog puppy, which was
named Hope, and which eventually won
first prize at the Crystal Palace. Moltke
was another rough-coated dog of fine
quality, which annexed a long list of prizes
for Mr. Macdona, and proved an excellent
stud dog ; whilst Alp, Hedwig, and their
daughter, Hospice, are names to conjure with.
Following Mr. Macdona, the next fancier
to devote his attention to St. Bernards
was Mr. J. H. Murchison — well-known as
a prominent exhibitor of Fox-terriers — who,
from the kennels of M. Schumacher,
obtained the noted rough-coated sire
Thor, and the smooth-coated Jura. Thor
was defective in head, and, therefore,
not a high-class show dog, but he was
destined to produce the finest litter that
so far had ever been bred. Mr. Murchison
also owned the smooth-coated Monarque,
one of the grandest dogs of his variety.
Monarque was first shown by Mr. Macdona
at Laycock's Dairy Yard, Islington, in 1869,
when he won the chief prize, Victor and
Jungfrau being second and third. Jungfrau
was a sister by an earlier litter to Bernie,
of whom more will presently be heard. At
the same show Mr. Macdona was first and
third in the rough-coated division with Tell
and Hedwig, this pair being divided by Sir
Charles Isham's Leo, who was an immense
white dog with brindle markings imported
from Switzerland, and who afterwards
became celebrated as a sire. He was parent
of several winners and an ancestor, too, of
the great Plinlimmon.

It was at about this time that my own
famous kennel of St. Bernards at Shefford
in Bedfordshire was started. I had been
presented with a smooth-coated bitch
puppy by the late Mr. T. J. Hooper,
of Biggleswade, who, from Bernardine, a
bitch that he brought from Switzerland,
had bred Jungfrau, already referred to, and
the puppy in question from an alliance with
Mr. Macdona's Bernard. This puppy, after-
wards named Bernie, was allowed to run
about at its own sweet will, until she was
three years old, when it occurred to me that
as St. Bernards were then becoming popular,
I might turn her to good account. But
how to make a start was the question, and
where to find a sire not too far from home.
The Birmingham Show was just over.
The Field said that Leo had run Tell very
close for first in the champion class. Leo
was the property of Sir Charles Isham, of
Lamport Hall, Northamptonshire, which
county adjoins Bedfordshire. Here was
the opportunity, but some difficulty was
experienced, as Leo had not commenced
his public career at stud. Matters were how-
ever, arranged by the intervention of friends,
and the remuneration of a guinea was to be
presented to an Orphan Asylum. In due
course a family of fourteen arrived, Bernie
having selected a standing in a stable for her
nursery. She herself was nearly self-coloured
— a red brindle with only a very narrow
line of white on her face ; the whelps seemed
to be all colours, one a white, another a
black. Ignorant of the correct colour of
St. Bernards, I consulted my groom, who
had taken the journey to Lamport Hall,
and was relieved of my anxiety when I
heard that the white puppy was somewhat
like Leo. The order was, pick out the six
biggest and put the other eight into a
bucket — they cannot all be kept ! Fortu-
nately, the black and also the white puppy
were amongst the six biggest. The former
lived to be the rough-coated champion Monk,
who was rich mahogany brindle with white
markings, and the latter, Champion Abbess,
who was smooth-coated. Monk won ten
championships at the Kennel Club's shows,
besides many others at less important

THE ST. BERNARD.

67

exhibitions. From him I bred Grosvenor,
who was a champion before he was eighteen
months old, and he also sired many other
winners, but it was from Abbess that the
bulk of the Shefford winners were bred.
From an alliance with Thor came the rough-

Among the puppies exhibited was the late
Mr. Du Maurier's Chang, who was so often
afterwards seen in his owner's charming
drawings in Punch. The defeat of Chang
led to a caricature of the owner of Augusta
being inserted in Punch, and an amusing

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MR. J. W. PROCTOR'S CH. VIOLA. BY CH. PARSIFAL-
BRED BY MESSRS. INMAN AND WALMSLEY.
Photograph by F. C. Hignett and Son, Lostoci.

-CH. WOGLINDE.

coated Champion Hector and the smooth-
coated Champion The Shah, the best dogs
of their day ; Dagmar, a very handsome,
rough-coated bitch, and Abbess II., both big
winners, and four others. Then she threw
Champion Othman to Moltke, Champion
Mab (sold as a puppy to Mr. J. C. Tinker),
and Augusta, who, amongst her wins, was
first in a class of thirty-three dogs and
bitches at the Kennel Club show at the
Alexandra Palace, two of her litter sisters
being second and third. On this occasion all
the first and second prizes, except one second,
in the five classes given, were won by
Bernie's children and grandchildren.

article in The Pall Mall Gazelle from the pen
of Mr. Du Maurier.

Two incidents in connection with Abbess
and Augusta are worth recording as showing
that the instinct to save life is inherent in
the breed. On seeing a little Fox-terrier
puppy that had fallen into a tanpit in-
effectually struggling to get out, Abbess
pushed her way through a group of dogs,
and, carefully taking the puppy in her
mouth, placed it in safety and then re-
turned to the other dogs ! On another
occasion the stable in which was Augusta
with two puppies became flooded from
an overflow of the river in the night. On

68

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

the following morning the puppies, about
a month old, were found safe in the man-
ger, with Augusta standing up to her
middle in water.

Liela, a magnificent brindle and white
bitch, bred by Mr. R. Thornton, of
Sydenham, and another, were, with the
exception of Rector, the first St. Bernards

MR. GEORGE SINCLAIR'S CH. LORD MONTGOMERY

BY CH. TANNHAUSER DUCHESS OF SUTHERLAND.

Photograph by C. Rcid, Wishaw.

Another guinea's worth from Bernie pro-
duced a litter of seventeen, making thirty-
one puppies in less than twelve months. The
bucket was not brought into requisition this
time. Nature was allowed to take its
course, and the survival of the fittest
resulted in nine being reared, in which there
were again several winners, amongst them
being Queen Bertha, who was the founda-
tion of Mr. W. A. Joyce's kennel at Tulse
Hill.

The late Mr. S. W. Smith, of Leeds, took
up the breed in the late 'seventies. He
owned a big winner in Barry. This dog
won something like one hundred and fifty
first prizes at the small shows in the North
of England. But Mr. Smith had a much
better dog in Duke of Leeds, who, with

that were exported to America, £800 being
the price given for the three. Previously,
however, Rector, a son of Champion
Monk, had been sold to Mr. J. K. Emmett,
the American actor, who exhibited him on
the boards of his theatre.

The popularity of the St. Bernard had now
been well established, and the Rev. Arthur
Carter, who had always shown a partiality
for the breed, set about with a few others
to establish the St. Bernard Club, to look after
the interests of the race. This was m 1882,
and in the following year the first show.
confined to St. Bernards only, was held in
the Duke of Wellington's Riding School at
Kensington, when an excellent entry was
obtained. Mr. Gumming Macdona, who had
been appointed the President of the Club,

THE ST. BERNARD.

was the judge, and the special prize for the
best dog in the show was won by Mr. J. F.
Smith's Leonard, a white and brindle
rough-coated dog with a magnificent head
and good action. Mr. J. F. Smith also owned
a very fine rough-coated dog in Ch. Save,
a son of Ch. Othman, and many others of the
best St. Bernards in England were at one
time or another in his hands ; amongst them
the celebrated smooth-coated Champions
Guide and San Peur, who had been im-
ported from the Swiss kennel belonging to
Mr. H. H. Dur, by Mr. H. I. Betterton.
When these two dogs came over San Peur
was in whelp, and Watch, the pup that she
threw, proved a better dog than Guide ; in
fact, Watch was probably the best smooth-
coated St. Bernard ever seen in England. He,
like many of the dogs of the breed that we
owned about that time, went to America,
the price paid for him being said to be be-
tween eleven and twelve hundred pounds.

Mr. Betterton also imported Keeper,
another grand young smooth of great
quality, but rather small.

The first giant St. Bernard that appeared
upon the scene was Plinlimmon, whom the
Rev. Arthur Carter purchased in the North
of England when quite a puppy. Plin-
limmon, who was descended from Hector,
created qiiite a sensation when he made
his debut in public, as he was much the
largest St. Bernard that had ever been seen.
He had not, however, the quality of many
that had appeared before him, and he had not
the fine head and expression that are such
desirable features in a St. Bernard. He,
nevertheless, changed hands several times.
The Rev. A. Carter sold him for £500 ; Mr.
Hedley Chapman gave nearly double that
sum for him ; afterwards Mr. J. F. Smith
had him, and he was finally sold by Mr. S.
W. Smith to the American actor, Mr. Emmett,
and was, like Rector, put upon the stage.

MR. W. SHEARER CLARK'S LORD NEWLANDS

BY LINLITHGOW MEMBER ADDIEWELL BLOSSOM.

Photograph by C. Rei,l, Wishaw.

7o

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

Pliiilimmon was only one of many dogs that
Mr. S. W. Smith sent to the United States
during the time that the boom for St.
Bernards in the Far West was at its height.
Princess Florence, a splendid rough-coated
bitch by Marvel, with Le Prince, also crossed
the water, but the demand soon after ceased
when it was found that the climate of

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MRS. A. H PARKER'S ROUGH-COATED CH. CINQ MARS

BY CH. WOLFRAM CH. VIOLA.

Photograph by W. H. Stuck.

America was not suited to the breed. The
extremely hot weather in the summer
was fatal to them, very few of the high-
priced dogs and bitches that were sent out
living more than a couple of years. Prin-
cess Florence, who was owned in turn by
Dr. Inman and Mr. Hedley Chapman, was
the largest bitch that had so far been
bred, her reputed weight being upwards of
200 lbs. She was one of the few that

each, and the trophy presented by Mr.
Halsey of even more value. These special
prizes are competed for at the Club's annual
shows, one for the best dog in the show
(rough or smooth), and the other for the
best bitch, these two winners then com-
peting together for the Halsev Trophy.
Later on Mr. Norris Elye became President
of the Club ; he was
a prominent breeder
of St. Bernards, and
owned, amongst
others, Alta Bella
and Bellegarde, two
excellent specimens
of the breed, the
former one of the
finest bitches of her
day.

It was at this peri-
od that the great
celebrity, Sir Bedi-
vere, was whelped.
He was bred by Mr.
T. D. Green, who
selected him from the
litter when a pup
because he was the
most prettily marked,
and before he exhi-
bited him for the
first time, when ten
months old, had not
the slightest idea that he owned the most
typical St. Bernard that had ever been
bred in England, where he was never de-
feated. Mr. Green refused £1,500 for him
at home, but, after taking some five hun-
dred pounds in stud fees, sold him to
America for £1,300 ; he weighed upwards
of 200 lbs., and stood 33 inches at the
shoulder. Sir Bedivere was orange and
white in colour, and was beautifully pro-

managed to live, and come back to England, portioned, with perfect action all round

After passing through some troublous times
the St. Bernard Club was reconstituted,
and has gone on swimmingly ever since.
The Club owns the most valuable chal-
lenge cups of all the specialist Clubs. In
addition to several minor cups, it has two
silver cups of the value of 100 guineas

In the years that followed many fine dogs
were bred, both of the rough and smooth-
coated variety, and the type was greatly
improved. Mr. Thomas Shilcock, of Bir-
mingham, got together a strong kennel :
Mr. T. Duerdin Dutton had some high-class
specimens at Cobham— Peggotty, a most

THE ST. BERNARD.

71

typical rough bitch, bred from the Guide
strain, winning for him a number of prizes —
and amongst other successful breeders and
exhibitors were Mr. R. T. Thornton, Mr.
A. J. Gosling, Mr. J. W. Rutherglen, Mr.
G. W. Marsden, who is now the President
of the St. Bernard Club ; Mr. H. G. Sweet—
whose magnificent dog, Hesper, was the
sire of Miss Gres-
ham's Minstrel Boy
— Mr. T. Thorburn,
Mrs. Jones. Captain
Hargreaves, and Mr.
J. Royle, of Man-
chester, who gave
£470 for Lord Hath-
erton, a dog that was
catalogued at the
Birmingham Show at
£200, and after being
claimed by two or
three anxious pur-
chasers, was sold by
auction at the sum
mentioned.

Then came a lull
in the popularity of
the breed until Dr.
Inman, in partner-
ship with Mr. B.
W a 1 m s 1 e y, estab-
lished a kennel first
at Barford, near Bath,
and then at The

Priory, at Bowden, in Cheshire, where they
succeeded in breeding the finest kennel of
St. Bernards that has ever been seen in the
world. Dr. Inman had for several years
owned good dogs, and set about the work
on scientific principles. He, in conjunc-
tion with Mr. Walmsley, purchased the
smooth-coated Kenilworth from Mr. Loft,
bred that dog's produce with a brindle
Mastiff of high repute, and then crossed back
to his St. Bernards with the most successful
results. Dr. Inman was instrumental in
forming the National St. Bernard Club,
which, like the older society, was soon well
supported with members, and now has at
its disposal a good collection of valuable
challenge cups. The dogs bred at Bowden

carried all before them in the show ring,
and were continually in request for stud
purposes, improving the breed to a remark-
able extent.

At the disposal of Messrs. Inman and
Walmsley's kennel, there were such admir-
able dogs as the rough-coated Wolfram —
from whom were bred Tannhauser, Narcissus,

MR. W. H. BENNETT'S
BY CH. KENILWORTH II
Photograph by Russell.

CH. LORD METHUEN

PRIMROSE LADY.

Leontes and Klingsor — the smooth-coated
dogs, the King's Son and The Viking ; the
rough-coated bitch, Judith Inman, and the
smooth Viola, the last-named the finest
specimen of her sex that has probably ever
been seen. These dogs and bitches, with
several others, were dispersed all over
England, with the exception of Klingsor
who went to South Africa.

Mr. J. W. Proctor, of Mobberley, pur-
chased Tannhauser and Viola, but they
are, unfortunately, both dead, as also are
Narcissus and Wolfram. Messrs. Scott and
Kostin, who bought Leontes and The Viking,
with Judith Inman, have been more fortu-
nate, as the two first-named are both alive
at this time of writing, the former one of

72

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

the best rough-coated dogs before the
public. The King's Son, who was a great
favourite with the late Dr. Inman, re-
mained at home, and his bones are pro-
bably to be found beneath the sod in some
quiet corner in the grounds of Bowden
Priory.

Almost all the best St. Bernards in Great
Britain at the present time have been
bred or are descended from the Bowden

A FIVE MONTHS' OLD SON OF
CH. LEONTES.

dogs. Mrs. Lawson, of Swansea, has been
very successful in breeding with the strain,
This lady owned Cinq Mars, who is now
the property of Mrs. Parker, for whom he
has been doing a large amount of winning.
Mrs. Parker also has in her possession
Chrysantheme and Queen Isabel, two of the
best of their variety ; whilst other success-
ful breeders and exhibitors are Mr. H.
Stockin, Mr. D. W. Davies, Mr. G. Sinclair—
the owner of Lord Montgomery, the Cham-
pion at the Crystal Palace and Edinburgh
in 1906 — Mr. James Redwood, Miss L. T.
Vere, Mr. E. H. Walbrook, Mr. W. H.
Bennett, Mrs. Duncan King, Mrs. Jagger
— whose famous dog, Florentius, died at
ten years of age while these lines were
being written— Mr. J. S. W. Harding,
Colonel Williamson, and Mr. J. Muir.

The following is the description of the
St. Bernard as drawn up by the members of
the St. Bernard Club :

Head. — The head should be large and massive,
the circumference of the skull being more than
double the length of the head from nose to occiput.
From stop to tip of nose should be moderately
short ; full below the eye and square at the

muzzle ; there should be great depth from the
eye to the lower jaw, and the lips should be deep
throughout, but not too pendulous. From the
nose to the stop should be straight, and the stop
abrupt and well defined. The skull should be
broad and rounded at the top, but not domed,
with somewhat prominent brow.

Ears. — The ears should be of medium size,
lying close to the cheek, but strong at the base
and not heavily feathered.

Eyes. — The eyes should be rather small and
deep set, dark in colour and not too close together ,
the lower eyelid should droop, so as to show a
fair amount of haw.

Nose. — The nose should be large and black,
with well developed nostrils. The teeth should be
level.

Expression. — The expression should betoken
benevolence, dignity, and intelligence.

Neck. — The neck should be lengthy, muscular,
and slightly arched, with dewlap developed, and
the shoulders broad and sloping, well up at the
withers.

General Description of Body. — The chest
should be wide and deep, and the back level
as far as the haunches, slightly arched over the
loins ; the ribs should be well rounded and
carried well back ; the loin wide and very
muscular.

Tail. — The tail should be set on rather high,
long, and in the long-coated variety bushy ;
carried low when in repose, and when excited
or in motion slightly above the line of the back.
Legs. — The forelegs should be perfectly straight,
strong in bone, and of good length ; and the hind-
legs very muscular. The feet large, compact,
with well-arched toes.

Size. — A dog should be at least 30 inches in
height at the shoulder, and a bitch 27 inches
(the taller the better, provided the symmetry is
maintained) ; thoroughly well proportioned, and
of great substance. The general outline should
suggest great power and capability of endurance.
Coat.— In the long-coated variety the coat
should be dense and flat ; rather fuller round
the neck ; the thighs feathered but not too
heavily. In the short-coated variety, the coat
should be dense, hard, flat, and short, slightly
feathered on thighs and tail.

Colour and Markings.— The colour should be
red, orange, various shades of brindle (the richer
colour the better), or white with patches on
body of one of the above named colours. The
markings should be as follows : white muzzle,
white blaze up face, white collar round neck ;
white chest, forelegs, feet, and end of tail ; black
shadings on face and ears. If the blaze be wide
and runs through to the collar, a spot of the
body colour on the top of the head is desirable.

, THE ST. BERNARD.

73

111 temper.
Split nose.
Unlevel mouth and

cankered teeth.
Snipy muzzle.
Light and staring eyes.
Cheek bumps.
Wedge head.
Flat skull.
Wall eyes.
Domed skull.
Badly set or heavily-
feathered ears.
Too much peak.

Objectionable Points.

Short neck

Curly coat.

Curled tail.

Flat sides.

Hollow back.

Roach back.

Ring tail.

Open feet or hare feet.

Cow hocks.

Straight hocks.

Self-coloured (a self-
coloured dog is one
that has no black
shadings or white
markings).

Disqualifying Points.
Dudley, liver, flesh-col- Black, black and tan,

oured nose.
Fawn, if whole col-
oured or with black
shadings only.

black and white,
black, tan, and white,
and all white.

The weight of a dog should be from 170 lbs. to
210 lbs. ; of a bitch 160 lbs. to 190 lbs.

During the past twenty-five years St.
Bernards have been bred in this country

very much taller and heavier than they were
in the days of Tell, Hope, Moltke, Monk,
Hector, and Othman. Not one of these
measured over 32 inches in height, or scaled
over 180 lbs., but the increased height
and greater weight of the more modern
production have been obtained by forcing
them as puppies and by fattening them to
such an extent that they have been injured
in constitution, and in many cases converted
into cripples behind. The prize-winning
rough-coated St. Bernard as he is seen
to-day is a purely manufactured animal,
handsome in appearance certainly, but so
cumbersome that he is scarcely able to
raise a trot, let alone do any tracking in the
snow. Usefulness, however, is not a con-
sideration with breeders, who have reared
the dog to meet the exigencies of the show
ring. There is still much left to be desired,
and there is room for considerable improve-
ment, as only a few of the more modern dogs
of the breed approach the standard drawn
up by the Clubs that are interested in their
welfare.

GROUP OF ST. BERNARD PUPPIES.
BRED BY MESSRS. SCOTT AND KOSTIN.

74

CHAPTER VI.
THE NEWFOUNDLAND.

BY CAPTAIN J. H. BAILEY.

Near this spot

Are deposited the remains of one

Who possessed Beauty without Vanity,

Strength without insolence,

Courage without Ferocity,

And all the Virtues of Man without his Vices.

This Praise, which would be unmeaning Flattery

If inscribed over human ashes,

Is but a just tribute to the memory of

Boatswain, a Dog,

Who was bom at Newfoundland, May 1803,

And died at Newstead Abbey, Nov. 18, 1808.

Byron's Epitaph on his Newfoundland Dog.

THE dogs which take
their name from the
island of Newfound-
land at the mouth of the
great St. Lawrence river ap-
peal to all lovers of animals,
romance, and beauty. A Newfoundland
formed the subject of perhaps the most
popular picture painted by Sir Edwin
Landseer ; a monument was erected by
Byron over the grave of his Newfound-
land in proximity to the place where the
poet himself hoped to be buried, at New-
stead Abbey, and the inscription on this
monument contains the lines so frequently
quoted :

" But the poor dog in life the firmest friend,
The first to welcome, foremost to defend,
Whose honest heart is still his master's own,
Who labours, fights, lives, breathes for him

alone.

******
To mark a friend's remains these stones

arise :
I never knew but one — and here he lies."

Robert Burns, also, in his poem, " The
Twa Dogs," written in 1786, refers to a
Newfoundland as being an aristocrat
among dogs in the following verse ;

" The first I'll name, they ca'd him Caesar,
Was keepit for his honour's pleasure :
His hair, his size, his mouth, his lugs,
Show'd he was nane o' Scotland's dogs ;
But whalpit some place far abroad,
Where sailors gang to fish for cod.
His locked, letter'd, braw brass collar
Show'd him the gentleman and scholar :
But though he was o' high degree,
The fient a pride — na pride had he."

Doubtless, other breeds of dogs have been
the subjects of popular pictures and have
had their praises sung by poets, but the
Newfoundlands have yet a further honour,
unique amongst dogs, in being the subject
for a postage stamp of their native land.
All these distinctions and honours have
not been conferred without reason, for no
breed of dogs has greater claim to the title
of friend of man, and it has become famous
for its known readiness and ability to save
persons in danger, especially from drown-
ing. It is strong and courageous in the
water, and on land a properly-trained New-
foundland is an ideal companion and guard.
Innumerable are the accounts of Newfound-
lands having proved their devotion to their
owners, and of the many lives saved by
them in river and sea ; and when Sir Edwin
Landseer selected one of the breed as the

THE NEWFOUNDLAND.

75

subject of his picture entitled, " A Distin-
guished Member of the Humane Society,"
he was justified not only by the sentiment
attaching to this remarkable race of dogs,
but also by the deeds by which Newfound-
lands have made good their claim to such
great distinction, and the popular recog-
nition of this, no doubt, in some degree
added to the great esteem in which this
painting has always been held.

Newfoundland character are passing away —
it is to be hoped for good. The breed is
rapidly returning to the type which Land-
seer's picture represents — a dog of great
beauty, dignity, and benevolence of
character, showing in its eyes an almost
human pathos.

Going back six years before the picture,
Mr. J. McGregor, in 1832, in his history of
British North America, wrote as follows :

A DISTINGUISHED MEMBER OF THE HUMANE SOCIETY
From the Painting by SIR EDWIN LANDSEER, R.A., in the National i

The picture was painted in 1838, and, as al-
most everyone knows, represents a white and
black Newfoundland. The dog portrayed
was typical of the breed, and now, after a
lapse of nearly seventy years, the painting
has the added value of enabling us to make
a comparison with specimens of the breed
as it exists to-day. Such a comparison
will show that among the best dogs now
living are some which might have been the
model for this picture. It is true, I think,
that in the interval the white and black
Newfoundlands have been coarser, heavier,
higher on the legs, with an expression
denoting excitability quite foreign to the
true breed, but these departures from

" The Newfoundland dog is a celebrated
and useful animal well known. These
dogs are remarkably docile and obedient
to their masters ; they are very serviceable
in all the fishing plantations, and are yoked
in pairs and used to haul the winter fuel
home. They are gentle, faithful, good-
natured, and ever a friend to man, and
will at command leap into the water from
the highest precipice and in the coldest
weather. They are remarkably voracious,
but can endure hunger for a great length of
time, and they are usually fed upon the
worst of salted fish.

" The true breed has become scarce and
difficult to be met with. They grow to a

76

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

greater size than an English Mastiff, have a
fine close fur, and the colour is of various
kinds ; but black, which is the most approved
of, prevails. The smooth, short-haired dog
so much admired in England as a New-
foundland dog, though a useful and saga-
cious animal and nearly as hardy and
fond of the water, is a cross-breed. It

It is somewhat difficult to reconcile these
remarks concerning Newfoundlands in Eng-
land with what is known from other sources
about the same time, and it is contradicted
as regards the smooth-coated dogs by
Landseer's picture. The smooth-coated dogs
referred to were probably of the Labrador
breed, and this view is confirmed bv Youatt

MISS E. GOODALUS CH. GIPSY PRINCESS

BY WOLF OF BADENOCH NUMBER PEERESS.

Photograph by Russell.

seems, however, to inherit all the virtues
of the true kind. A Newfoundland dog
will, if properly domesticated and trained,
defend his master, growl when another
person speaks roughly to him, and in no
instance of danger leave him. This animal
in a wild state hunts in packs, and is then
ferocious, and in its habits similar to the
Wolf. They are fond of children and much
attached to members of the house to which
they belong, but frequently cherish a cross
antipathy to a stranger. While they will
neither attack nor fight dogs of inferior
size, they are ready to fight courageously
with dogs of their own size and strength.

" So sagacious are these animals that they
seem to want only the faculty of speech to
make them fully understood, and they are
capable of being trained to all the purposes
for which almost every other variety of the
canine species is used."

in his Book of The Dog, published in 18J5,
in which he states : " Some of the true New-
foundlands have been brought to Europe,
and have been used as Retrievers. They
are comparatively small and generally black.
A larger variety has been bred, and is
now perfectly established. He is seldom
used as a sporting dog, but is admired on
account of his stature and beauty, and the
different colours with which he is often
marked."

Some twenty-five to thirty years ago
there was considerable discussion among
owners of Newfoundlands in this country
as to the proper colour of the true breed,
and there were many persons who claimed,
as some still claim, that the black variety
is the only true variety, and that the white
and black colouring indicates a cross-breed.
Again Landseer's picture is of value,
because, in the first place, we may be almost

THE NEWFOUNDLAND.

77

certain that he would have selected for such
a picture a typical dog of the breed, and,
secondly, because the picture shows, nearly
half a century prior to the discussion, a white
and black dog, typical in nearly every
respect, except colour, of the black New-
foundland. There is no appearance of cross-

two established varieties, the black and the
white and black. There are also bronze-
coloured dogs, but they are rare and are not
favoured. It is stated, however, that pup-
pies of that colour are generally the most
promising in all other respects.

Newfoundlands figure very prominently

ITS '
V

MRS. W. A. LINDSAYS CH MILK BOY

BY STEERSMAN LADY'S MAID.

Photograph by Aberncthy, Belfast.

breeding in Landseer's dog ; on the con-
trary, he reveals all the characteristics of
a thoroughbred. Nearly seventy years ago,
therefore, the white and black variety may
be fairlv considered to have been established,
and it is worthy of mention here that
" Idstone " quoted an article written in 1819
stating that back in the eighteenth century
Newfoundlands were large, rough-coated,
liver and white dogs. It is clear, also, that
in 1832 Newfoundlands in British North
America were of various colours. Addi-
tional evidence, too, is provided, in the fact
that when selecting the type of head for
their postage stamp the Government of
Newfoundland chose the Landseer dog.
Therefore, there are very strong argu-
ments against the claim that the true
variety is essentially black.

However that may be, there are now

in the numerous accounts of canine instinct,
devotion and sagacity, and whether or not
those accounts are always quite authentic,
they indicate how widespread is the belief
that dogs of this breed possess those qualities
in full. The Rev. J. S. Watson, in his book
on " The Reasoning Power in Animals,"
said he was not inclined to assent to an
opinion that one species of dog has not
greater sagacitv than another. He was
disposed to think that a greater portion of
strong natural sense was manifested in the
larger kinds of dogs such as the Newfound-
land.

The Rev. F. O. Morris many years ago
wrote an account of a Newfoundland and a
Mastiff which frequently fought together,
and on one occasion, when fighting on a
pier, they both fell into the sea. The
Newfoundland was quickly out again, but,

78

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

seeing the Mastiff in difficulties, he went back
and assisted him. Mr. Morris stated that
henceforth the dogs were quite good friends.
That is easy enough of belief by anyone who
has kept and studied dogs as companions

^^Wi ^II*-

ANOTHER PORTRAIT OF CH.
Photogr.iph by Lafayette, Belfast.

MILK BOY

and thereby learned how large an amount
of what are regarded as purely human
faculties there is in dogs.

Very recently I was told of an adult
Newfoundland, which, curiously enough,
was not fond of swimming, and was taken
out with another Newfoundland that was
quite at home in the water. The former
showed no desire to follow the latter, but
he did in time realise that the swimmer
received praise which he also wanted, and,
reasoning clearly from cause to effect, he
developed into a remarkably good water-
dog.

I am not sure whether the following story
told by Charles Dickens denotes instinct,
devotion, or sagacity, but it is amusing.
Dickens said that a Newfoundland, which
was usually allowed to go out alone, ap-

peared on his return to smell of beer, and,
being watched on one occasion, was seen to
go into a public-house. On inquiry being
made it was found that the dog was in the
habit of calling daily at the public-house and
was usually given a pint of beer.
A striking instance of the reason-
ing power of this breed of dog is
given by G. Romanes in the Quar-
terly Journal of Science for April,
1876. It is there stated that a
Newfoundland dog was sent across
a stream to fetch a couple of hats,
while his master and friend had
gone on some distance. The dog
went after them, and the gentle-
men saw him attempt to carry
both hats, and fail, for together
they were too much for him. Pre-
sently he paused in his endeavour,
took a careful survey of the hats,
discovered that one was larger than
the other, put the small one inside
the larger, and took the latter in
his teeth by the brim and carried
both across !

The black variety of the New-
foundland is essentially black in
colour ; but this does not mean
that there may be no other colour,
for most black Newfoundlands have
some white marks, and these are not
considered objectionable, so long as they are
limited to white hairs on the chest, toes,
or the tip of the tail. In fact, a white
marking on the chest is said to be typical
of the true breed. Any white on the head
or body would place the dog in the other
than black variety. The black colour should
preferably be of a dull jet appearance, which
approximates to brown. In the other than
black class, there may be black and tan,
bronze, and white and black. The latter
predominates, and in this colour, beauty of
marking is very important. The head should
be black with a white muzzle and blaze, and
the body and legs should be white with large
patches of black on the saddle and quarters,
with possibly other small black spots on
the body and legs.

Apart from colour, the varieties should

THE NEWFOUNDLAND.

79

conform to the same standard. The head
should be broad and massive, but in no
sense heavy in appearance. The muzzle
should be short, square, and clean cut, eyes
rather wide apart, deep set, dark and small,
not showing any haw ; ears small, with
close side carriage, covered with fine short
hair (there should be no fringe to the ears),
expression full of intelligence, dignity, and
kindness.

The body should be long, square, and
massive, loins strong and well filled ; chest
deep and broad ; legs quite straight, some-
what short in proportion to the length of the
body, and powerful, with round bone well
covered with muscle ; feet large, round, and
close. The tail should be only long enough
to reach just below the hocks, free from
kink, and never curled over the back.
The quality of the coat is very important ;
the coat should be very dense, with plenty
of undercoat ; the outer coat somewhat
harsh and quite straight. A curly coat is
very objectionable. A dog with a good coat
may be in the water for a considerable time
without getting wet on the skin.

The appearance generally should indicate
a dog of great strength, and very active
for his build and size, moving freely with
the body swung loosely between the legs,
which gives a slight roll in gait. This has
been compared to a sailor's roll, and is
typical of the breed.

As regards size, the Newfoundland Club
standard gives 140 lbs. to 120 lbs. weight
for a dog, and no lbs. to 120 lbs. for a bitch,
with an average height at the shoulder of
27 inches and 25 inches respectively ; but
it is doubtful whether dogs in proper con-
dition do conform to both requirements.
At any rate, the writer is unable to trace
any prominent Newfoundlands which do,
and it would be safe to assume that for dogs
of the weights specified, the height should
be quite 29 inches for dogs, and 27 inches
for bitches. A dog weighing 150 lbs. and
measuring 29 inches in height at the shoulder
would necessarily be long in body to be
in proportion, and would probably much
nearer approach the ideal form for a New-
foundland than a taller dog.

In that respect Newfoundlands have
very much improved during the past
quarter of a century. Twenty-five years ago,
the most noted dogs were stated as a rule to be
well over 30 inches in height, but their weight
for height would indicate legginess, which
is an abomination in a Newfoundland. One
dog of years ago, named Mayor of Bingley, a
well-known prize-winner, was stated to be
32^ inches at the shoulder and 142 lbs. in
weight, while his length was 50 inches (ex-
cluding tail). It is interesting to compare
that dog with Champion Shelton Viking,
who is illustrated in this chapter. His
height is 29I- inches, weight 154 lbs., and
length of body 48 inches. To be approxi-
mately of the same comparative proportions
for his height Mayor of Bingley should have
weighed at least 180 lbs. That, I think,
would be too heavy for a Newfoundland, and,
in fact, he was too tall. A 29-inch New-
foundland is quite tall enough, and even that
height should not be gained at the expense of
type and symmetry.

The following table gives figures as a
guide to what the writer considers should
be about the measurements of a full-sized
dog and bitch :

Dog.

Bitch.

Height . . .29 in.

27 in.

Weight . . . 1 50 lb.

120 lb.

Length from nose to root

of tail . . ^2 in.

48+ in.

Girth of head . 26

23 ..

muzzle . . 13

12 ,,

chest . . 39

35 ,.

loin . . 33

30 ..

forearm . . 10 ,,

9 „

Length of head . . 12-J ,,

n

It does not follow, of course, that a
dog with these measurements will neces-
sarily be a good show dog ; but it will
be found that the measurements compare
fairly well with those of the most typical
black dogs and bitches. The white and black
variety are, as a rule, slightly taller, smaller in
loin and longer in head, but these differences
in the two varieties are being rapidly re-
moved, and at no distant date the white and
black variety will probably be as correct
in type and symmetry as the black variety
now is.

8o

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

MR. J. J. coopers CH. KING STUART

BY PRINCE JACK QUEEN ANNE.

For very many years the black variety
has been the better in type ; and in breed-
ing, if blacks are desired, it will be safer
as a general rule to insist upon the absence
of white and black blood in any of the
immediate ancestors of the sire and dam.
But if, on the contrary, white and black
dogs are required, the proper course is to
make judicious crosses between the black
and white, and black varieties, and destroy
any black puppies, unless they are re-
quired for further crosses with white and
black blood. In any case the first cross is
likely to produce both black and mis-marked
white and black puppies ; but the latter,
if bred back to the white and black blood,
would generally produce well-marked white
and black Newfoundlands.

In mating, never be guided solely by the
good points of the dog and bitch. It is very
desirable that they should both have good

points, the more good ones
the better, but it is more
important to ensure that
they are dissimilar in their
defects, and, if possible, that
in neither case is there a
very objectionable defect,
especially if such defect was
also apparent in the animal's
sire or dam.

It is, therefore, important
to study what were the good,
and still more so the bad,
points in the parents and
grandparents. If you do
not know these, other New-
foundland breeders will will-
ingly give information, and
any trouble involved in
tracing the knowledge re-
quired will be amply repaid
in the results, and probably
save great disappoint-
ment.

When rearing puppies give
them soft food, such as well-
boiled rice and milk, as soon
as they will lap, and, shortly
afterwards, scraped lean
meat. Newfoundland puppies
require plenty of meat to induce proper
growth. The puppies should increase in
weight at the rate of 3 lbs. a week, and this
necessitates plenty of flesh, bone and muscle-
forming food, plenty of meat, both raw and
cooked. Milk is also good, but it requires
to be strengthened with Plasmon, or casein.
The secret of growing full-sized dogs with
plenty of bone and substance is to get
a good start from birth, good feeding, warm,
dry quarters, and freedom for the puppies
to move about and exercise themselves
as they wish. Forced exercise may make
them go wrong on their legs. Medicine
should not be required except for worms,
and the puppies should be physicked for
these soon after they are weaned, and
again when three or four months old,
or before that if they are not thriving. If
free from worms, Newfoundland puppies
will be found quite hardy, and, under

THE NEWFOUNDLAND.

81

proper conditions of food and quarters, they
are easy to rear.

The Newfoundland Club scale of points
for judging is as follows :

Head 34 points : —

Shape of skull ... 8
Ears . . . .10

Eyes .... 8

Muzzle

Body 66 points : —
Neck
Chest

Shoulders .
Loin and back .
Hind quarters and tail
Legs and feet .
Coat

Size, height, and general ap
pearance

Total points

8—34

Her patience and skill have been repaid,
and this lady now holds a very strong
hand in Newfoundlands. Viking attained
high honour on the first occasion of his
being shown. At the Crystal Palace, Oc-
tober, 1904, he won first prizes in Open
and Limit classes, the silver cup for the
best black dog, and also the Championship.
He is still an unbeaten dog, and is likely
to be as famous in the Stud Book as his
grandsire King Stuart.

The other black Newfoundland illustrated
is Champion Gipsy Princess (p. 76), who was
owned by Miss E. Goodall. This bitch
was first shown, I think, at Earl's Court in
1899, at the age of about ten months,
and created quite a sensation among New-
foundland breeders. The successful career
then commenced was continued throughout
her life. It is an unfortunate fact that

Five of the illustrations in this
chapter are of typical cham-
pions of the breed. Taking the
head of Champion King Stuart
(K.C.S.B. 36,708) first, this is
portrayed as the type of head
required. There is a slight
defect in the photograph, due
to refraction, the smooth, shiny
black hair at the stop having
glistened in the light, thus
preventing the depth of the
stop and the formation of the
dome from being justly seen.
This dog had an almost un-
paralleled record on the show
bench. He was the sire of
Mr. Horsfield's very typical
dog, Champion Bowdon Per-
fection, of Mr. Critchley's
charming bitch, Champion Lady
Buller, and the grandsire, on both
sire and dam's side, of Cham-
pion Shelton Viking (p. 82).

Viking was bred by Mrs.
Vale Nicolas, of Worksop, who
at one time owned King Stuart,
and was firm in her resolve to
breed to that type of head.

MR. C. GOODMAN'S MISS
BY CH, CANONBURY ROVE

Photograph by Russell.

82

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

she never bred. She was an exceptionally
large bitch. Her breeder was Mr. Haldenby,
of Hull, and she was but one of many famous
Newfoundlands emanating from his kennels.
The sire of Gipsy Princess was the famous
Champion Wolf of Badenoch. and her dam
was by King Stuart.

Coming now to the illustrations of the
white and black dogs, to take them in the
order of their birth, first is Champion Prince
of Norfolk. The illustration (see p. 83) shows
what a grandly proportioned dog he was.
and how beautifully marked. He was very
little used at stud, and he died in 1904. The

Other famous Newfoundland kennels are
owned by the Rev. W. T. \Yillacott, of Brad-
worthy, North Devon ; Mr. J.J. Horsfield,
of Sale : Mr. J. J. Cooper (President of the
Newfoundland Club), of Feniscowles Old
Hall, near Blackburn ; Mr. R. R. Coats, of
Newcastle-on-Tyne ; but to mention all
the owners and the many celebrated New-
foundlands who have made history in the
breed would exceed the space available
in this chapter. There are many who
have passed : owners who are remembered
with respect and esteem, and dogs who find
a soft place in one's heart for the many

CH. SHELTON VIKING, by lord rosebery — shelton madge

BRED AND OWNED BY MRS. VALE NICOLAS, WORKSOP.

1 h by 1 . 1 ,1::.

other dog illustrated is Champion Milk Boy,
owned by Mrs. W. A. Lindsay, of Belfast
(see pp. 77, 78). This dog has won numerous
championships, prizes, and cups, and was
bred by Mr. H. J. Mansfield, of Rushbrooke,
near Bury St. Edmunds, who has for many
years been a consistent and successful
breeder of Newfoundlands.

victories they won, and for the great nanus
that live after them. And in the present
there are still friends who are carrying
on the history, and great dogs who are
an improved race, ready to uphold the
fame of their breed on the show bench, and
to gladden the hearts of their masters and
mistresses as friends and companions.

THE NEWFOUNDLAND. 83

In conclusion, a few words may be said open to competition among the members ;
for the Newfoundland Club, which was estab- it presents special prizes at the various
lished in 1884 to promote the breeding shows ; and offers facilities to anyone who is

CAPTAIN J. H. BAILEY'S CH. PRINCE OF NORFOLK

BY HIS NIBBS PRINCESS MAY II

Photograph by Salmon.

of pure Newfoundlands by endeavouring desirous of studying the breed. The annual

to make the qualities and type of the subscription is £1 is., and the Hon. Secre-

breed more definitely known. The Club tary is Mr. W. E. Gillingham, of 335, King

owns several Challenge Cups, which are Street West, Hammersmith.

°4

"WE ARE SEVEN"

TEAM OF SIX WEEKS OLD GREAT DANES BY LORD DE GRACE VENDETTA OF REDGRAVE.

BRED BY MR. J. L. CHING, ENFIELD.

CHAPTER VII.

THE GREAT DANE, OR GERMAN BOARHOUND.

BY E. B. JOACHIM.

" He who alone there was deemed best of all,
The war dog of the Danefolk, well worthy of men."

— Hel-ride of Brynhild.

B. WROTTESLEVS

THYRA OF SEISDON.

BY CH. LORIS-

THE origin of
the Great
Dane, like
that of a great
many other varie-
ties of dogs, is so
obscure that all
researches have
only resulted in
speculative theo-
ries, but the un-
doubted an-
tiquity of this
dog is proved by the fact that repre-
sentatives of a breed sufficiently similar to
be considered his ancestors are found on
some of the oldest Egyptian monuments.
How the Great Dane came by his present
name is also uncertain. If Denmark was
the country from which these dogs spread
over the Continent, and were on that
account called Great Danes, they must
have greatly deteriorated in their father-
land, because what is now known as the
Dansk Hound (Danish Dog) is at the

best only a sorry caricature of the Great
Dane.

A few years ago a controversy arose on the
breed's proper designation, when the Ger-
mans claimed for it the title " Deutsche
Dogge." Germany had several varieties
of big dogs, such as the Hatzrude, Sau-
fanger, Ulmer Dogge, and Rottweiler
Metzerghund ; but contemporaneously with
these there existed, as in other countries in
Europe, another very big breed, but much
nobler and more thoroughbred, known as
the Great Dane. When after the war of
1870 national feeling was pulsating very
strongly in the veins of re-united Germany,
the German cynologists were on the look-
out for a national dog, and for that purpose
the Great Dane was re-christened " Deutsche
Dogge," and elected as the champion of
German Dogdom. For a long time all
these breeds had, no doubt, been indis-
criminately crossed, and a proof of this may
be • found in the fact that the powerful
influence in dog breeding of " black and
tan," which is the colour of the Rottweiler

THE GREAT DANE.

85

Hund, shows itself even now by the occa-
sional appearance of a puppy with tan
marking, and particularly the peculiar tan
spots above the eyes.

The Great Dane was introduced into this
country spasmodically some thirty-five

shortened by the removal of some of the
end joints should be disqualified from
winning a prize. At the end of 1895 the
old Club was dissolved, and in 1896 Mr.
Robert Leadbetter, M.F.H., took the initia-
tive in the formation of a new Great Dane

MRS. REGINALD HERBERT'S CH. VENDETTA BY HARRAS FLORA.

BRED BY MR. BAMBERGER IN 1884.

years ago, when he was commonly referred
to as the Boarhound, or the German Mastiff,
and for a time the breed had to undergo
a probationary period in the " Foreign
Class " at dog shows, but it soon gained in
public favour, and in the early 'eighties a
Great Dane Club was formed. In 1895
the breed suffered a great set-back through
the abolition of " cropping " in this country,
which was also one of the causes of dissen-
sion amongst the members of the Great
Dane Club ; another cause being the question
as to whether a dog whose tail had been

Club, which has flourished ever since. In
1903 another Club was started under the
title, " The Northern Great Dane Club,"
which has also done important work. The
intrinsic good qualities of the Great Dane
and the assistance of these institutions have
raised him to such a height in general esteem
that he is now one of the most popular of
all the larger breeds of dogs.

The Kennel Club has classed the Great
Dane amongst the Non-Sporting dogs, prob-
ably because with us he cannot find a
quarry worthy of his mettle ; but, for all

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

that, he has the instincts and qualifications
of a sporting dog, and he has proved him-
self particularly valuable for hunting big
game in hot climates, which he stands very
well.

Respecting the temperament of the Great
Dane and his suitability as a companion

MRS. HORSFALLS VANDAL OF REDGRAVE

BY ORUS OF LOCHERBIE VROLA OF REDGRAVE.

Photograph by Judge, Hastings.

writers have gone to extremes in praise
and condemnation. In his favour it must
be said that in natural intelligence he is
surpassed by very few other dogs. He has
a most imposing figure, and does not, like
some other big breeds, slobber from his
mouth, which is a particularly unpleasant
peculiarity when a dog is kept in the house.
On the other hand, it must be admitted that
with almost the strength of a tiger he com-
bines the excitability of a terrier, and no
doubt a badly trained Great Dane is a very
dangerous animal. It is not sufficient to
teach him in the haphazard way which
might be successful in getting a small dog
under control, but even as a companion
he ought to be trained systematically,
and, considering his marked intelligence,
this is not difficult of accomplishment.

In Germany the Great Dane is some-
times specially trained to " go for a man "

at command, and to pull him down and
stand over him without biting him unless
he shows fight.

The Great Dane attains his full develop-
ment in about a year and a half to two years,
and, considering that puppies have to build
up iia that time a very big skeleton and
straight limbs, special
attention must be given
to the rearing of them.
The dam whelps fre-
quently eight puppies,
and sometimes even a
few more, but that is
too great a number for
a bitch to suclde in a
breed where great size
is a desideratum. Not
more than four, or at
the outside five, should
be left with the bitch,
and the others put to
a foster mother, or if
they are weaklings or
foul-marked puppies it
is best to destroy them.
After the puppies are
weaned, their food
should be of bone-
making quality, and
they require ample space for exercise and
play at their own sweet will. Nothing is
worse than to take the youngsters for forced
marches before their bones have become
firm.

Before giving the description and stan-
dard which have been adopted by the Great
Dane Clubs, a few. remarks on some of the
leading points will be useful. The general
characteristic of the Great Dane is a com-
bination of grace and power, and therefore
the lightness of the Greyhound, as well as
the heaviness of the Mastiff, must be avoided.
The head should be powerful, but at
the same time show quality by its nice
modelling.

The eyes should be intelligent and viva-
cious, but not have the hard expression of
the terrier. The distance between the eyes
is of great importance ; if too wide apart
they give the dog a stupid appearance,

THE GREAT DANE.

87

and if too close together he has a treacher-
ous look.

Another very important point is the grace-
ful carriage of the tail. When it is curled
over the back it makes an otherwise hand-
some dog look mean, and a tail that curls
at the end like a corkscrew is also very
ugly. In former times " faking " was not
unfrequently resorted to to correct a faulty
tail carriage, but it is easily detected, be-
cause when the dog is excited he raises the
tail up to the point where it has been
operated upon, and from there it is carried
in an unnaturally different direction in a
more or less lifeless
way. " Faked " tails
are now hardly ever
seen. Great Danes
sometimes injure the
end of the tail by
hitting it against a
hard substance, and
those with a good car-
riage of tail are most
liable to this because
in excitement they
slash it about, whereas
the faulty position of
the tail, curled over
the back, insures im-
munity from harm. It
a dog's tail has been
damaged, it should be
attended to at once
to allay inflammation,
otherwise mortification
may set in and some
of the joints of the tail
will have to be taken
off.

Cases have probably
occurred where the end
of the tail was taken
off to get rid of the ugly corkscrew twist,
and this may have been the reason for
the proposal to disqualify all curtailed
dogs.

Until recently British Great Dane breeders
and exhibitors have paid very little atten-
tion to colour, on the principle that, like a
good horse, a good Great Dane cannot be

a bad colour. The English clubs, however,
have now in this particular also adopted the
German standard.

The orthodox colours are brindle, fawn,
blue, black, and harlequin. In the brindle
dogs the ground colour should be any shade
from light yellow to dark red-yellow on
which the brindle appears in darker
stripes. The harlequins have on a pure
white ground fairly large black patches,
which must be of irregular shape, broken
up as if they had been torn, and not have
rounded outlines. When brindle Great
Danes are continuously bred together, it

LIBETT VAN DE PRINS by ch. hatto of Holland — ady.

LATE OWNER, MISS E. MACKAY SCOTT.

has been found that they get darker, and
that the peculiar " striping " disappears,
and in that case the introduction of a good
fawn into the strain is advisable. The
constant mating of harlequins has the ten-
dency to make the black patches dis-
appear, and the union with a good black
Great Dane will prevent the loss of colour.

88

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG

The following is the official description
issued by the Great Dane Club. The
sketches are by Mis. Ernest E. Fox.

THE PERFECT GREAT DANE.

I. General Appearance. — The Great Dane is not
so heavy or massive as the Mastiff, nor should
he too nearly approach the Greyhound type.
Remarkable in size and very muscular, strongly
though elegantly built ; the head and neck
should be carried high, and the tail in line with
the back, or slightly upwards, but not curled

MR. h. Schmidts CHANCE OF ROSEDALE

(AT THE AGE OF EIGHT MONTHS)

BY PRINCE FLORIZEL LIBETT VAN DE PRINS.

over the hind quarters. Elegance of outline
and grace of form are most essential to a Dane ;
size is absolutely necessary ; but there must be
that alertness of expression and briskness of
movement without which the Dane character
is lost. He should have a look of dash and
daring, of being ready to go anywhere and do
anything.

2. Temperament. — The Great Dane is good-
tempered, affectionate, and faithful to his master,
not demonstrative with strangers ; intelligent,
courageous, and always alert. His value as a
guard is unrivalled. He is easily controlled

when well trained, but he may grow savage if
confined too much, kept on chain, or ill treated.

3. Height. — The minimum height of an adult
dog should be 30 ins.; that of a bitch, 28 ins.

4. Weight. — The minimum weight of an adult
dog should be 120 lbs. ; that of a bitch, 100 lbs.
The greater height and weight to be preferred,
provided that quality and proportion are also
combined.

5. Head. — Taken altogether, the head should
give the idea of great length and strength of jaw.
The muzzle, or foreface. is

broad, and the skull propor-
tionately narrow, so that the
whole head, when viewed from
above and in front, has the
appearance of equal breadth
throughout.

6. Length of Head. — The The Dutteo Line sh.,ws
entire length of head varies faulty lip.

with the height of the dog, 1 3
ins. from the tip of the nose to the back of the
occiput is a good measurement for a dog of 321ns.'
at the shoulder. The length from the end of the
nose to the poin between the eyes should be
about equal, or preferably of greater length than
from this point to the back of the occiput.

7. Skull. — The skull should be flat rather than
domed, and have a slight indentation running
up the centre, the occipital peak not prominent.
There should be a decided rise or brow over
the eyes, but no abrupt stop between them.

FAULTY EARS.

8. Face. — The face should be chiselled well
and foreface long, of equal depth throughout,
and well filled in below the eyes with no appear-
ance of being pinched.

9. Muscles of the Cheek. — The muscles of the
cheeks should be quite fiat, with no lumpiness
cr cheek bumps, the angle of the jaw-bone well
defined.

10. Lips. — The lips should hang quite square
in front, forming a right angle with the upper
line of foreface.

THE GREAT DANE.

ii. — Underline. — The underline of the head,
viewed in profile, runs almost in a straight line
from the corner of the lip to the corner of the
jawbone, allowing for the fold of the lip, but
with no loose skin to hang down.

12. Jaw. — The lower jaw should be about
level, or at any rate not project more than the
sixteenth of an inch.

13. Nose and Nostrils. — The bridge of the nose

the elbows well under the body, so that, when
viewed in front, the dog does not stand too wide.

17. Forelegs and Feet. — The fore-legs should
be perfectly straight, with big flat bone. The
feet large and round, the toes well arched and
close, the nails strong and curved.

18. Body. — The body is very deep, with ribs
well sprung and belly well drawn up.

19. Back and Loins. — The back and loins are

MRS. H. horsfall'S CH. VIOLA OF REDGRAVE

BY CH. THOR OF REDGRAVE VROLA OF REDGRAVE

Phctograph by Coe, Norwich.

should be very wide, with a slight ridge where
the cartilage joins the bone. (This is quite a
characteristic of the breed.) The nostrils should
be large, wide, and open, giving a blunt look to
the nose. A butterfly or flesh-coloured nose is
not objected to in harlequins.

14. Ears. — The ears should be small, set high
on the skull, and carried slightly erect, with the
tips falling forward.

15. Neck. — Next to the head, the neck is one
of the chief characteristics. It should be long,
well arched, and quite clean and free from loose
skin, held well up, snakelike in carriage, well
set in the shoulders, and the junction of head
and neck well defined.

16. Shoulders. — The shoulders should be muscu-
lar but not loaded, and well sloped back, with

strong, the latter slightly arched, as in the Grey-
hound.

20. Hind-Quarters. — The hind-quarters and
thighs are extremely muscular, giving the idea
of great strength and galloping power. The
second thigh is long and well developed as in
a Greyhound, and the hocks set low, turning
neither out nor in.

21. Tail. — The tail is strong at the root and
ends in a fine point, reaching to or just below
the hocks. It should be carried, when the dog
is in action, in a straight line level with the back,
slightly curved towards the end, but should not
curl over the back.

22. Coat. — The hair is short and dense, and
sleek-looking, and in no case should it incline
to coarseness.

go

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

23. Gait or Action. — The gait should be lithe,
springy, and free, the action high. The hocks
should move very freely, and the head should
be held well up.

24. Colour. — The colours are brindlc, fawn,
blue, black, and harlequin. The harlequin should
have jet black patches and spots on a pure white
ground ; grey patches are admissible but not
desired ; but fawn or brindle shades are objection-
able.

Fassbender, Mr. Wuster, Lord Charles Kerr,
Prince Albert Solms, Mr. James Davis,
and Mr. Charles Goas. Mr. Fassbender
was the owner of Xero, who was mated
to Mr. Wuster's Flora — both importations.
Nero was a large and elegantly shaped
brindle, while Flora was a notably strong
and beautiful bitch. She was bred from
before she came to England, and perhaps

mrs. h. horsfall's CH. VICEROY OF REDGRAVE

BY CH. HANNIBAL OF REDGRAVE CH. VALENTINE OF REDGRAVE.

Photograph by Coc, Norwich.

In supplement to Mr. Joachim's valuable
remarks on this breed it may be noted
that among the early importations of the
Great Dane into England were Lady
Bismarck and Libertas, the latter a grand
bitch who had several good litters by her
kennel mate, Imperium, who distinguished
himself at Dublin and at the Crystal Palace.
Herr Gustav Lang, of Stuttgart, Herr
R. von Schmeideberg, editor of Dcr Hund,
and Herr Bamberger, were the principal
authorities on the breed in Germany ; and
the chief owners in England were Mr.

the finest specimen of the Great Dane ever
seen in this country was her daughter
Champion Vendetta, whose sire was Harras.
Bred by Herr Bamberger. Vendetta was
born August 21st, 1S84. and imported
while still young, becoming the property
of Mrs. Reginald Herbert, who afterwards
sold her to Mr. Craven. Although in all
large breeds the female is, as a rule, notice-
ably smaller than the male, Vendetta was
in no sense inferior to such mighty dogs
as Hannibal and Champion Colonia Bosco.
She was tall, with great substance and

THE GREAT DANE.

9i

power, and had the bold, frowning ex-
pression and noble, commanding look which
seems to have been softened out from the
more recent Danes. Her height was 32J-
inches at the shoulder, and her weight
144 lbs. Thus she was considerably taller
and heavier than most specimens of her
breed.

Mr. Robert Leadbetter, who has already
been mentioned in connection with the
breeding of Mastiffs, is equally well known
as an owner and successful breeder of Great
Danes ; and another
enthusiast is Miss
Evelyn Mackay Scott,
of Erith, the owner
of Prince Florizel,and
breeder of Hannibal
of Rosedale and the
late Chance of Rose-
dale. Hannibal is
probably the largest
Great Dane living at
the present time in
Europe, and cer-
tainly in England.
His height is 34
inches. But Chance,
who was a splendid
light brindle, was
even taller than his
half-brother, for he
stood fully 35 inches
at the shoulder, and
was perhaps the tall-
est dog of any breed
and at any time
whose measurements
have been recorded.
His proportions were
entirely in harmony
with his remarkable
height, for he was a
dog of enormous bone

and substance, with wonderful depth of
brisket. He had an admirably typical head,
with a good square muzzle and level jaw.
His expression was of the true Dane char-
acter, and his action was majestic.

Of recent years women have been promi-
nent among the owners and breeders who

have striven to keep perfect and to popularise
the Great Dane, and none has done more in
this direction than Mrs. H. Horsfall, whose
kennels at Mornington Manor, in Norfolk,
have sent forth many redoubtable champions.
There are, indeed, very few superlative Great
Danes nowadays who do not owe some re-
lationship to the renowned Redgrave strain.
The following Great Danes have gained
championship honours during the past five
years. Dogs : Roger of Eccleshall, Viceroy
of Redgrave, Viking of Redgrave, Lord

MESSRS. W. H. BOYE
BY CH. VICEROY—
Photograph by T. Fall.

s and h. Schmidt's HANNIBAL OF ROSEDALE

ETT VAN DE PRINS.

Deedless, Lord Ronald of Redgrave, Thor
of Redgrave, Loris of Redgrave, Vanguard
of Redgrave, Vrelst of Redgrave. Bitches :
Lady Topper, Lot of Redgrave, Victory of
Redgrave, Valentine of Redgrave, Superba
of Stapleton, Viola of Redgrave, Rosamund
of Stapleton.

92

CHAPTER VIII.
THE DALMATIAN, OR COACH DOG.

BY F. C. HIGNETT.

"Spotted like the leopard, I

Live my days at Dobbin's heels.
Let the hastening pack go by,
With tootling horn and bellowing cry ;
I am content between the wheels."

" The Spotted Dog."

BEWICK'S DALMATIAN (1790\

OF the antecedents of the Dalmatian
it is extremely hard to speak with
certainty, but it appears that the
breed has altered very little since it was
first illustrated in Bewick's book on nat-
ural history, in which there appears an
engraving of a dog who, but for his dis-
graceful tail carriage, would be able to
hold his own in high - class competition
in the present day, and whose markings
are sufficiently well distributed to satisfy
the most exacting of judges. Indeed,
the almost geometrical exactness with
which the spots are represented by Bewick
suggests the inference that imagination
greatly assisted Nature in producing what
he thought ought to be. The famous en-
graver's ideal, however exaggerated, is at
the same time a standard worth breeding
up to in that most important feature of this
dog, the brilliance and regularity of his
markings.

In former times it was the custom to
transform the ears of the Dalmatian by
cropping, and in many cases the whole flap

of the ear was entirely removed, exposing
the cavity ; but this barbarous and utterly
useless practice rightly fell into disrepute,
and the dog now appears as Nature in-
tended him to be — a smart, well-built,
aristocratic-looking animal, in shape and
size resembling a Pointer ; in colour pure
white, sprinkled with black or brown
spots.

Before the Kennel Club found it necessary
to insist upon a precise definition of each
breed, the dog was known as the Coach Dog,
a name appropriately derived from his
fondness for following a carriage, for living
in and about the stable, and for accom-
panying his master's horses at exercise.
As an adjunct to the carriage he is pecu-
liarly suitable, for in fine weather he will
follow between the wheels for long dis-
tances without showing fatigue, keeping
easy pace with the best horses. Then,
again, being perfectly smooth and short
in coat, and at the same time possessed of
sufficient size and pluck to command re-
spect on the part of intruders, he can in wet
weather adorn the inside of the vehicle
without inconvenience to other occupants.
He appears almost to prefer equine to
human companionship, and he is as fond of
being among horses as the Collie is of being
in the midst of sheep. Yet he is of friendly
disposition, and it must be insisted that
he is by no means so destitute of intelligence
as he is often represented to be. On the
contrary, he is capable of being trained
into remarkable cleverness, as circus pro-
prietors have discovered.

THE DALMATIAN.

93

The Dalmatian has another trait in his have been taken to train them systematic-
character which is in his favour, for, although ally for gun-work.

not classed among sporting breeds, he is So far as can be ascertained, the first of
decidedly useful as a sporting dog, and the variety which appeared in the show
from his similarity in shape and build to ring was Mr. James Fawdry's Captain, in

1873. At that period they were looked
upon as a novelty, and, though the gene-
rosity and influence of a few admirers
ensured separate classes being provided
for the breed at the leading shows, it did
not necessitate the production of such per-
fect specimens as those which a few years
afterwards won prizes. At the first they
were more popular in the North of England
than in any other part of Great Britain.
It was at Kirkby Lonsdale that Dr. James's
Spotted Dick was bred, and an early ex-
ploiter of the breed who made his dogs
famous was Mr. Newby Wilson, of Lake-
side, Windermere. He was indebted to Mr.
Hugo Droesse, of London, for the founda-
tion of his stud, inasmuch as it was from
Mr. Droesse that he purchased Ch. Acrobat
and Ch. Berolina. At a later date the famed
Coming Still and Prince IV. were secured

MR. W. B HERMAN'S CH. FONTLEROY
BY PRINCE IV. FLIRT.

a small-sized Pointer, he is well qualified
to undergo the fatigue of a hard day's
shooting. Although he is not quite so

keen-scented nor so staunch as the Pointer, from the same kennel, the latter dog being-
he yet has many of the same attributes, and the progenitor of most of the best liver-
when trained — which is, un-
fortunately, all too rare an
occurrence — he is of valu-
able service in the field.
Experience has proved, how-
ever, that he prefers fea-
thered to ground game, or,
at least , that he seems to
find and take more notice
of partridges and pheasants
than of hares.

The earliest authorities
agree that this breed was
first introduced from Dal-
matia, and it has been
confidently asserted that he
was brought into this coun-
try purely on account of
his sporting proclivities. Of
late years, however, these
dogs have so far degenerated as to be spotted specimens that have attained noto-
looked upon simply as companions, or as riety as prize-winners down to the present
exhibition dogs, for only very occasion- day.
ally can it be found that any pains Probably there was never a more sensa-

MR. W. PROCTOR'S BALETTE BY CH. LORD QUEX-
Photograph by Hignett and Son, Lostock.

94

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

tional disposal of a noted kennel than that
which was witnessed when Mr. Newby
Wilson relinquished his interest in this breed,
for both Acrobat and Berolina were bought
by Mr. E. T. Parker, of Bristol, for less than
ten pounds each. To-day such specimens
would realise at least eight or ten times
the amount. Mr. Parker's opinion of the
merits of these doe;s turned out to be very

MRS. f. w. bedwells RUGBY BUCKSHOT

BY JACK HYTHE ROSE.

BRED BY DR. MURDOCH.

correct, for Ch. Acrobat has done more
than any other individual dog to bring
the Dalmatian to its present state of
perfection, such celebrated champions as
Moujik, Primrose, Defender, Challenger,
and Ribblesdale Beauty owning him as
their sire.

Among the principal exhibitors no one
has had a longer or more successful career
than Mrs. J. C. Preston, of Ellel, near
Lancaster, who has not only won more
prizes than any other exhibitor of Dal-
matians, but has also obtained the highest
prices which have been paid for good speci-
mens, which is not surprising when it is
known that Mrs. Preston relied on such
famous stock as that of Champions Moujik,
Primrose, Defender, Pearlette, and Lord
Quex, and the remarkably good-coloured
liver-spotted dog, Ch. President, who, with

Pearlette, was sold to Mr. Macklay, of New
York, quite recently at a figure which
constituted a record for the variety.

In his day no Dalmatian of his colour
could approach Mr. Herman's Ch. Fontleroy,
and it is questionable whether any of the
variety has been quite so distinguished
for the uniformity of the size and
very even distribution of his markings,
which are such essential attributes of the
perfect Dalmatian. Mrs. Bedwell has also
done much towards making the breed
popular, and has consistently proffered
unstinted support to such show societies
as are willing to give anything like a reason-
able classification. Mrs. Bedwell owns many
notable examples, including Champions
Rugby Bridget and Rugby Brunette, all of
them being known by the " Rugby " prefix.
Mr. and Mrs. Braithwaite, of Warton, Carn-
forth, Dr. Wheeler-O'Bryen, and Mr. J.
Dawson, of Preston — who possesses Superba
and Partington, two famous winners — are
also among the eminent owners and breeders
who have succeeded in maintaining and
improving the quality of the Dalmatian.
Probably no owner has contributed more to
the revival of public interest in the breed
than the President of the North of England
Club, Mr. William Proctor, of Sale, Cheshire.
He has, during the last five or six years,
exhibited fearlessly, is one of the most
popular dog judges, and is at present the
owner of what may be considered the
best bitch that ever was benched— Ch.
Balette, who within eighteen months has
won a hundred First prizes without having
once suffered defeat.

This breed never attained such a hold
on the favour of the public as it did when
Mr. William Whittaker, of Bolton, was the
Honorary Secretary of the parent club,
for neither before nor since have so many
entries been recorded at the shows. Unfor-
tunately the state of his health demanded
his retirement from active participation
in what was to him a congenial pastime
as well as a source of great benefit to others ;
but this misfortune could not entirely
deter him from taking an interest in the
spotted dog, for he still has one or two

THE DALMATIAN.

95

MR. J. C. preston's CH. DEFENDER

BY CH. ACROBAT TEXAM.

Photograph by Hignrtt and Sen, Lostoch.

about him from which he breeds to supply
those who are younger and more active,
and can therefore stand the hustle of
making long railway journeys to attend
exhibitions.

In appearance the Dalmatian should be
very similar to a Pointer save and except
in head and marking. Still, though not so
long in muzzle nor so pen-
dulous in lip as a Pointer,
there should be no coarse-
ness or common look about
the skull, a fault which is
much too prevalent. Then,
again, some judges do not
attach sufficient importance
to the eyelids, or rather
sears, which should invari-
ably be edged round with
black or brown. Those
which are flesh-coloured in
this particular should be
discarded, however good
they may be in other re-
spects. The density and
pureness of colour, in both
blacks and browns, is of
great importance, but should
not be permitted to out-
weigh the evenness of the

distribution of spots on thti
body ; no black patches, 01
even mingling of the spots,
should meet with favour,
any more than a ring-tail
or a clumsy-looking, heavy-
shouldered dog should com-
mand attention.

The darker - spotted va-
riety usually prevails in
a cross between the two
colours, the offspring very
seldom having the liver-
coloured markings. The un-
initiated may be informed
that Dalmatian puppies are
always born pure white.
The clearer and whiter they are the better
they are likely to be. There should not
be the shadow of a mark or spot on them.
When about a fortnight old, however,
they generally develop a dark ridge on the
belly, and the spots will then begin to
show themselves ; first about the neck and
ears, and afterwards along the back, until
at about the sixteenth day the markings
are distinct over the body, excepting only
the tail, which frequently remains white
for a few weeks longer.

mrs. bedwell's CH. RUGBY BRUNETTE.

Photogiaph by Russell.

96

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

The standard of points as laid down by the
leading club is sufficiently explicit to be
easily understood, and is as follows :

I. General Appearance. — The Dalmatian should
represent a strong, muscular, and active dog,
symmetrical in outline, and free from coarseness
and lumber, capable of great endurance combined
with a fair amount of speed.

variety should be black, in the liver-spotted
variety brown — never flesh-colour in either.

6. Ears. — The ears should be set on rather high,
of moderate size, rather wide at the base, and
gradually tapering to a round point. They should
be carried close- to the head, be thin and fine in
texture, and always spotted — the more profusely
the better.

7. Nose. — The nose in the black-spotted variety

CH. RUGBY BRIDGET by ch. fontleroy — morecambe rose.

BRED BY MRS. H. WILSON BEDWELL.
Photograph by Hemmins, Swindon,

2. Head. — The head should be of a fair length ;
the skull flat, rather broad between the ears, and
moderately well denned at the temples — i.e.
exhibiting a moderate amount of stop and not in
one straight line from the nose to the occiput
bone as required in a Bull terrier. It should be
entirely free from wrinkle.

3. Muzzle. — The muzzle should be long and
powerful ; the lips clean, fitting the jaws
moderately close.

4. Eyes. — The eyes should be set moderately
well apart, and of medium size, round, bright, and
sparkling, with an intelligent expression, their
colour greatly depending on the markings of the
dog. In the black spotted variety the eyes should
be dark (black or dark brown), in the liver-spotted
variety they should be light (yellow or light brown).

5. The Rim round the Eyes in the black-spotted

should always be black, in the liver-spotted
variety always brown.

8. Neck and Shoulders. — The neck should be
fairly long, nicely arched, light and tapering, and
entirely free from throatiness. The shoulders
should be moderately oblique, clean, and muscu-
lar, denoting speed.

9. Body, Back, Chest, and Loins. — The chest
should not be too wide, but very deep and
capacious, ribs moderately well sprung, never
rounded like barrel hoops (which would indicate
want of speed), the back powerful, loin strong,
muscular, and slightly arched.

10. Legs and Feet. — The legs and feet are of
great importance. The fore-legs should be perfectly
straight, strong, and heavy in bone ; elbows close
to the body ; fore-feet round, compact with well-
arched toes (cat-footed), and round, tough, elastic

THE DALMATIAN.

97

pads. In the hind legs the muscles should be
clean, though well-defined ; the hocks well let
down.

ii. Nails. — The nails in the black - spotted
variety should be black and white, in the liver-
spotted variety brown and white.

12. Tail. — The tail should not be too long, strong
at the insertion, and gradually tapering towards
the end, free from coarseness. It should not be
inserted too low down, but carried with a slight
curve upwards, and never curled. It should be
spotted, the more profusely the better.

13. Coat. — The coat should be short, hard, dense
and fine, sleek and glossy in appearance, but neither
woolly nor silky.

14. Colour and Markings. — These are most im-
portant points. The ground colour in both varieties
should be pure white, very decided, and not inter-
mixed. The colour of the spots of the black-
spotted variety should be black, the deeper and
richer the black the better ; in the liver-spotted

variety they should be brown. The spots should
not intermingle, but be as round and well-defined
as possible, the more distinct the better ; in size
they should be from that of a sixpence to a florin.
The spots on head, face, ears, legs, tail, and ex-
tremities to be smaller than those on the body.
15. Weight. — Dogs, 55 lbs. ; bitches, 50 lbs.

Standard of Excellence.

Head and eyes 10

Ears 5

Neck and shoulders ..... 10

Body, back, chest, and loins . . 10

Legs and feet 15

Coat 5

Colour and markings .... 30

Tail 5

Size and symmetry, etc. . . . 10

Total 100

RUGBY BESS O' THE BARN

BY RUGBY BUCKSHOT CH. RUGBY BRUNETTE.

BRED AND OWNED BY MRS. H. WILSON BEDWELL.

CLIPPING DAY IN YARROW.
Photograph by Edwards, Selkirk.

CHAPTER IX.
THE COLLIE.

BY JAMES C. DALGLIESH.

" But should van while wandering in the wild sheepland, happen on moor or in market upon
a very perfect gentle knight clothed in dark grey habit, splashed here and there with rays of moon :
free by right divine of the guild of gentlemen, strenuous as a prince, lithe as a rowan, graceful
as a girl with high king carriage, motions and manners of a fairy queen; should he have a noble
breadth of brow, an air of still strength born of right confidence, all unassuming ; last and most
unfailing test of all, should you look into two snowcloud eyes, calm, wistful, inscrutable, their
soft depths clothed on with eternal sadness— yearning, as is said, for the soul that is not
theirs— know then that you look upon one of the line of the most illustrious sheepdogs of the
North." — " Owd Bob."

I. The Working Collie— The foregoing
quotation from Alfred Olliphant's de-
lightful fictional biography of Bob, son
of Battle, refers more particularly to the
grey Sheepdog of Kenmuir, but it is a
description which may be applied in general
to all the dogs of the Collie strain that
follow their active lives among the fells
and dales and on the wind-swept hillsides
of the North. The townsman who knows
the shepherd's dog only as he is to be
seen, out of Iris true element, threading

his confined way through crowded streets
where sheep are not, can have small appre-
ciation of his wisdom and his sterling
worth. To know him properly, one needs
to see him at work in a country where
sheep abound, to watch him adroitly round-
ing up his scattered charges on a wide-
stretching moorland, gathering the wander-
ing wethers into close order and driving
them before him in unbroken company
to the fold ; handling the stubborn pack
in a narrow lane, running lightly over the

THE COLLIE.

99

woolly floor to whisper a stern command
in the ear of some patriarch of the flock ;
or holding them in the corner of a field,
immobile under the spell of his vigilant
eye. He is at his best as a worker, con-
scious of the responsibility reposed in him ;
a marvel of generalship, gentle, judicious,
slow to anger, quick to action ; the price-
less helpmeet of his master, of whom he
is the business half, sharing ambitions,
perils, sorrows, joys, sun and snow — the
most useful member of all the tribe of
dogs.

Few dogs possess the fertile, resourceful
brain of the Collie. He can be trained to
perform the duties of other breeds. He
makes an excellent sporting dog, and can
be taught to do the work of the Pointer
and the Setter, as well as that of the Water
Spaniel and the Retriever. He is clever
at hunting, having an excellent nose, is a
good vermin-killer, and a most faithful
watch, guard, and companion. I have seen
many companies of performing dogs, and
one of the very best of them was a Collie.
Major Richardson, who during the past ten
years has been successful in training dogs
to ambulance work on the field of battle,
has carefully tested the abilities of various
breeds in discovering wounded soldiers,
and he gives to the Collie the decided
preference .

It is, however, as an assistant to the
flock-master, the farmer, the butcher, and
the drover that the Collie takes his most
appropriate place in every-day life. The
shepherd on his daily rounds, travelling
over miles of moorland, could not well
accomplish his task without his Collie's
skilful aid. One such dog, knowing what
is expected of him, can do work which
would otherwise require the combined efforts
of a score of men. James Hogg, the
Ettrick Shepherd, declared that without
the shepherd's dog the whole of the moun-
tainous land of Scotland would not be
worth a sixpence, and that it would require
more hands to manage a flock of sheep,
gather them from the hills, force them into
houses and folds, and drive them to markets
than the profits of the whole stock would

be capable of maintaining ; and the state-
ment is not wide of the truth.

I have gone the rounds with the shep-
herds on the high hills of Yarrow, and
can personally testify to the amount of
work entrusted to the dogs. Begin the
day's labours on a large hirsel ; picture
the shepherd winding his way along the
narrow bridle track up the hillside, his
dog busy all the time gathering the sheep
from the distant ravines and crags, bringing
them into sight from beyond intervening
knolls and shoulders ; consider the vast
mileage that the dog covers in his bounding
pace, the difficult road that he travels over
rough heather, sharp rocks, and marshy
hollows ! The shepherd tramps miles, per-
haps, but on a beaten track, while his Collie,
taking a wider range, is compelled to gallop
at high speed in order finally to reach the
hilltop at the same time as his master
and continue the industrious search on
the farther side. It is a hard day's work
for any dog : the hardest that the canine
race is expected to perform. Even in the
lowland sheep farms, where the flocks are
easily handled, and where there are no
awkward jumps across dangerous chasms,
there are still big days for the dogs — the
dipping, clipping, and weaning days, when
the parks near the steadings are white
with their bleating crowds needing to be
carefully marshalled ; for the Collie well
knows the trouble that will follow if one
of the fleet-footed sheep should break away,
and, whether standing or resting, he never
takes his watchful eyes off his charge.

The pastoral life of the shepherd and his
dog is a healthy one, not devoid of pleasures.
But take a wintry day on the rain-swept
hills, or a snowstorm on the Grampians, the
Cheviots or the Lammermoors ; think of
the memorable storm in the South of Scot-
land on January 24th, 1794, when nineteen
shepherds and five-and-forty dogs perished
in the execution of their duty ! It is at
such times that the Collie meets hardship
and peril with the heroism of a true soldier.

To the lover of dogs there can be no
pleasure more keen than that of spending
a holiday on a sheep farm. Recently I

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

enjoyed such an experience on the farm of
Mr. Mitchell, of Henderland, purely a sheep
farm, carrying a hundred score of black-
faced sheep. Here three shepherds were
employed, each having two dogs, usually
a good one and a bad one, or say a moderate
one. The photograph on page 98 was
taken on a clipping day. The best of the
four dogs is the one standing — Tweed, a

MR. JAMES SCOTT'S KEP,

ONE OF THE MOST PERFECT WORKING

COLLIES IN SCOTLAND

I'hotograph by Monk, /'jo.v;:.

descendant of the famous breed kept by
the Ettrick Shepherd. Tweed is a dark,
fox-coloured sable with a sensible head, and,
like many of his kind, with one white or
merle eye and the other hazel. Bess, the
black and white lying in the centre, is of
good stamp and a determined worker,
but or strange temperament. All four are
smooth Collies and in the pink of condition.
It is a pleasure to see how quickly these
dogs can climb their way up the heathery
hillside, and to note, when they are beyond
the sound of call or whistle, how they will
watch with eagerness for the semaphore
signal given by the shepherd's directing
hand. A Collie standing on an eminence
watching the sheep is one of the most
picturesque of figures.

Burns, like his fellow-poet James Hogg,
knew the qualities of a good Collie. No
better description is given in a few words
than that which he wrote in " The Twa
Dogs ' :

" He was a gash an' faithfu' tyke
As ever lap a sheugh or dyke.
His honest, sonsie, baws'nt face,
Ay gat him friends in ilka place ;
His breast was white, his touzie back
Weel clad wi' coat o' glossy black ;
His gawcie tail, wi' upward curl.
Hung o'er his hurdies wi' a swirl."

Little is known with certainty of the
origin of the Collie, but his cunning and
his outward appearance would seem to
indicate a relationship with the wild dog.
Buffon was of opinion that he was the
true dog of nature, the stock and model
of the whole canine species. He considered
the Sheepdog superior in instinct and
intelligence to all other breeds, and that,
with a character in winch education has
comparatively little share, he is the only
animal born perfectly trained for the ser-
vice of man. Certainly no dog shows in
the expression of his face more kindness,
more sagacity, or more alert eagerness.
Peculiarly shy in disposition, the Collie
is slow to make friends with strangers ;
but once he gains confidence under proper
treatment, his attachment surpasses that
of any other animal. He is thoroughly
devoted to his master, and happiest when
engaged in helping him among the sheep ;
work in which he is most painstaking and
honest.

It has often been stated that the Collie
is a treacherous dog. He is nothing of
the kind, or I have never found him so.
On the contrary, he is, in my opinion, of
all dogs the most faithful. It may be
said of him, however, that he is disposed
to concentrate his affections upon one
person rather than to lavish it upon many.

One of the most handsome and sagacious
Collies I ever saw was a black, tan and
white one belonging to a Cumberland pig
dealer. This dog was bred out of an old
black and white working bitch by a well-
bred black, tan and white sire of the
old Ch. Ringleader stamp. He stood
26 inches at the shoulder, had always a
beautiful jet black coat with a heavy
mane, and, though weighing over a hundred-
weight, was most active on his legs. He

THE COLLIE.

knew well how to tackle the most obstinate
pig in the unfamiliar drove on the way
from auction market to railway train, and
was an adept at trucking them. He did
not handle them too roughly ; one or two
barks at the ear of a pig was enough, and
although he had the habit of mouthing them
on the hocks and about the hind quarters,
he seldom drew blood. He was altogether
a strikingly commanding dog in appearance,
whether driving the pigs or boldly walk-
ing up the street at his master's heels. He
never fell into an unbeautiful attitude ; there
was something pleasing in his expression
that drew the eye to him repeatedly.

Another dog I often watched at his work
belonged to a shepherd named Bums, who
lived near Selkirk. He was a small, black,
smooth-coated Collie, like a cat in move-
ments, a regular clever little fellow, weigh-
ing no more than 40 lbs. On one occasion,
when returning from a lamb sale and
changing trains at Galashiels, Burns thought
he would sample the whisky, and missed
his connection. The Galawater blend had
such an effect upon him that he subsided
on a doorstep and fell fast asleep. The
police were in the act of removing him
when the little black dog beside him flew
at them so furiously that they dared not
lay a hand on him. On another occasion
Burns was at a sale in Edinburgh, and again
tried the whisky. He was overcome with
sleep in Princes Street near the Scott monu-
ment, and, dropping suddenly, was caught
by the neck of his coat on one of the iron
railings, where he remained hanging. The
passers-by attempted to release him, but
the dog would allow no one to touch him.
So furious did he become that hot irons
had to be held at him before the shepherd
could be rescued from his awkward position.

Yet another shepherd I knew lived near
Langholm. He had a sable and white
Collie named Moss, one of the most sullen-
dispositioned dogs I ever encountered, but
one of the most faithful. The shepherd
never had need to call him, but directed
him by a simple movement of the hand.
Returning from Carlisle market on one
occasion, this shepherd, who was the worse

for liquor, quarrelled with his fellow passen-
gers in the railway carriage, about ten
miles from Langholm. Moss, to the sur-
prise of the travellers, came out from
beneath the seat just in time to see his
master get a severe blow in the face. The
dog turned upon the assailant in so deter-
mined a manner that he had to be pulled
off by the tail while the carriage door was
opened, and he was flung out. Faithful
Moss was none the worse for the adventure,
however, and was home at the farm before
his master. He was a well-made, good-
coated dog, showing much of the prize
Collie in appearance, and one of the clever-
est sheepdogs on the Border. I always
admired his class of coat. It was the best
in texture I ever handled, and when full
was like the thatch of a cottage, perfectly
rain-proof, as a Collie's coat should be.

One of the most perfect working Collies
in Scotland to-day is Kep, the property of
James Scott, of Troneyhill, Hawick. He is
only a small dog, but most trusty when
given the charge of sheep, and has won
many competitions on the trial field. As
a companion he is gentle and quiet, and
he is a perfect house-dog. Strange to say,
he will not look at a rabbit or hare which
may rise in front of him when he is duti-
fully herding the sheep, but a more alert
gun dog and retriever it would be hard to
find. When his master lifts the gun Kep
is in his element, and not many wounded
rabbits are allowed to reach their burrows
after the shot is fired. Kep is of the black
and white type, which is the most popular
among the shepherds of Scotland. At the
shows this type of dog is invariably at the
top of the class. He is considered the
most tractable, and is certainly the most
agile.

Second to this type in favour is the
smooth-coated variety, a very hardy, use-
ful dog, well adapted for hill work and
usually very fleet of foot. He is not so
sweet in temper as the black and white,
and is slow to make friends. In the Ettrick
and Yarrow district I find the smooth
a popular sheepdog. The shepherds main-
tain that he climbs the hills more swiftly

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

than the rough, and in the heavy snow-
storms his clean, unfeathered legs do not
collect and carry the snow. He has a

MR. J. DALGLIESH'S BEARDED COLLIE

ELLWYN GARRIE.

fuller coat than the show specimens usually
carry, but he has the same type of head,
eye, and ears, only not so well developed.

Then there is the Scottish bearded, or
Highland, Collie, less popular still with
the flock-master, a hardy-looking dog in
outward style, but soft in temperament,
and many of them make better cattle than
sheep dogs. This dog and the Old English
Sheepdog are much alike
in appearance, but that
the bearded is a more racy
animal, with a head resem-
bling that of the Dandie
Dinmont rather than the
square head of the Bob-
tail. The strong - limbed
bearded Collie is capable
of getting through a good
day's work, but is not so
steady nor so wise as the
old - fashioned black and
white, or even the smooth-
coated variety. He is a
favourite with the butcher
and drover who have some-
times a herd of trouble-
some cattle to handle, and
he is well suited to rough

and rocky ground, active in movement,
and as sure-footed as the wild goat.
He can endure cold and wet without dis-
comfort, and can live on the Highland
hills when others less sturdy would suc-
cumb. As an outdoor dog he is less sub-
ject to rheumatism than many. His heavy
build, powerful limbs, thick, short neck,
heavy shoulders, and thick skin are character-
istics of all animals inhabiting mountainous
countries, and there is a rugged grandeur
about him comparable with that of the
Scottish Deerhound and the Otterhound,
from which he may be a cross.

In " The Sportsman's Cabinet," 1803, there
is an illustration of an English Sheepdog
which would pass for the Highland Collie,
and one is tempted to believe that there
is some relationship between the two.
Peeblesshire is regarded as the true home
of the Beardie, and Sir Walter Thorburn
and other patrons of the breed have for
long contributed prizes at the annual
pastoral show in that county for the best
bearded dogs owned by shepherds. As
one who has had the honour of judging
at this fixture, I can say that better filled
classes cannot be found anywhere. In the
standard adopted for judging the breed,
many points are given for good legs and
feet, bone, body, and coat, while head and

LORD ARTHUR CECILS BEARDED COLLIE BEN.
Photograph by C. Rod, Wishaw.

THE COLLIE.

103

ears are not of great importance. Move-
ment, size, and general appearance have
much weight. The colour is varied in this
breed. Cream-coloured specimens are not
uncommon, and snow white with orange or
black markings may often be seen, but the
popular colour is grizzly grey. Unfortu-
nately the coats of many are far too soft
and the undercoat is frequently absent.

become frequent fixtures among shepherds
and farmers within recent years. The mode
of arranging these competitions is this : —
Three sheep are let out of a large bught
or pen in the south of the field, the dog
and his master are standing about the
north of the field ; the dog has to bring
the sheep up the east side, round a small
pen at the north end, drive them down

I *j

1

B

'

4ft^^

-

'^WM»>

MR. SIMON RUTHERFORD'S JIM "WEARING" THE SINGLE SHEEP,
AT WHICH WORK HE IS AN ARTIST.
Photograph by Murray, Hawick.

It has been said that the Beardie is not
easily induced to become a poacher, and
that he will pay no attention to game
when on duty. But this I find is not the
case. He soon learns to lift a hare or a
rabbit, and when he starts hunting on his
own responsibility he becomes so keen
that in many cases he will do little else.

Ellwyn Garrie, whose portrait is here
given, is a winner of first prizes at import-
ant shows. He was out of coat when the
photograph was taken, and therefore does
not receive the justice he deserves. He
was bred in the classic vale of Yarrow,
by Adam Scott, the village blacksmith.
His sire was Genty and his dam Moss Rose,
both alike good Sheepdogs bred by Mr.
Horsburgh, a famous Peeblesshire breeder.

II. — Sheepdog Trials. — Working trials
to test the skill of the Sheepdog have

the west side, where a post is placed about
twenty yards from the dyke or hedge on
the south side, and he must drive the sheep
round this post, then bring them up the
course and force them into the pen at the
north side. A:ter they are let out of the
pen they have to be shedded or separated,
and one of the three sheep has to be kept
for a time from joining the others, who
usually make quickly back to the south
gate, through which they entered the field.
The test work is really driving, penning,
and shedding. Now almost any dog can
make a shape at moving or driving the
sheep, but many of them do this work
in a very rough manner, and instead of
driving them at a steady pace, they come
on them so violently and keep at them
so keenly that the sheep are for a while
kept at full gallop, then standing still,

104

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

scattered about, then again away at the
pen. This style of driving is not to be
commended ; the sheep should be driven
steadily all the time, never at full gallop,
but at an even, trotting pace and without
excitement.

Very often the good driving dog becomes
excited when nearing the pen ; he moves
about more smartly ; his patience, which
has stood him in good stead all round the
course, is finished, and he makes a desperate
effort to pen the lot, with the result that
two will break away and one only is forced
into the pen. By this time the sheep are
excited ; he has lost command, puts on
a number of bad turns, but ultimately pens

MR. T H. STRETCH s PARBOLD PAGANINI
BY PARBOLD PIERROT - PARBOLD PLEASANCE.
BRED BY MR. H. AINSCOUGH.
Photograph by Wragg, Ormskirk.

them. The excitement is still on at the
shedding test ; the sheep refuse to separate,
and in wearing the single sheep the dog
is so keen and excited that again he gets
too near and tries to rush his opponent,

who, almost exhausted, ultimately succeeds
in rejoining her companions.

The difficulty is to get a dog so well
trained that not only in driving will he
use his good sense, but also at the penning
and shedding, where the most skilful turns
are required, will he continue to use his
judgment, and thus act from start to
finish in a steady and determined manner.
The judges also take into consideration
the style with which the dog goes through
the work, whether smartly, cheerfully, and
gently, or roughly and indifferently ; and
how long he takes to do it

Many will say there is a good amount
of luck at trials. I have seen this the case
but seldom. For exam-
ple, some dogs get sheep
of wilder temperament
than others to work
with, but while a slight
mistake will throw out
a first-class dog, I al-
ways contend that a
good dog makes his own
luck at a working trial.
You can almost tell the
winner by the style in
which he leaves his
master, comes round on
the sheep, takes posses-
sion of them without
the least excitement, and
has the good sense not
to vex them on the
course, nor yet at the
pen.

In general the excel-
ling competitors at work-
ing trials are the rough-
coated black and white
Collies. The smooth-
coated variety and the Beardie are less fre-
quent winners. I am sorry to say that the
handsome and distinguished gentlemen of
the Ch. YYishaw Leader type are seldom
seen on the trial field, although formerly
such a dog as Ch. Ormskirk Charlie might
be successfully entered with others equally
well bred from the kennels of that good
trainer and fancier, Mr. Piggin, of Long

THE COLLIE.

105

Eaton. A good working Collie, however, is
not always robed in elegance, and I have
seen them run well in all shapes. What is
desirable is that the shepherd and farmer
should fix a standard of points, and breed
as near as possible to that
standard, as the keepers of
the show Collie breed to an
acknowledged type of per-
fection. It is to be regretted
that pedigrees are commonly
ignored among owners of
the Sheepdog. Of course,
a good pedigree is of no
immediate value to a bad
working dog. I once heard
an Irish exhibitor say to a
judge, " You have not looked
at my dog's pedigree." The
judge examined the formid-
able document and nodded.
" Yes," he remarked, " and
the next time you come to
a show, take my advice and
bring the pedigree, but leave
the dog at home." Never-
theless, from a bad worker
of good descent many an
efficient worker might be
produced by proper mating,
and those of us skilled in the breeding of
Collies know the importance of a well-con-
sidered process of selection from unsullied
strains.

I should like to see the shepherd's dog
so certified by pedigree that after a reason-
able number of wins on the trial field he
might be entitled to a free entry in the
Stud Book. This would give him an advan-
tage in the event of his being exported.
At present, were I to pay five pounds for
a working Collie and take him to the
United States, I should be forced to pay
duty at the rate of 20 per cent, to the
American Government before I could land
the dog ; whereas, if he were registered
in the Stud Book of the Kennel Club with
a pedigree of three generations, he would
be entitled to a consular certificate per-
mitting him to land free of cost.

It is a pity that the hard-working dog

of the shepherd does not receive the atten-
tion in the way of feeding and grooming
that is bestowed on the ornamental show
dog. He is too often neglected in these
particulars. Notwithstanding this neglect,

MR. W. E. MASON'S CH.
BY PARBOLD PROFESSOR-

SOUTHPORT STUDENT

— PARBOLD PLEASANCE.

MR. H. AINSCOUGH.

however, the average life of the working
dog is longer by a year or two than that
of his more beautiful cousin. Pampering
and artificial living are not to be encour-
aged ; but, on the other hand, neglect has
the same effect of shortening the span of
life, and bad feeding and inattention to
cleanliness provoke the skin diseases which
are far too prevalent. If the rough-coated
working Collie were as regularly groomed
and as carefully kept as the show dog,
he would become more useful, and lead
a happier life. It is unfair to him that
he should be allowed continually to scratch
himself and be seen with his coat matted,
dirty, and unkempt. The shepherd should
give the same interest and care to his
Collie as the ploughman bestows upon his
horse.

III. The Show Collie. — There is not
a more graceful and physically beautiful

io6

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

dog to be seen than the show Collie of the
present period. Produced from the old
working type, he is now practically a dis-
tinct breed. His qualities in the field
are not often tested, but he is a much
more handsome and attractive animal,

largely induced by the many Collie clubs
now in existence not only in the United
Kingdom and America, but also in South
Africa and Germany, by whom the stand-
ards of points have been perfected. Type
has been enhanced, the head with the small

MR. R. A. TAIT'S CH. WISHAW LEADER

BY ORMSKIRK OLYMPIAN HARTWOOD LADY.

Photograph by C. Reid, Wishaw.

and his comeliness will always win for
him many admiring friends. The improve-
ments in his style and appearance have
been alleged to be due to an admixture
with Gordon Setter blood. In the early
years of exhibitions he showed the shorter
head, heavy ears, and much of the black and
tan colouring which might seem to justify
such a supposition ; but there is no evidence
that the cross was ever purposely sought.
Gradually the colour was lightened to sable
and a mingling of black, white, and tan
came into favour. The shape of the head
was also improved. These improvements
in beauty of form and colour have been

ornamental ears that now prevail is more
classical ; and scientific cultivation and
careful selection of typical breeding stock
have achieved what may be considered the
superlative degree of quality, without ap-
preciable loss of stamina, size or substance.
Great difference as to the scale of points
still exists even among English breeders.
Some would allow fifty points for head and
ears, others would give only thirty. If
the ornamental Collie is to remain a Sheep-
dog, fifty points out of the hundred are
too many to allow for head properties.
Consideration should be given to legs, feet,
bone, body, coat, and general symmetry.

THE COLLIE.

107

A good head is all very well, but the frame-
work on which the head is supported must
be sound ; otherwise little work can be
accomplished. Of course, the dog bred for
show purposes is seldom asked to perform
work in the pastures. What is aimed at
is something beautiful ; a head that will
cause the observer to linger in admiration.
Twenty years ago, when Collies were
becoming fashionable, the rich sable coat
with long flowing white mane was in
highest request. In 1888 Ch. Metchley
Wonder captivated his admirers by these
rich qualities. He was the first Collie for
which a verv high purchase price was paid,
Mr. Sam Boddington having sold him to
Mr. A. H. Megson, of Manchester, for
£530. High prices then became frequent.
Mr. Megson paid as much as £1,300, with
another dog valued at £300, to Mr. Tom
Stretch for Ormskirk Emerald. Sixteen
hundred pounds is a very respectable sum
to pay for a Collie dog. Considering that
one might buy the freehold of a villa
for the money, it seems extravagant ;
but I believe the investment was a profit-
able one to Mr. Megson. No Collie has
had a longer or more brilliant career than
Emerald, and although he was not esteemed
as a successful sire, yet he was certainly
the greatest favourite among our show
dogs of recent years. I have never met
with one to equal him ; he added up on
points better than any I have known.
He had a well balanced head, with the
sweet Collie look on his face, and while
he was at times of sour disposition he
compelled everyone who saw him to acknow-
ledge his perfect grace and beauty.

Mr. Megson has owned many other good
specimens of the breed, both rough and
smooth. In the same year that he bought
Metchley Wonder, he gave £350 for a ten-
months' puppy, Caractacus. Sable and white
is his favourite combination of colour, a
fancy which was shared some years ago
by the American buyers, who would have
nothing else. Black, tan, and white be-
came more popular in England, and while
there is now a good market for these in
the United States the sable and white

remains the favourite of the American
buyers and breeders.

Good coated dogs are less plentiful to-
day than they were twenty years ago.
Square shaped bodies and sound limbs are
also less frequently seen. A Collie should
resemble a Clydesdale or Hackney horse
in appearance rather than a thoroughbred.
Compact, well coupled bodies are greatly
wanted. Among our present-day champions
I see narrow fronts, straight hocks, and
legs wrongly placed. Narrow-fronted horses
are usually swift, but one that is to do
a big day's work and finish his journey
without breaking his knees must have a
leg placed on every corner of his body.
I have always applied the same principles
in judging dogs as in judging horses. For
the Collie or Sheepdog, like the horse, is
wanted for work, and it is of the greatest
importance that he should stand well on
his legs.

When a judge enters a ring with twenty
or more Collies round him, he cannot
avoid first looking at the head. I quite
agree that head is of great importance ;
but when he moves the exhibits round
the ring he will soon find many a sweet
head, good body, and coat placed upon
unsound limbs. The legs should be straight
and strong in front, moderately fleshy in
the fore-arm, and the quality of bone not
the round Foxhound style, but fairly flat.
The hind legs ought also to be strong, with
the hocks well bent and placed stra ght
below the body. A great objection in
many of our show dogs is the turned-out
stifle, which mars the movement and gives
an appearance of unsoundness. Sound feet,
as in the horse, are of great importance.
Nothing looks worse than a flat, open
footed dog, of whatever breed. The Collie's
foot should be like that of the Greyhound,
well padded, oval in shape, the toes close
together, and nicely arched up. I do not
consider twenty points out of the hundred
too much for legs and feet.

I have likened the perfectly coated Collie
to a well-thatched cottage. But it is a
fact that a rain-proof coated Collie is as
uncommon as a rain-proof thatch. The

io8

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

quality of coat has changed since the
days of Ch. Rightaway, Balgreggie Hope
and Charlemagne. The texture is now
too soft and the undercoat not suffi-
ciently dense, if present at all. The coat
should be wiry or harsh to the touch, and

MR. H. AINSCOUGH'S CH. PARBOLD PICCOLO BY

WELLESBOURNE CONQUEROR PARBOLD PINAFORE.

Photograph by Hignctt and Son, Lostock.

the undercoat furry and so close that the
skin cannot easily be discovered. Many
present-day dogs are fairly well covered
over the neck and chest, but light in coat
over the loin and behind, giving a badly
balanced appearance.

As I have indicated, there has been a
decided improvement in head. The skull
is longer and finer, the eyes are less light
and prominent, the ears better placed,
and altogether the expression is more
generally pleasing than it was in some of
our bygone celebrities with their sour looks,
apple-shaped skulls, and heavy, thick ears
that hung over their faces.

The best Collie of modern times was un-
doubtedly Ch. Squire of Tytton, recently
sold to America for £1,250. A golden sable

with qualitv, nice size, and profuse coat, he
had an unbeaten record in this country : a
record which seems likely to be repeated by
his beautiful daughter, Princess of Tytton,
who so much resembles him.

Another of our best and most typical
rough Collies is Ch. Wishaw Leader. This
beautiful dog was bred by Mr. James
Shields, of West Calder, and after making a
sensational debut in the hands of his breeder
passed into the possession of Mr. Robert
Tait, of Wishaw, who has recently sold
him to America. Wishaw Leader, who
has had a most distinguished show career,
is a well-made black, tan, and white,
with an enormous coat and beautiful flow-
ing white mane, and is one of the most
active movers, displaying quality all through,
and yet having plenty of substance. He
has that desirable distinction of type which
is so often lacking in our long-headed
Collies. Ormskirk Emerald's head was of
good length and well balanced, the skull
sufficiently flat ; his eye was almond-shaped
and dark-brown in colour, his expression
keen and wise, entirely free from the soft
look which we see on many of the faces
to-day. Historical examples of the show
Collie have also been seen in Champions
Christopher, Anfield Model, Sappho of
Tytton, Parbold Piccolo, and Woodmans-
terne Tartan.

In the days of the heavy coated Collies
there was less trimming than is now re-
sorted to. I see many heads made to look
longer than they really are by the plucking
of hair from the cheeks and around the
ears, which gives the dog a smarter out-
look and an apparently longer head, but
not more of the Collie character.

Some years ago the question was dis-
cussed in the canine press, " Are Collies on
the wane ? " Many experts differed in
opinion, but the question need no longer
be asked, for most of us are certain that
the breed has been prospering for many
years past. Recent exhibitions have given
ample proof that this is the case both in
numbers and in quality, and the working
Collie is stronger in number to-day than
ever, notwithstanding that mam' of our best

THE COLLIE.

iog

specimens have left these shores for other
lands. Some of the finest stock of the times
have been exported to the kennels of such
connoisseurs as Mr. Pierpont Morgan and
Mr. Samuel Untermyer, in the United
States, while South Africa has claimed
some excellent examples of the breed.

Five years ago no one held a better
stock of brood bitches than Mr. James
Agnew, of Old Hall, Newton Stewart, and
few produced a finer array of
prize-winners. Unfortunately
for the fancy, however, Mr.
Agnew, who is a busy husband-
man, has, like many others,
given up breeding, and it is
to be regretted that, while our
old breeders are retiring, their
vacant places are not being
filled. It is a satisfaction,
though, to note that we have
still such eminent Collie en-
thusiasts as the Rev. Hans
Hamilton, Mr. T. Stretch, Mr.
Hugo Ainscough, Mr. H. E.
Packwood, Mr. W. T. Horry,
and Mr. R. Tait, all of whom
are prominent breeders, judges,
and exhibitors.

Neither can the charge oc
neglect be made against the
admirers of the smooth Collie
which has gained in popularity quite as
certainly as his more amply attired rela-
tive. Originally, the smooth Collie was a
dog produced by mating the old-fashioned
b'ack and white with the Greyhound.
But the Greyhound type, which was form-
erly very marked, can scarcely be discerned
amongst the prize-winners of to-day- Still,
it is not nfrequent that a throw-back is
discovered in a litter producing perhaps a
slate-coloured, a pure white, or a jet black
individual, or that an otherwise perfect
smooth Collie shouM have the heavy ears
or the eye of a Greyhound.

At one time this breed of dog was much
cultivated in Scotland by Mr. George
Paterson, of Dundee, but nowadays the
breeding of smooths is almost wholly con-
fined to the English side of the Border,

and especially in the northern counties.
Mr. John Bell, of Stanhope, Durham, has
produced many admirable examples, among
the best being Village Boy and Village Girl.
Many breeders, in order to perpetuate the
Collie type and eliminate the Greyhound
character, have used rough-coated dogs in
their breeding operations, and often with
marked success, although the result often
brings forward the fault of a too heavy coat.

MR. A. H. megsons CH. ORMSKIRK EMERALD

BY HEATHER RALPH AUGHTON BESSIE.

BRED BY MR. W P. BARNES.

The smooth Collie is a very clever dog
in most ways, but of little practical use
as a worker among sheep. An odd one
may indeed be able to go round and
bring in a flock, but, taking them gener-
ally, they are not workers. They can
graduate as professional hunting dogs, having
speed, and few dogs of any breed can
capture a rabbit or a hare more scientifically.
In colour, the merle predominates. Many
of the blue merle have a merle or wall eye,
and in judging the smooths on exhibition,
I give preference to a wall-eyed one, pro-
vided other points are equal.

The best dog of the breed at the present
day is without a doubt Eastwood Eminent.
He made his first appearance when very
young at the Collie Club show held at
Southport in the spring of 1906, and has

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

since taken championship honours. A very be good for years to come. Another brace
stylish dog is lie, carrying himself with of excellent smooth Collies are Champions
perfect grace and freedom. His legs and Babette of Moreton and Irthlingborough

Village Lass, both
owned by Sir Claud
Alexander, who, with
Lady Alexander, di-
vides an energetic
interest between the
smooth Collie and
the Skye Terrier.

The following is
the accepted de-
scription of the Per-
fect Collie.

I. The Skull should
be flat, moderately
wide between the cars,
and gradually tapering
i' iwards the eyes. There
should only be a slight
depression at stop. The
width of skull neces-
sarily depends upon

CH. EASTWOOD EMINENT

BY CH. CANUTE PERFEC-
TION CH. QUALITY OF

DUNKIRK.

BRED BY MR. R. G. HOWSON

feet are all that the
most exacting judge
could desire. He owns
a hard, close, short
coat, and a good under-
coat ; his neck and
shoulders are well
placed, and like his
illustrious sire, Ch.
Canute Perfection, he
has a typical Collie
head. His dam, Ch.
Quality of Dunkirk, is
also a bitch of rue
distinction, blue merle
in colour and very
typical in head quali-
ties. So Eastwood Eminent is aristocrat- combined length of skull and muzzle, and the
ically bred, and he looks like one who will the whole must be considered in connection with

MR. R. G. HOWSONS CH. QUALITY OF DUNKIRK

BY WINKLEY PILOT CANUTE FASCINATION.

Photographs by Baker, Birmingham.

THE COLLIE.

in

the size of the dog. The cheek should not be
full or prominent.

2. The Muzzle should be of fair length, tapering
to the nose, and must not show weakness or
be snipy or lippy. Whatever the colour of
the dog may be, the nose must be black.

3. The Teeth should be of good size, sound
and level ; very slight unevenness is permissible.

4. The Jaws. — Clean cut and powerful.

5. The Eyes are a very important feature,
and give expression to the dog ; they should
be of medium size, set somewhat obliquely,
of almond shape, and of a brown colour ex-
cept in the case of merles, when the eyes are
frequently (one or both) blue and white or china ;
expression full of intelligence,

with a quick alert look when
listening.

6. The Ears should be small
and moderately wide at the base,
and placed not too close together
but on the top of the skull and
not on the side of the head. When
in repose they should be usually
carried thrown back, but when
on the alert brought forward and
carried semi - erect, with tips
slightly drooping in attitude of
listening.

7. The Neck should be mus-
cular, powerful and of fair length,
and somewhat arched.

8. The Body should be strong,
with well sprung ribs, chest deep,
fairly broad behind the shoulders,
which should be sloped, loins very
powerful. The dog should be
straight in front.

9. The Fore - Legs should be
straight and muscular, neither
in nor out at elbows, with a
fair amount of bone ; the fore-
arm somewhat fleshy, the pas-
terns showing flexibility without
weakness.

10. The Hind-Legs should be

muscular at the thighs, clean and sinewy below
the hocks, with well bent stifles.

11. The Feet should be oval in shape, soles
well padded, and the toes arched and close to-
gether. The hind feet less arched, the hocks well
let down and powerful.

12. The Brush should be moderately long,
carried low when the dog is quiet, with a slight
upward " swirl " at the end, and may be gaily
carried when the dog is excited, but not over the
back.

13. The Coat should be very dense, the outer
coat harsh to the touch, the inner or under
coat soft, furry, and very close, so close as almost
to hide the skin. The mane and frill should
be very abundant, the mask or face smooth, as
also the ears at the tips, but they should carry
more hair towards the base ; the fore-legs well
feathered, the hind-legs above the hocks profusely
so ; but below the hocks fairly smooth, although
all heavily coated Collies are liable to grow a slight
feathering. Hair on the brush very profuse.

14. Colour in the Collie is immaterial.

15. In General Character he is a lithe active dog,
his deep chest showing lung power, his neck
strength, his sloping shoulders and well bent
hocks indicating speed, and his expression high
intelligence. He should be a fair length on
the leg, giving him more of a racy than a
cloddy appearance In a few words, a Collie
should show endurance, activity, and intelli-
gence, with free and true action. In height
dogs should be 22 ins. to 24 ins. at the shoul-
ders, bitches 20 ins. to 22 ins. The weight
for dogs is 45 to 65 lbs. bitches 40 to
55 lbs.

16. The Smooth Collie only differs from the

CH.
CH

BABETTE OF MORETON AND
IRTHLINGBOROUGH VILLAGE LASS.

PROPERTY OF LADY ALEXANDER OF BALLOCHMYLE.

aph by Ru

rough in its coat, which should be hard, dense and
quite smooth.

17. The Main Faults to be avoided are a
domed skull, high peaked occipital bone, heavy,
pendulous or pricked ears, weak jaws, snipy
muzzle, full staring or light eyes, crooked legs,
large, flat or hare feet, curly or soft coat, cow
hocks, and brush twisted or carried right over the
back, under or overshot mouth.

Scale of Points.

Head and expression .... 15

Ears 10

Neck and shoulders 10

Legs and feet 15

Hind quarters 10

Back and loins 10

Brush 5

Coat with frill 20

Size 5

Total . .100

112

CHAPTER X.
THE OLD ENGLISH SHEEPDOG.

BY AUBREY HOPWOOD.

" My ' friend,' replies Gawaine, the ever bland,
' I took thy lesson, in return take mine ;
All human ties, alas ! are ropes of sand.
My lot to-day, to-morrow may be thine ;
But never yet the dog our bounty fed
Betrayed the kindness, or forgot the bread.' "

— BULWER LYTTOX.

INTELLIGENT and picturesque, work-
manlike and affectionate, the Old
English Sheepdog combines, in his
shaggy person, the attributes at once of a
drover's drudge and of an ideal companion.
Although the modern dog is seen less often
than of old performing his legitimate duties
as a shepherd dog, there is no ground
whatever for supposing that he is a whit
less sagacious than the mongrels which
have largely supplanted him. The instincts
of the race remain unchanged ; but the
mongrel certainly comes cheaper.

Carefully handled in his youth, the
bob-tail is unequalled as a stock dog, and I
have seen him equally at home and efficient
in charge of sheep, of cattle, and of New
Forest ponies. Within my recent experi-
ence, a youngster of the most aristocratic
parentage, scion of a race of modern prize-
winners, passed into the hands of a drover,
owing to a malformed jaw which marred
his winning chances. His new master
promptly placed him in charge of a small
herd of dairy cows, and the youngster took
to his job with the keenest relish. Long
before he was out of his puppyhood, he
could be trusted to go out and collect his
charges, to bring them back to the cow-
house, and to place each separate animal in
her allotted stall. On no account what-
ever would he suffer any change in their
positions, and, his task patiently accom-
plished, he was accustomed to lie down

behind their stalls and keep them in their
places until relieved of dutv.

So deep-rooted is the natural herding
instinct of the breed that it is a thousand
pities that the modern shepherd so fre-
quently puts up with an inferior animal in
place of the genuine article.

Nor is it as a shepherd dog alone that the
bob-tail shines in the field. His qualifica-
tions as a sporting dog are excellent, and he
makes a capital retriever, being usually
under excellent control, generally light-
mouthed, and taking very readily to water.
His natural inclination to remain at his
master's heel and his exceptional sagacity
and quickness of perception will speedily
develop him, in a sportsman's hands, into
a first-rate dog to shoot over.

These points in his favour should never
be lost sight of, because his increasing popu-
larity on the show bench is apt to mislead
many of his admirers into the belief that he
is an ornamental rather than a utility dog.
Nothing could be further from the fact.
Nevertheless, he has few equals as a house
dog, being naturally cleanly in his habits,
affectionate in his disposition, an admirable
watch, and an extraordinarily adaptable
companion.

As to his origin, there is considerable
conflict of opinion, owing to the natural
difficulty of tracing him back to that period
when the dog-fancier, as he flourishes to-day,
was all unknown, and the voluminous

THE OLD ENGLISH SHEEPDOG.

"3

records of a watchful Kennel Club were still
undreamed of. From time immemorial
a Sheepdog, of one kind or another, has
presided over the welfare of flocks and
herds in every land. Probably, in an age
less peaceable than ours, this canine guardian
was called upon, in addition to his other
duties, to protect his charges from wolves
and bears and other marauders. In that
case it is very possible that the early pro-
genitors of the breed were built upon a
larger and more massive scale than is the
Sheepdog of to-day.

The herd dogs of foreign countries, such
as the Calabrian of the Pyrenees, the Hima-
layan drover's dog, and the Russian Owt-
chah, are all of them massive and powerful
animals, far larger and fiercer than our own,
though each of them has many points in
common with the English bob-tail ; and it
is quite possible that all of them may trace
their origin, at some remote period, to the
same ancestral strain. Indeed, it is quite
open to argument that the founders of our
breed, as it exists to-day, were imported
into England at some far-off date when the
duties of a Sheepdog demanded of him
fighting qualities no longer necessary.

Notably in the case of the Owtchah, or
Russian Sheepdog, is there evidence of
this common origin, and an interesting com-
munication in this connection has reached
me recently from the President of the New-
foundland Club.

" I remember," he writes, " that about the
year 1857 a police-sergeant at Kirkham re-
ceived a present of a so-called Russian terrier.
This dog, which was a constant playmate
of mine, was, of course, no terrier at all.
To all intents and purposes, he was a very
fine Sheepdog indeed, with all his tail on,
big and blocky, with massive bone and full,
correct coat, white with merle markings,
strong, active, and good-natured, in general
conduct staid and dignified."

Evidently, in his leading characteristics,
this animal had very much in common
with our own.

Turning now from matters of possibility
to those of fact, we come to the first authen-
ticated picture of a Sheepdog with which

I am acquainted, painted by Gainsborough,
and engraved by John Dixon as long ago
as 1771. The original, which is in the
possession of the Buccleuch family, is a
portrait of the third Duke, with his arms
clasped about the neck of an extremely
typical specimen of the breed. Exhibited

HENRY. THIRD DUKE OF BUCCLEUCH WITH
AN OLD ENGLISH SHEEPDOG.

some years ago at the South Kensington
Museum, the picture was officially described
as a portrait of " Henry, Duke of Buccleuch,
witli Sheepdog."

An American writer on canine matters,
who recently treated of the breed with
somewhat scant courtesy, claims to have
proved, by means of photographs and
measurements, that the dog in question
was not a Sheepdog at all, but simply a
rough terrier. To test the matter fairly,
I had myself photographed in a similar
pose with a well-known prize-winner from
my kennel. The result was satisfactory
beyond dispute, for the relative proportions
of man and dog came out exactly. I don't
look in the least like the Duke, but the

H4

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

likeness between the two animals depicted
is really startling.

And though I am not sanguine enough
to suppose that my American critic is open
to conviction, I submit that his attempt
to make a terrier of a Sheepdog, by means
of measurements, is scarcely less futile
than to argue, on the same grounds, that
the animal's owner was not really a Duke !

Gainsborough, one imagines, knew his

century, one finds conclusive evidence that
the breed was very fairly represented
in many parts of England, notably in
Suffolk, Hampshire, and Dorsetshire, and
also in Wales. Youatt writes of it in 1845.
Richardson in 1847, and " Stonehenge "
in 1859. Their descriptions vary a little,
though the leading characteristics are much
the same, but each writer specially notes the
exceptional sagacity of the breed.

THE SHEPHERD'S DOG.

From "The Sportsman's Cabinet" (1E03). By P. AV

business, and painted what he saw, and I pin
my faith to his picture of 1771 as the earliest
likeness extant of an Old English Sheepdog.

A hundred and thirty-five years ago,
then, our bob-tail flourished, to all outward
appearance, exactly as he does to-day.
And surely, in that pregnant interval, few
breeds have changed so little.

Some thirty years later there was pub-
lished, in "The Sportsman's Cabinet," the
reproduction of a painting by Philip
Reinagle of a Shepherd's Dog. This was a
far less typical animal than Gainsborough's,
long-backed and bushy-tailed, apparentlv
wall-eyed, and closely resembling the Hima-
layan dog.

Thereafter, throughout the nineteenth

The dog was well known in Scotland, too,
under the title of the Bearded Collie, for
there is little doubt that this last is merely
a variant of the breed. He differs, in point
of fact, chiefly by reason of possessing a tail,
the amputation of which is a recognised
custom in England.

With regard to this custom, it is said
that the drovers originated it. Their dogs,
kept for working purposes, were immune
from taxation, and they adopted this method
of distinguishing the animals thus exempted.
It has been argued, by disciples of the
Darwinian theory of inherited effects from
continued mutilations, that a long process
of breeding from tailless animals has resulted
in producing puppies naturally bob-tailed.

THE OLD ENGLISH SHEEPDOG.

ii5

and it is difficult, on any other hypothesis,
to account for the fact that many puppies are
so born. It is certainly a fact that one or
two natural bob-tails are frequently found
in a litter of which the remainder are duly
furnished with well-developed tails. And
it is interesting to note that the proportion is

in the bob-tail's welfare, and attempts were
made to bring him into prominence. In
1873 his admirers succeeded in obtaining
for him a separate classification at a recog-
nised show, and at the Curzon Hall, at
Birmingham, in that year three temerarious
competitors appeared to undergo the ordeal

GROUP OF MRS. PHILIP RUNCIMANS SHEEPDOGS,

CH BEAT THE BAND, CRESSWELL RAGS. CRESSWELL LASSIE, CRESSWELL SUNNY JIM.

Photogarph by Jones and Son, Surbiton.

much higher in some strains than in others,
and that a few stud dogs consistently sire
bob-tailed puppies in almost every litter.

From careful consideration of the weight
of evidence, it seems unlikely that the breed
was originally a tailless one, but the modern
custom undoubtedly accentuates its pic-
turesqueness by bringing into special prom-
inence the rounded shaggy quarters and
the characteristic bear-like gait which dis-
tinguish the Old English Sheepdog.

Somewhere about the 'sixties there would
appear to have been a revival of interest

of expert judgment. It was an unpromising
beginning, for Mr. M. B. Wynn, who officiated
found their quality so inferior that he con-
tented himself with awarding a second prize.

But from this small beginning important
results were to spring, and the Old English
Sheepdog has made great strides in popu-
larity since then. At Clerkenwell, in 1905,
the entries in his classes reached a total of
over one hundred, and there was no gain-
saying the quality-

This satisfactory result is due in no small
measure to the initiative of the Old English

n6

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

Sheepdog Club, a society founded in 1888,
with the avowed intention of promoting the
breeding of the old-fashioned English Sheep-
dog, and of giving prizes at various shows
held under Kennel Club Rules.

The pioneers of this movement, so far as
history records their names, were Dr.
Edwardes-Ker, an enthusiast both in theory
and in practice, from whose caustic pen dis-
sentients were wont to suffer periodical
castigation ; Mr. W. G. Weager, who has
held office in the club for some twenty
years ; Mrs. Mayhew, who capably held
her own amongst her fellow-members of the
sterner sex ; Mr. Freeman Lloyd, who wrote
an interesting pamphlet on the breed in 1889;
and Messrs. J . Thomas and Parry Thomas.

Theirs can have been no easy task at the
outset, for it devolved upon them to lay
down, in a succinct and practical form,
leading principles for the guidance of future
enthusiasts. Each of them owned one or two
good animals, which each, no doubt, con-
sidered— if one may generalise from a wide
experience of exhibitors — to be a little
better than those of anybody else.

To reconcile conflicting opinions, and to
evolve a practical working standard, can have
been no easy matter, and the recorded
minutes of their meetings, could one but
unearth them, should furnish entertaining
reading. Their original definitions, no doubt,
have been amended and edited from time to
time, as occasion has required, but the result,
as published by the club to-day, does them
infinite credit. It runs thus :

1. Skull.— Capacious, and rather squarely
formed, giving plenty of room for brain power.
The parts over the eyes should be well arched
and the whole well covered with hair.

2. Jaw. — Fairly long, strong, square and
truncated ; the stop should be defined to avoid
a Deerhound face.

The attention of judges is particularly called
to the above properties, as a long, narrow
head is a deformity.

3. Eyes.— Vary according to the colour of
the dog, but dark or wall eyes are to be preferred.

4. Nose. -Always black, large, and capacious.

5. Teeth.— Strong and large, evenly placed,
and level in opposition.

6. Ears.— Small, and carried flat to side of head,
coated moderately.

7. Legs. — The forelegs should be dead straight,
with plenty of bone, removing the body a medium
height from the ground, without approaching
legginess ; well coated all round.

8. Feet. — Small ; round, toes well arched and
pads thick and hard.

9. Tail. — Puppies requiring docking must have
an appendage left of one and a half to two inches
and the operation performed when not older than
four days.

10. Neck and Shoulders. — The neck should be
fairly long, arched gracefully, and well coated
with hair ; the shoulders sloping and narrow at
the points, the dog standing lower at the shoulder
than at the loin.

11. Body. — Rather short and very compact,
ribs well sprung, and brisket deep and capacious.
The loin should be very stout and gently arched,
while the hindquarters should be round and mus-
cular, and with well let down hocks, and the hams
densely coated with a thick long jacket in excess
of any other part.

12. Coat. — Profuse, and of good hard texture,
not straight but shaggy and free from curl. The
undercoat should be a waterproof pile, when not
removed by grooming or season.

13. Colour. — Any shade of grey, grizzle, blue or
blue-merled, with or without white markings, or
in reverse ; any shade of brown or sable to be
considered distinctly objectionable and not to be
encouraged.

14. Height. — Twenty-two inches and upwards
for dogs, slightly less for bitches. Type, character,
and symmetry are of the greatest importance,
and on no account to be sacrificed to size
alone.

15. General Appearance. — A strong, compact-
looking dog of great symmetry, absolutely free
from legginess, profusely coated all over, very
elastic in its gallop, but in walking or trotting
he has a characteristic ambling or pacing move-
ment, and Iris bark should be loud, with a peculiar
pot casse ring in it. Taking him all round, he is a
thick-set, muscular, able-bodied dog, with a most
intelligent expression, free from all Poodle or
Deerhound character.

Scale of Points.

Head 5

Eye 5

Colour IO

Ears

Body, loins, and hindquarters . . 20

Jaw' "'

Nose 5

Teeth ... 5

Legs IO

Neck and shouldeis 10

Coat ^5

Total . .100

THE OLD ENGLISH SHEEPDOG.

117

This description is so comprehensive
and so lucid withal, that the novice may
well be left to build up from it an excellent
mental picture of the perfect dog. Better
still, he may compare his own dogs with it,
point by point, and learn exactly where,
and how, they fall short of perfection.
For his further guidance it may be well
to run over the items seriatim, in view of
those periodical discussions which in-
evitably crop up from time to time in the
history of every popular breed.

Taking the head as our starting-point,
we may include in it the items of skull,
jaw, eyes, ears, nose and teeth, and note
that this portion of the dog's anatomy is
worth no less than thirty-five per cent, of
the possible points, and that it is conse-
quently a most important factor in deter-
mining his value.

Capacious and rather squarely formed, is
an excellent definition of the shaggy skull,
for any tendency towards a dome-shaped
formation is strongly to be deprecated.
The square jaw and well-defined stop are
specially to be insisted upon, seeing that
undue length before the eyes and a ten-
dency to snipiness of muzzle are growing
evils, incident on the attempt to breed
dogs of exceptional size.

The colour of the eyes, in dark-coated
dogs, should be the deepest shade of brown
obtainable ; a light yellow eye detracts
enormously from the animal's typical ex-
pression. But in grey or merle dogs, wall
or china eyes are very attractive, whether
they appear singly, with a brown one, or
in pairs. The setting of the eyes, too, is
important ; if placed too close together
they present a somewhat sinister or sly
appearance, by which the bob-tail's open,
honest countenance is seriously marred.

The large, black, capacious nose is most
desirable, many a light-coloured dog being
handicapped by a white-flecked or so-called
butterfly nose.

The teeth, too, should be exactly as
described. If the lower set project, the
dog is liable to be stigmatised undershot ;
if the upper set protrude, he will be dubbed
pig-jawed.

The ears, again, have much to say with
regard to determining the value of any
head. Small, and set on close, they im-
prove its appearance immensely ; but if
placed too high, inclined to cock, or thick
and coarse in fibre, they spoil it propor-
tionately.

A perfect head, it will thus be readily
seen, is especially difficult of attainment.

Legs and feet count for ten points, and
the desideratum here is plenty of strong
flat bone in the former, coupled with small-
ness and compactness of pads in the latter.
The dog must stand straight and true upon
them, but lightly poised withal, free from
suspicion of weakness at the pastern joints.
In full coat, the line from shoulder to toe,
as you face him, should be dead straight ;
and the legs, at their junction with the
shoulders, not more than a hand's breadth
apart.

The allowance of one and a half inches for
the puppy's docked tail appears to me too
liberal, and, generally speaking, it will be
found that the shorter the stump, the better.

Neck and shoulders are items of very great
importance, in which the majority of modem
large-sized dogs conspicuously fail. A clean
neck, with plenty of length, well placed upon
a pair of shoulders nicely sloped and in-
clining to narrowness at the points, has a
wonderful effect in securing perfect body
balance, and this is almost invariably
found in conjunction with good legs and feet.
A coarse, heavy-shouldered dog is down on
his pasterns nine times out of ten, and the
tenth stands too wide apart in front. On
the other hand, a clean-shouldered animal
is generally found standing soundly and
lightly on his feet.

We come now to the body, which counts,
including loins and hindquarters, for twenty
points. It must be short and compact,
with a deep brisket and well-sprung ribs,
stout in loin, muscular in hindquarters,
and lower at the shoulder than the rump.
The hocks, which must be well-defined,
should be set on low. The height from the
shoulder to the ground should be as nearly
as possible the length from the shoulder
to the docked stump.

n8

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

The proper texture of the coat almost
defies verbal description ; it must be seen
and felt to be properly appreciated. In
point of fact, the dog has two distinct coats ;
a thick softish undercoat next his body ;

MRS Sidney charter's CH. BRENTWOOD COUNTRY GIRL

BY ROSEBERY QUEEN MASIE. BRED BY MR. H. DICKSON.

Photograph by Herrett, Brentwood.

a crisp, harsh, shaggy one outside. It
must not lie down flat, and yet it must not
curl. In appearance it must convey an
impression of growing profusely in several
different directions ; to the touch it must be
harsh of texture, crackling crisply when
rubbed between the thumb and finger. A
frequent fault of the modern show dog is
his softness in this respect, in no small
measure due to a tendency towards over-
grooming.

Colour, largely a matter of taste, may
best be negatively dealt with. A bob-tail
must not be sable, nor brown, nor black.
Any of these colours is distinctly objec-
tionable, whereas any shade of blue, grey,
grizzle or blue-merle is correct. Much
depends here upon a judge's individual
taste. One man may prefer the light grey or
the merle, another the dark blue ; but no

dog may be fairly dubbed too light or too
dark in colour if his coat contains no shade
of black or brown or sable. The ten points
here allotted are largely left to the judge's
fancy, and an attractive blending of rich
blue with white mark-
ings sometimes carries
even more weight than
it legitimately de-
serves.

Height is a crucial
question which has led
to much controversy-
Some years ago the at-
tempt to gain additional
bone and substance led
to the breeding of many
large-sized animals, who
gained these desirable
adjuncts at the expense
of general symmetry.

Breeders, in securing
size, frequently lost com-
pactness, and the prize-
lists for a season included
animals too long in the
back, too slack in the
loin, and too high off
the ground.

It is a difficult ques-
tion to settle by actual
measurement, as I know to my cost. For
once, in my novitiate, misled by a menda-
cious tape, I held that " somewhere about
twenty-six or twenty-seven inches we should
touch the limit." A good judge pointed out
my mistake, and added that if I ever saw a
dog of twenty-seven inches I should admit
it. I have seen one since, and I retract !
Generally speaking, a shoulder height
of twenty-four inches is big enough for any-
thing, and if these twenty-four inches be
combined with lightness and activity, a
compact, well-rounded body and a short
back, plenty of bone and substance, a
clean neck and shoulders, and good legs
and feet, their owner will take a lot of
beating.

Under the heading General Appearance
comes the important item of the Sheepdog's
action, and it is unfortunate that no specific

THE OLD ENGLISH SHEEPDOG.

119

allowance has been made for it in the scale
of points. Granting the great difficulty of
properly appraising action in the small and
overcrowded rings which the exigencies of
space impose upon our judges, it is doubt-
ful whether sufficient importance is generally
attached to what should be a very leading
feature in the judging of a working dog.

In his slow action a bob-tail should move
like a bear, working the fore and hind leg
on either side simultaneously, with a curious,
indescribable shuffle of the hind quarters,
which work from loin to toe with every
lengthy stride. Free to move at speed, he
should be an active, tireless galloper, cover-
ing the ground at a pace quite unsuspected
in an animal of his build, and travelling with
wonderfully little apparent effort.

So much for the outward appearance of
the ideal bob-tail. Con-
sidering the multitude of
details which must be
combined to produce
such perfection, it will
be admitted that the
breeder who attains to
the front rank has ac-
complished a task by no
means easy.

Turning now to the
questions of care and
kennel management, we
may omit such general
rules as apply to every
breed, and concern our-
selves rather with such
simple hints as shall
serve the novice in deal-
ing with the Old English
Sheepdog.

To start with the
puppy, it is obvious that
where bone and sub-
stance are matters of
special desirability, it is
essential to build up in the infant what is
to be expected of the adult. For this
reason it is a great mistake to allow the
dam to bring up too many by herself. To
about six or seven she can do justice, but
a healthy bitch not infrequently gives birth

to a dozen or more. Under such circum-
stances the services of a foster-mother are
a cheap investment. By dividing the litter
the weaklings may be given a fair chance
in the struggle for existence, otherwise they
receive scant consideration from their
stronger brethren.

At three or four days old the tails should
be removed, as near the rump as possible.
The operation is easy to perform, and if
done with a sharp, clean instrument there
is no danger of after ill effects.

If the mother be kept on a very liberal
diet, it will usually be found that she will
do all that is necessary for her family's
welfare for the first three weeks, by which
time the pups have increased prodigiously
in size.

They are then old enough to learn to lap

MR. H. DICKSON'S
BY STYLISH BOY —
Photograph by T. Fall.

CH HANDSOME BOY

-DOLLY DAYDREAM.

for themselves, an accomplishment which
they very speedily acquire. Beginning with
fresh cow's milk for a week, their diet
may be gradually increased to Mellin's or
Benger's food, and later to gruel and Quaker
Oats, their steadily increasing appetites

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

being catered for by the simple exercise
of commonsense. Feed them little and
often, about five times a day, and encourage
them to move about as much as possible ;
and see that they never go hungry, without
allowing them to gorge. Let them play
until they tire, and sleep until they hunger
again, and they will be found to thrive and
grow with surprising rapidity.

At six weeks old they can fend for them-
selves, and shortly afterwards additions
may be made to their diet in the shape of
paunches, carefully cleaned and cooked,
and Spratt's Puppy Rodnim. A plentiful
supply of fresh milk is still essential.

Gradually the number of their meals
may be decreased, first to four a day, and
later on to three, until at six months old
they verge on adolescence, and may be
placed upon the rations of the adult dog,
two meals a day.

Meanwhile, the more fresh air and sun-
shine, exercise, and freedom they receive,
the better will they prosper, but care must
be taken that they are never allowed to
get wet. Their sleeping - place especially
must be thoroughly dry, well ventilated,
and scrupulously clean.

As to the adult dog, his needs are three :
he must be well fed, well housed, and well
exercised. Two meals a day suffice him,
but he likes variety, and the more his fare
can be diversified the better will he do
justice to it. Biscuits, Rodnim, Flako,
meat, vegetables, paunches, and sheep's
heads, with an occasional big bone to gnaw,
provide unlimited change, and the particular
tastes of individuals should be learned and
catered for. As one dog's meat is another
dog's poison, it is absurd to suppose that
one special brand of biscuit is the sole
requirement of any one breed, or of every
individual of that breed. Diversify the
food as much as possible ; the dogs will do
the rest.

As to the bob-tail's kennel, there is no
need whatever for a high-priced fancy
structure. Any weatherproof buildiiu; will
do, provided it be well ventilated and free
from draughts. In very cold weather a
bed of clean wheat straw is desirable, in

summer the bare boards are best. In all
weathers cleanliness is an absolute essential,
and a liberal supply of fresh water should
be always available.

With regard to exercise, the desideratum
is freedom, absolute freedom. So long as
he can wander loose, a bob-tail will put up
with a very small yard or garden quite con-
tentedly, but he should never be chained
if this can possibly be avoided. He resents
it as an undeserved indignity, and not infre-
quently it spoils his temper. In the matter
of exercise, as in all else, individuals differ
widely. Some require, and enjoy, much
more active exertion than others, and are
never happier than when following a trap
or bicycle ; some prefer a long slow walk
at their master's heel. Their tastes must
necessarily be adapted to their circumstances,
but the main essential is absolute freedom.

Grooming is an important detail in a
breed whose picturesqueness depends so
largely on the profuseness of their shaggy
coats, but there is a general tendency to
overdo it. A good stiff pair of dandy
brushes give the best results, but the coats
must not be allowed to mat or tangle,
which they have a tendency to do if not
properly attended to. Mats and tangles,
if taken in time, can generally be teased
out with the fingers, and it is the greatest
mistake to try and drag them out with
combs. These last should be used as
little as possible, and only with the great-
est care when necessary at all. An over-
groomed bob-tail loses half his natural
charm. Far preferable is a muddy, matted,
rough-and-tumble-looking customer, with
his coat as Nature left it.

Between the two, however, lies the golden
mean, which nothing but long practice can
secure — a sound, harsh coat, devoid of
mats, and free from all suspicion of the
barber's shop

Seeing that the Mecca of most good dogs
— in this or any other breed — is often-
times the show-ring, it may be well to
devote a few remarks to the preparation of
the bob-tail for exhibition. It is not my
purpose here to consider the ethics of
exhibiting, or to discuss the much-debated

THE OLD ENGLISH SHEEPDOG.

question as to whether the practice of dog-
showing tends to the improvement or de-
terioration of the breed. Much has been
said on both sides in the past ; much more,
no doubt, will be duly set forth in the
future.
But it is obvious that, if an owner elect

purposes, is specifically allowed by Kennel
Club regulations, always provided that no
trace of it is permitted to remain on any
portion of the dog at the time of exhibition.
In recent times a foolish practice arose
amongst a few exhibitors of covering their
dogs with powder or whitening, and lead-

to show his dogs at all, he will do so with ing them into the ring in this condition.
the intention of winning if he can ; and. Apart from the fact that the animals should
in order to win under modern conditions, he have been disqualified, the spectacle of a
must put his dog into the ring
in the best form possible.

At the outset, he will save
himself a lot of disappoint-
ment and expense if he de-
termine never to exhibit an
animal unless it be at its best.
If out of coat, or poor in flesh
and condition, he may easily
find himself beaten by an in-
ferior animal at the top of its
form. This is disheartening to
the beginner, and might easily
be avoided by the exercise of
a little patience.

Let the owner see to it, then,
that the dog is at his best be-
fore entering him. Probably
he needs a bath ; if so, it
should be given three or four
days before the show.

A plentiful application of
soap and lukewarm water cer-
tainly enhances the animal's
appearance enormously, but it
has an unfortunate tendency
temporarily to soften the tex-
ture of the coat, which will
take a day or two to resume its natural
condition. After being thoroughly rough
dried, the dog must be brushed up with
stiff brushes, and the operation must always
be performed against the grain — that is to
say, upwards, and from tail to head.

White hairs on head or legs and chest are
apt to become discoloured with mud, or
sand, or stains of travel, and it is per-
missible in such cases to clean them with
whitening, which must subsequently be
thoroughly brushed out again.

This use of whitening, solely for cleansing

16

MRS. SIDNEY CHARTER'S SHEPTON HERO

BY LORD CEDRIC AVALON LASS.

BRED BY MESSRS. TILLEY BROTHERS.
Photograph by T. Reveley, Wantage.

powdered bob-tail was ludicrous and dis-
tressing. Fortunately the good sense of the
majority speedily recognised this, and the
practice soon died out ; one hopes for ever.
Once thoroughly cleaned and brushed,
the dog should be shown in his natural con-
dition, and on no consideration whatever
should any attempt at trimming, plucking,
or removing live coat be countenanced.
Any such practice, if detected, should bring
its just reward in a sentence of disqualifica-
tion, and it should be the pride of every
exhibitor to keep the breed free from any

122

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

possible accusation of undue preparation
for show.

To sum up the position of the Old
English Sheepdog in the canine world
to-day, I think there can be little doubt
that within the last decade the tendency

MR. AUBREY HOPWOOD'S CH. RAGGED MAN

B/ CH. CUPIDS DART CH. FAIRWEATHER.

BRED BY MRS. FARE FOSSE.

of the breed has been towards improvement.
Generally speaking, the all-round quality
is higher, the classification is much more
liberal, and the entries are far more numerous
than they were ten years ago. In fact, there
is a larger proportion of good dogs before the
public than at any previous time in the his-
tory of the breed. This is a healthy sign.
But with increasing popularity, and en-
hanced competition, there are symptoms
of inevitable dangers which often follow
in their train.

The attempt to attain great size, already
alluded to, has had its ill-effects. Big
dogs, in many instances, have gained their
additional substance at the expense of true
type, and of the real Old English charac-
teristics. Heavy shoulders, undue length of

fore face, and snipiness of muzzle, are on
the increase.

In the matter of coat, too, the average
of excellence is none too high, and the
desirable harshness of texture is compara-
tively rare. To some extent, no doubt,
this is attributable to
over-grooming ; but a
harsh coat, like every
other attribute, can un-
questionably be bred, if
the breeder knows the
way to go about it.

That is the point to
which exhibitors should
devote themselves. In-
stead of running after
a popular prize-winner,
and securing his ser-
vices regardless of the
ascertained laws of he-
redity, they should
strive, by a study of
the science of breeding
for results, to eradicate
faults by judicious se-
ll -I turn instead of aggra-
vating them.

Good as our modern
bob-tails are, the points
in which they may well
be improved appear to
me to be these : Com-
pactness of body and shortness of back,
clean shoulders, harshness of coat, strength
of jaw and fore face.

"With our judges, of course, lies the
ultimate remedy, for the improvement or
deterioration of a breed rests to a very
great extent in the hands of those who
judge it. So many of us are equal to
criticising another man's verdicts ; so few
of us, alas ! are competent to improve on
them.

There is scope in this direction for the
energies of the Old English Sheepdog Club,
who have done so much already for the
improvement of the breed.

Of those whose names are household words
in the bob-tail fancy, the space at my dis-
posal only admits of the inclusion of a few.

THE OLD ENGLISH SHEEPDOG.

123

A leading place must certainly be ascribed
to Dr. Edwardes-Ker, whose terse and
vigorous contributions to the literature of
the breed remain full of force and common-
sense at the present day, and whose memory
is still kept green by the descendants of the
Champions Sir Ethelwolf and Sir Caven-
dish, of Dame Ruth, Dame Elizabeth, and
many more. He and his contemporary, Dr.
Locke, another enthusiastic breeder, have
gone to join the great majority-

Mr. Fred Wilmot, though he belongs to a
younger generation, is another old-timer,
and remains as good a judge as any man
need be. A stickler for the good old-
fashioned type, he has his fixed ideal, and
he knows how to breed it.

Mr. H. Dickson, too, has served a long
apprenticeship, and is still well to the fore
as exhibitor and judge. Few modern
owners have a lengthier experience of the
breed.

The Brothers Tilley, in more recent times,
have come to the front with the largest
kennel of bob-tails in England, and have
extended the cult across the Atlantic by
exporting to America such well-known

Champions as Dolly Grey and Bouncing
Lass.

In Mrs. Mayhew's footsteps have followed
many ladies, and their success as breeders
and exhibitors of late years is very striking.

Mrs. Fare Fosse, with three home-bred
Champions to her credit, heads the list ;
and of more recent enthusiasts Mrs. Rivers,
Mrs. Charter, and Mrs. Runciman have
upheld the record for the gentler sex.

Other names of note are those of Dr.
MacGill, Messrs. Butterworth, Stephens,
Travis, and Woodiwiss.

The Old English Sheepdog Club, whose
honorary officials include such well-known
owners as Messrs. YVeager, Shout and
Ullman, is approaching its twentieth year
of activity, and offers valuable prizes for
competition at its annual show. These in-
clude a silver cup for the best dog, another
for the best bitch, and a twenty-five
guinea challenge cup for the best novice.
The liberal classification embraces a Breeders'
Produce Stakes, open to all comers, and the
Club, in addition, supports all the leading
shows, by the presentation of special prizes
and silver medals.

MRS. PHILIP RUNCIMAN'S CH. BEAT THE BAND

BY STYLISH BOY DOLLY DAYDREAM.

BRED BY MRS. F. TRAVIS.
Photogiaph by Jones ami Son, Surbiton.

124

A TEAM OF MRS. B F. MOORE'S CHOW CHOWS.

1. HILDEWELL POOH-BAH. 2. CHIMMO. 3. MANDARIN.
4 HILDEWELL TAO MU. 5. HILDEWELL AD HOK.

Pholograph by Ross, Wliitby.

CHAPTER XL
THE CHOW CHOW.

BY MRS. B. F. MOORE.

I boast not of his kin, nor of my reed

(Though of my reed and him I well may boast),
Yet if you will adventure that some meed
Shall be to him that is in action most.
As for a collar of shrill sounding bells,
My dog shall strive with yours, or ally's else."

— Browne's Eclogues.

THE Chow Chow is a dog of great
versatility. He is a born sportsman
and loves an open-air life — a war-
rior, always ready to accept battle, but
seldom provoking it. He lias a way of
his own with tramps, and seldom fails
to induce them to continue their travels.
Yet withal he is tender-hearted, a friend
of children, an ideal companion, and often
has a clever gift for parlour tricks. In
China, his fatherland, he is esteemed for
another quality — his excellence as a sub-
stitute for mast mutton.

Though in his own country he is re-
garded as plebeian, just a common cur, he

is by no means a mongrel. That he is of
ancient lineage is proved by the fact that
he always breeds true to type. He yields
to the Pekingese Spaniel the claim to be
the Royal dog of China, yet his blood
must be of the bluest. If you doubt it,
look at his tongue.

My own special Chow is one of my besl
friends. In the household he has an estab-
lished position, which he maintains with
great dignity. He comes and goes when
he likes and where he likes ; he is respei ted
throughout the neighbourhood, and is known
as " Gentleman Chow." a title which he fully
deserves. During the eight years of our

s Q

THE CHOW CHOW

friendship he has never given me cause
to suspect that there is truth in the libel

Premier CH. CHOW VIII.
Photograph by Ruddock, Newcastle.

which accuses his kind of a penchant for
sheep-slaying.

In my kennels I have several other dogs
of the same fine race, all of

whom, I feel sure, have the ,

same good instincts and in-
nate gentility, but the routine
and discipline of kennel life
allow them little opportunity
for the cultivation of their
natural gifts.

Outwardl y, t he Chow
worthily embodies the kind,
faithful heart and the brave
spirit within. His compact
body (weighing 40 lbs. or
more), with the beautiful
fur coat and ruff, the plume
tail turned over on his back
and almost meeting his neck-
ruff, the strong, straight legs
and neat, catlike feet, gives
an impression of symmetry,
power, and alertness. His
handsome face wears a
" scowl." This is the tech-
nical term for the " no

nonsense" look which deters strangers

from undue familiarity, though to friends

his expression is kindness itself.

Though the Chow has many perfec-
tions, the perfect Chow has not yet
arrived. He nearly came with Ch.
Chow VIII. — long since dead, alas ! —
and with Ch. Fu Chow, the best Chow
n< >w living, his light coloured eyes being
his only defect. With many judges,
however, this dog's black coat handi-
caps him sadly in competition with his
red brethren.

I consider Chow VIII. the best and
most typical dog ever benched, not-
withstanding his somewhat round eyes.
Almond eyes are of course correct in
Chinamen.

Ch. Red Craze owns the head
which is perfect. The illustration (on
p. 126) from an oil painting by Miss
Monica Gray shows the correct ear-
carriage and broad muzzle, but does
not quite reproduce the scowl and
characteristic expression of a good Chow.
Another point of view is given in the
photograph reproduced on the same page.

MRS.

1. DOUGLAS SCOTTS CH. FU CHOW

BY CH. BLUE BLOOD CHINA'S PRIDE.

BRED BY MISS ELLA FiSHBOURNE.
Photograph by T. Fall.

126

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

It will be noticed that the dogs in the
photographed group at the head of this
chapter appear to carry their ears too close

head OF CH. RED CRAZE.
From a Painting by Monica Gray.

together. This is due to the concentration
of their thoughts upon a rabbit held be-
hind the camera. They also have a look
of levity, far different from the aspect of
sober dignity which they affect in calmer
moments. But they are all
good. The three larger
animals are young dogs
which have already distin-
guished themselves in the
show-ring.

The two ladies are
seated. The blonde, with
her short, cobby body,
good bone and massive
head, would be faultless
but for her colour, which
she must have inherited
from some remote ancestor.
Her parents are Ch. Shy-
lock and Fenalik, both
exceptionally good coloured
ones.

Modern judges will not
look twice at a light or
parti-coloured dog, and I
fear that if even Ch.
Chow VIII. could revisit
the scenes of his by-
gone triumphs, his beautiful light mark-
ings would prove a fatal bar to his suc-
cess. The judges would be quite wrong,

but if you want a dog for show you must
be sure to get a good whole-coloured dark
red. If, on the other hand, you have a
Chow as a companion and friend, do not
be at all troubled if his ruff, yoke, culottes
and tail are white or cream-coloured.
These are natural, correct and typical marks,
though present-day fanciers are trying
to " improve " them away.

The other bitch in the group is own sister
to Ch. Red Craze, and, like him, is a credit
to Shylock, their sire. She refused to pose,
so she does not improve the group as she
ought. I have added a list of points as
drawn up by the Chow Chow Club some
years ago. The points are fairly right, but
the tongue of a live Chow is never black.
It should be blue, such a colour as might
result from a diet of bilberries.

Points of the Chow Chow.

i. Head. — Skull flat and broad, with little
stop, well filled out under the eyes.

2. Muzzle. — Moderate in length, and broad

MRS. SCARAMANGAS CH. RED CRAZE

BY CH. SHYLOCK DUCHESSE. BRED BY MR

Photograph H T. Pall.

from the eyes to the point (not pointed at the end
like a fox).

3. Nose. — Black, large and wide. (In cream

THE CHOW CHOW.

127

or light-coloured specimens, a pink nose is allow-
able.)

4. Tongue. — Black.

5. Eyes. — Dark and small. (In a blue dog
light colour is permissible.)

6. Ears. — Small, pointed, and carried stiffly
erect. They should be placed well forward over
the eyes, which gives the dog the peculiar charac-
teristic expression of the breed — viz. a sort of
scowl.

7. Teeth. — Strong and level.

8. Neck. — Strong, full, set well on the shoulders,
and slightly arched.

9. Shoulders. — Muscular and sloping.

10. Chest. — Broad and deep.

11. Back. — Short, straight, and strong.

12. Loins. — Powerful.

13. Tail. — Curled tightly over the back.

14. Forelegs. — Perfectly straight, of moderate
length, and with great bone.

15. Hindlegs. — Same as forelegs, muscular and
with hocks well let down.

16. Feet. — Small, round and catlike, stand-
ing well on the toes.

17. Coat. — Abundant, dense, straight, and

rather coarse in texture, with a soft woolly under-
coat.

18. Colour. — Whole-coloured black, red. yel-
low, blue, white, etc., not in patches (the under
part of tail and back of thighs frequently of a
lighter colour).

19. General Appearance. — A lively, compact,
short coupled dog, well-knit in frame, with tail
curled well over the back.

20. Disqualifying Points. — Drop ears, red
tongue, tail not curled over back, white spots on
coat, and red nose, except in yellow or white
specimens.

N.B. — Smooth Chows are governed bv the
same scale of points, except that the coat is
smooth.

So far as I am aware, there is no numerical
scale of points for Chow Chows.

As to the weight, bitches scale about
30 lbs., but dogs are heavier. Ch. Shylock
weighed 47I lbs., and Red Craze 38 lbs.,
when in my hands.

THE HON. MRS. MACLAREN MORRISONS SMOOTH CHOW FASON
BRED BY MRS. HARRY RAWSON.
Photograph by Clarke, Think.

128

•^

Iff** ** * f

MlSS R. ARMITAGES TEAM OF TOY WHITE POODLES.
Photograph by N. S. Kay, Manchester.

CHAPTER XII.
THE POODLE.

BY LEONARD W. CROUCH, LL.B.

" A Poodle once towed me along,
But always we came to one harbour ;
To keep his curls smart.
And shai'e his hind part.
He constantly called on a barber.'''

— Tom Hood.

^T^H E Poodle is commonly acknow-
ledged to be the most wisely in-
telligent of all members of the
canine race. He is a scholar and a gentle-
man ; but. in spite of his claims of long
descent and his extraordinary natural clever-
ness, he has never been widely popular
in this country as the Collie and the Fox-
terrier are popular. There is a general
belief that he is a fop, whose time is largely
occupied in personal embellishment, and
that he requires a great deal of individual
attention in the matter of his toilet. It may
be true that to keep him in exhibition order
and perfect cleanliness his owner has need

to devote more consideration to him than
is necessary in the case of many breeds ;
but in other respects he gives very little
trouble, and all who are attached to him
are consistent in their opinion that there
is no dog so intensely interesting and respon-
sive as a companion. His qualities of mind
and his acute powers of reasoning are indeed
so great that there is something almost
human in his attractiveness and his devotion.
His aptitude in learning is never denied,
and many are the stories told of his mar-
vellous talent and versatility.

Not merely as a showman's dog has
he distinguished himself. He is something

THE POODLE.

129

more than a mountebank of the booths,
trained to walk the tight rope and stand
on his head. He is an adept at performing
tricks, but it is his alertness of brain that
places him apart from other animals. There
is the example of the famous Munito, who
in 1818 perplexed the Parisians by his clever-
ness with playing cards and his intricate

to the Customs officers. On the Continent
Poodles of the larger kind are often used
for draught work.

There can be little doubt that the breed
originated in Germany, where it is known
as the Pudcl, and classed as the Cams
familiaris Aquaticus. In form and coat he
would seem to be closely related to the old

GROUP OF MRS. L. W. CROUCH'S POODLES,

ORCHARD TOMMY TUCKER, ORCHARD SALLY, CH. L'ENFANT PRODIGUE,
CH. ORCHARD ADMIRAL. AND LADY GODIVA.

Photograph by T. Fall.

arithmetical calculations. Paris was for-
merly the home of most of the learned
Poodles, and one remembers the instance of
the Poodle of the Pont Neuf, who had the
habit of dirtying the boots of the passers-by
in order that his master — a shoeblack
stationed half-way across the bridge— might
enjoy the profit of cleaning them. In Bel-
gium Poodles were systematically trained
to smuggle valuable lace, which was wound
round their shaven bodies and covered
with a false skin. These dogs were schooled
to a dislike of all men in uniform, and conse-
quently on their journey between Mechlin
and the coast they always gave a wide berth

Water-dog, and the resemblance between a
brown Poodle and an Irish Water Spaniel
is remarkable. The Poodle is no longer
regarded as a sporting dog, but at one period
lie was trained to retrieve waterfowl, and he
still on occasion displays an eager fondness
for the water ; but this habit is not en-
couraged by owners, who know the labour
involved in keeping in order the Poodle's
profuse coat.

Throughout Europe and in the United
States — wherever these dogs are kept — it is
usual to clip the coat on the face, the legs,
and the hinder part of the body, leaving
tufts of hair on the thighs and a ring of

130

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

hair on the pasterns. The origin and pur-
pose of the custom are not apparent, but
now that Poodles are almost always kept
as house dogs, this mode of ornamentation
at least commends itself by reducing the

MRS. L. W. CROUCH'S PERFECTION

BY CH. THE JOKER CORA.

Photograph by T. Fall.

labour of daily grooming if the coat is to be
maintained in good condition and the dog
to be a pleasant associate.

As far back in history as the breed can be
definitely traced clipping seems to have been
customary. Poodles are so presented in
various illuminated manuscripts of the six-
teenth century, and notably in one illus-
trating an episode in the life of Margaret of
York, the third wife of Charles the Bold
of Burgundy. In another painting depict-
ing a family group of Maximilian of Austria
and his wife and child (" The Abridged
Chronicles of Burgundy ") there is the
portrait of a shaven dog which, allowing
for the artistic shortcomings of the period,
closely resembles the Poodle of to-day.
Again, in Martin de Vos's picture of "Tobit
and his Dog," which also dates from the
sixteenth century, the faithful animal is an
unmistakable Poodle; while in two of the
series of paintings of the story of Patient
Griselda, by Pinturicchio (1454-1513), in
the National Gallery, a small shaven Poodle
is conspicuous among the spectators of the

hapless lady's misfortunes. The well-known
painting by J . Stein (1636-78) of " The Danc-
ing Dog " depicts a white Poodle on its hind
legs, clipped at the quarters, with tufts of
hair on the thighs and a ring about the
tail.

Widely distributed throughout Europe,
the Poodle differs in form and colour in the
various countries. In Russia and Eastern
Germany he is usually black, and the Russian
variety is particularly lithe and agile. In
Central Germany, where there is also a
" sheep " Poodle, he is somewhat uncouth
and thick-set, with sturdy limbs and a short
muzzle. The dejected and overworked
Poodles one sees drawing milk-carts in the
streets of Brussels and Antwerp are com-
monly a dirty white or yellowish brown,
and exceedingly muscular ; very different
from the more slender kind so frequently
met with on the boulevards of Paris or
perched impertinently and grotesquely
trimmed in the carriages on the Champs
Elysees. The small French variety, known
as the Barbet, seldom weighs more than
twenty pounds, and a good example is seen

MRS. GRAVES' THE RUNAWAY GIRL"

BY CANNON HILL BEAUTY PRINCESS OLGA

Photograph by Russell.

in Miss Armitage's imported bitch, Chaseley
Jose. The toy Poodle was very popular in
France in the reign of Louis XVI., and is
often represented in fashion plates of the
period, always shaven and shorn. Mr.

THE POODLE.

T. Heath Joyce, who has investigated the
history of the breed, states that the Poodle
was first introduced into Great Britain
during the Continental wars at the begin-
ning of the nineteenth century. For a long
period he was held in contempt as a mere
trick dog and the companion of mounte-
banks, who were believed to train him with
cruelty ; but in recent years his great
natural intelligence and apt-
ness in learning have won
for him a due appreciation,
while the remarkable charac-
teristics of his coat have
placed him as an interesting
individual in a class apart
from all other dogs.

The profuse and long coat
of this dog has the peculi-
arity that if not kept con-
stantly brushed out it twists
up into little cords which
increase in length as the
new hair grows and clings
about it. The unshed old
hair and the new growth
entwined together thus be-
come distinct rope-like cords.
Eventually, if these cords
are not cut short, or acci-
dentally torn off, they drag
along the ground, and so
prevent the poor animal
from moving with any degree of comfort or
freedom. Some few owners, who admire
and cultivate these long cords, keep them
tied up in bundles on the dog's back, but
so unnatural and unsightly a method of
burdening the animal is not to be com-
mended.

Corded Poodles are very showy, and
from the remarkable appearance of the
coat, attract a great deal of public atten-
tion when exhibited at shows ; but they have
lost popularity among most fanciers, and
have become few in number owing to the
obvious fact that it is impossible to make
pets of them or keep them in the house.
The reason of this is that the coat must, from
time to time, be oiled in order to keep the
cords supple and prevent them from snap-

ping, and, of course, as their coats cannot
be brushed, the only way of keeping the
dog clean is to wash him, which with a corded
Poodle is a lengthy and laborious process.
Further, the coat takes hours to dry, and
unless the newly washed dog be kept in
a warm room he is very liable to catch
cold. The result is, that the coats of
corded Poodles are almost invariablv dirtv,

mrs. w. bowers' CH. CANNON HILL BEAUTY

BY THE DIE GRACE DARLING.

BRED BY MADAME DAGOIS.

and somewhat smelly. The exhibition
of this variety has also been much dis-
couraged by the action of the Kennel Club in
disqualifying, on the objection of an ex-
hibitor, all the corded Poodles at one show
(except those of the objector) on the ground
that their coats were oiled.

This rule of the Kennel Club involves
the necessity of every trace of oil being care-
fully removed every time a corded Poodle
is exhibited at a show, and consequently the
variety is becoming less and less popular.
At one time it was suggested that cordeds
and non-cordeds were two distinct breeds,
but it is now generally accepted that the
coat of every well-bred Poodle will, if allowed,
develop cords.

Curly Poodles, on the other hand, have

132

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

advanced considerably in favour. Their
coats should be kept regularly brushed and
combed and, if washed occasionally, they
will always be smart and clean, and pleasant
companions in the house.

The four colours usually considered cor-
rect are black, white, brown, and blue.
Curiously enough, my experience is that

MRS. L. w. crouchs CH. ORCHARD ADMIRAL

BY CH. THE JOKER LADY GODIVA

Photograph by T. Fall.

white Poodles are the most intelligent, and
it is certain that professional trainers of
performing dogs prefer the white variety.
The black come next in the order of intelli-
gence, and easilv surpass the brown and blue,
which, in my opinion, are somewhat lacking
in true Poodle character.

No strict lines are drawn as regards brown.
and all shades ranging from cream to dark
brown are classed as brown. Mrs. Robert
Long a few years ago startled her fellow-
enthusiasts by exhibiting some parti-coloured
specimens ; but they were regarded as freaks,
and did not become popular.

The points to be looked for in choosing
a Poodle are, that he should be a lively,
active dog, with a long, fine head, a dark
oval eye, with a bright alert expression,
short in the back, not leggy, but by no

means low on the ground, with a good loin,
carrying his tail well up ; the coat should
be profuse, all one colour, very curb', and
rather wiry to the touch.

If you buy a Poodle puppy you will
find it like other intelligent and active young-
sters, full of mischief. The first Poodle
with which I was intimately acquainted
was a bitch puppy nearly a year old. Her
education had been sadly neglected, and as
soon as she felt herself at home in the house
she devoted her leisure time to pulling out
the fibre of cocoanut mats, tearing off the
frills of curtains, eating the tops of boots,
stripping covers from umbrellas, and engag-
ing in other similar expedients for dispelling
ennui. I am sure that a naughtier puppy
never breathed (she howled all the first
night because she was placed in the stable) ;
but within a few months her manners
became perfect, and she afterwards at-
tained fame as Ch. The Black Coquette, the
foundress of the Orchard Kennel.

The great secret in training a Poodle is
first to gain his affection. With firmness,
kindness, and perseverance, you can then
teach him almost anything.

The most lively and excitable dogs are
usually the easiest to train, and it is my
experience that the white Poodle excels
in quickness of apprehension and obedience.
It is advantageous to teach your dog when
you give him his meal of biscuit, letting him
have the food piece by piece as a reward
when each trick is duly performed. Never
attempt to teach him two new tricks at a time,
and when instructing him in a new trick
let him always go through his old ones first.
Make it an invariable rule never to be beaten
by him. If — as frequently is the case with
young dogs — he declines to perform a trick.
do not pass it over or allow him to substitute
another he likes better; but. when you see
he obstinately refuses, punish him by putting
away the coveted food for an hour or two.
If he once sees he can tire you out you will
have no further authority over him, while if
you are firm he will not hold out against you
long. It is a bad plan to make a dog repeat
too frequently a trick which he obviously
dislikes, and insistence on your part may do

THE POODLE.

13:

great harm. The Poodle is exceptionally
sensitive, and is far more efficiently taught
when treated as a sensible being rather
than as a mere quadrupedal automaton.
He will learn twice as quickly if his master
can make him understand the reason for per-
forming a task. The whip is of little use
when a lesson is to be taught, as the dog will
probably associate his tasks with a thrashing
and go through them in that unwilling,
cowed, tail-between-legs fashion which too
often betrays the unthinking hastiness of
the master, and is the chief reason why
the Poodle has sometimes been regarded as
a spiritless coward.

The Poodle bitch makes a good mother,
rarely giving trouble in whelping, and the
puppies are not difficult to rear. Their
chief dangers are gastritis and congestion
of the lungs, which can be avoided with
careful treatment. It should be remembered
that the dense coat of the Poodle takes a
long time to dry after being wetted, and
that if the dog has been out in the rain,
and got his coat soaked, or if he has been

enclosed kennels well protected from draught
and moisture, and there is no difficulty in so
keeping them, as they are naturally obedient
and easily taught to be clean in the house
and to be regular in their habits.

MISS R. ARMITAGES FRENCH TOY POODLE

CHASELEY JOSl

IMPORTED. PEDIGREE NOT KNOWN.

Photograph by Russdl.

MRS. L. w. CROUCHS ORCHARD WHITE BOY.

washed or allowed to jump in a pond, you
must take care not to leave him in a
cold place or to lie inactive before he is
perfectly dry.

Most Poodles are kept in the house or m

The coat of a curly Poodle should be kept
fleecy and free from tangle by being periodi-
cally combed and brushed. The grooming
keeps the skin clean and healthy, and fre-
quent washing, even for a white dog, is
not necessary. The dog will, of course,
require clipping from time to time. In
Paris at present it is the fashion to clip the
greater part of the body and hind-quarters,
but the English Poodle Club recommends
that the coat be left on as far down the
body as the last rib, and it is also customary
with us to leave a good deal of coat on the
hind-quarters. An idea of the general style
of clipping in England may be gained from
the illustration of Orchard White Boy.

Probably the best-known Poodle of his
day in this country was Ch. The Model,
a black corded dog belonging to Mr. H. A.
Dagois, who imported him from the Con-
tinent. Model was a medium-sized dog, very
well proportioned, and with a beautifully
moulded head and dark, expressive eyes,
and I believe was only once beaten in the
show ring. He died some few years ago

134

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

at a ripe old age, but a great many of the
best-known Poodles of the present day
claim relationship to him. One of his
most famous descendants was Ch. The
Joker, also black corded, who was very
successful at exhibitions, and died only
recently. Another very handsome dog was
Ch. Vladimir, again a black corded, belong-
ing to Miss Houlgrave.

Since 1905 the curly Poodles have very
much improved, and the best specimens
of the breed are now to be found in their
ranks. Ch. Orchard Admiral, the property
of Mrs. Crouch, a son of Ch. The Joker and
Lady Godiva, is probably the best specimen
living; one of his litter brothers, Orchard
Minstrel, emigrated to the United States,
and has earned his title as Champion in
that country. White Poodles, of which
Mrs. Crouch's Orchard White Boy is a
notable specimen, ought to be more widely
kept than they are, but it must be admitted
that the task of keeping a full-sized white
Poodle's coat clean in a town is no light one.
Toy white Poodles, consequently, are
very popular. The toy variety should not
exceed fifteen inches in height at the shoulder,
and in all respects should be a miniature
of the full-sized dog, with the same points.

Points of the Perfect Poodle.

1. General Appearance. — That of a very
active, intelligent, and elegant-looking dog, well
built, and carrying himself very proudly.

2. Head. — Long, straight, and fine, the skull
not broad, with a slight peak at the back.

3. Muzzle. — Long (but not snipy) and strong
— not full in cheek ; teeth white, strong, and level ;
gums black, lips black and not showing lippincss.

4. Eyes. — Almond shaped, very dark, full of
fire and intelligence.

5. Nose. — Black and sharp.

6. Ears. — The leather long and wide, low
set on, hanging close to the face.

7. Neck. — Well proportioned and strong, to
admit of the head being carried high and with
dignity.

8. Shoulders. — Strong and muscular, sloping
well to the back.

9. Chest. — Deep and moderately wide.

10. Back. — Short, strong, and slightly hol-
lowed, the loins broad and muscular, the ribs
well sprung and braced up.

11. Feet. — Rather small, and of good shape,
the toes well arched, pads thick and hard.

12. Legs. — Fore legs set straight from shoulder,
with plenty of bone and muscle. Hind legs
very muscular and well bent, with the hocks
well let down.

13. Tail. — Set on rather high, well carried,
never curled or carried over back.

14. Coat. — Very profuse, and of good hard
texture ; if corded, hanging in tight, even cords ;
if non -corded, very thick and strong, of even length,
the curls close and thick, without knots or cords.

15. Colours. — All black, all white, all red,
all blue.

The White Poodle should have dark eyes,
black or very dark liver nose, lips, and toe-nails.
The Red Poodle should have dark amber eyes,
dark liver nose, lips, and toe-nails.

The Blue Poodle should be of even colour, and
have dark eyes, lips, and toe-nails.

All the other points of White, Red, and Blue
Poodles should be the same as the perfect Black
Poodle.

N.B. — It is strongly recommended that only
one-third of the body be clipped or shaved, and
that the hair on the forehead be left on.
Value of Points.
General appearance and movement . 1 5

Head and ears Li

Eyes and expression 10

Neck and shoulders 10

Shape of body, loin, back, and car-
riage of stern 1 5

Legs and feet i°

Coat, colour and texture of coat . 15
Bone, muscle, and condition . . 10

100

MISS M. Y. NEWALL'S TEAM OF BLACK POODLES.

135

CHAPTER XIII.
THE SCHIPPERKE.

BY E. B. JOACHIM.

" / watch the door, I watch the gate :
I am watching early, watching late,
Your doggie still — I watch and wait."

— Gerald Massey.

THE Schipperke may fitly be described
as the Paul Pry of canine society. His
insatiate inquisitiveness induces him to
poke his nose into everything ; every strange
object excites his curiosity, and he will, if
possible, look behind it ; the slightest noise
arouses his attention, and he wants to
investigate its cause. There is no end
to his liveliness, but he moves about with
almost catlike agility without upsetting any
objects in a room, and when he hops he has
a curious way of catching up his hind legs.
The Schipperke's disposition is most affec-
tionate, tinged with a good deal of jealousy,
and even when made one of the household he
generally attaches himself more particularly
to one person, whom he " owns," and whose
protection he deems his special duty.

These qualities endear the Schipperke as a
canine companion, with a quaint and lovable
character ; and he is also a capital vermin
dog. When properly entered he cannot
be surpassed as a " ratter."

Schipperkes have always been kept as
watch-dogs on the Flemish canal barges,
and that, no doubt, is the origin of the
name, which is the Flemish for " Little
Skipper," the syllable " ke " forming the
diminutive of " schipper " ; the "sch"
is pronounced as in "school."

The respectable antiquity of this dog is
proved by the result of the researches Mr.
Van der Snickt and Mr. Van Buggenhoudt
made in the archhes of Flemish towns,
which contain records of the breed going
back in pure type over a hundred years.

The first Schipperke which appeared at
a show in this country was Mr. Berrie's
Flo. This was, however, such a mediocre

specimen that it did not appeal to the taste
of the English dog-loving public. In 1888
Dr. Seelig brought over Skip, Drieske, and
Mia. The first-named was purchased by

MRS. E. APPLEBEE'S FIRWOOD FROLIC

BY CH. EL CAPITAN MAISIE.

Photograph by Russell.

Mr. E. B. Joachim, and the two others by
Mr. G. R. Krehl. Later on Mr. Joachim
became the owner of Mr. Green's Shtoots,
and bought Fritz of Spa in Belgium, and
these dogs formed the nucleus of the two
kennels which laid the foundation of the
breed in England.

It was probably the introduction of the
Schipperke to England that induced Belgian
owners to pay greater attention to careful
breeding, and a club was started in 1888
in Brussels, whose members, after " long
and earnest consideration," settled a descrip-
tion and standard of points for the breed.

ij6

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

Xot long afterwards the Schipperke Club
(England) was inaugurated, and drew up
the following standard of points, which was
adopted in December, 1890, and differed
only very slightly from the one acknowledged
by the Belgian society.

Standard of Points of the Schipperke Club,

England.
1 Head. — Foxy in type: skull should not be
round, but broad, and with little stop. The
muzzle should be moderate in length, fine but not
weak, should be well filled out under the eyes.

12. Hind-legs. — Strong, muscular, hocks well let
down.

13. Feet. — Small, catlike, and standing well on
the toes.

14. Nails. — Black.

15. Hind-quarters. — Fine compared to the fore-
parts, muscular and well-developed thighs, tailless,
rump well rounded.

16. Coat. — Black, abundant, dense, and harsh,
smooth on the head, ears and legs, lying close on
the back and sides, but erect and thick round the
neck, forming a mane and frill, and well feathered
on back of thighs.

17. Weight. — About twelve pounds.

MRS. CROSFIELDS BRACE OF SCHIPPERKES

CH ESME OF GRETA and CH JOY OF GRETA.

2. Nose. — Black and small.

3. Eyes. — Dark brown, small, more oval than
round, and not full ; bright, and full of expression.

4. Ears. — Shape : Of moderate length, not too
broad at the base, tapering to a point. Car-
riage : Stiffly erect, and when in that position the
inside edge to form as near as possible a right
angle with the skull and strong enough not
to be bent otherwise than lengthways.

5. Teeth. — Strong and level.

6. Neck. — Strong and full, rather short, set
broad on the shoulders and slightly arched.

7. Shoulders. —Muscular and sloping.

8. Chest. — Broad and deep in brisket.

9. Back. — Short, straight, and strong.

10. Loins. —Powerful, well drawn up from the
brisket.

11. Fore-legs. — Perfectly straight, well under
the body, with bone in proportion to the body.

18. General Appearance. — A small cobby animal
with sharp expression, intensely lively, present-
ing the appearance of being always on the alert.

19. Disqualifying Points. — Drop, or semi-erect
ears.

20. Faults. — White hairs are objected to, but
are not disqualifying.

Relative Value of Points.

Head, nose, eyes, teeth .... 20

Ears . to

Neck, shoulders, chest . . . . 10

Back, loins 5

Fore-legs 5

Hind-legs 5

Feet 5

Hind-quarters 10

Coat and colour 20

General appearance 10

Total 100

THE SCHIPPEKKE. 137

In August, 1894, the president, Mr. G. R. on high. Of sufficient substance that they cannot

Krehl, as well as Other leading members of ^ folded otherwise than lengthways, and very

the Schipperke Club (England), resigned m°blTeeth._very whlte. strong and quite level.

and formed a new club under the title of 8 Neck.— Strong, full, and carried upright,

the St. Hubert Schipperke Club, which was 9. Shoulders. — Sloping, and with easy action.

named after St. Hubert, a dog Mr. Krehl 10. Chest— Broad in front and well let down,

imported, and which was afterv/ards pur- "■ Back.-Straight, but supple.

, , , ,. . , 1 • i_i 12. Loins.- — Broad and powerful,

chased bv the club as a desirable sire to r .

■> 13. Forelegs. — Quite straight, fine, and well

improve the breed in England, but the under the body

great expectations in that direction were I4. Feet. — Small, round, and well-knuckled up,

hardly realised. The rupture happened so nails straight, strong, and short.

long ago that one can now relate its in- «5- Thighs.— Powerful, very muscular, and

.... .,, rr „ „_ hocks well let down,
ward history without giving offence or

J ° ° .16. Body. — Short and thick set, the ribs well

incurring any danger of renewing hostilities. gprung rather drawn up m lom

There is no doubt that it originated in a I7- Tail.— Absent.

personal difference between Mr. G. R. Krehl 18. Coat.— Dense and harsh, smooth on the ears,

and Mr. J. N. Woodiwiss, who was vice- short on the head, the front of the fore-legs, and

•j a r ii e 1 • 1 i~i u /rr„„i„„,}\ the hocks, and also rather short on the body, but

president of the Schipperke Club (England , ■ ' '

rr i u profuse round the neck, commencing from behind

but the formation of the new club was the e^ forming a mane and a fl.m on the chest

facilitated by the opinion some fanciers held This ionger coat looses itself between the fore-legs.

at the time that there was a danger of losing The backs of the thighs are feathered, forming the

in England the Belgian type of the breed, " oulotte," the fringe of which is turned inwards.

and the St. Hubert Schipperke Club adopted 19. Weight -Maximum for the small size

_ , . _, , , , , -. , twelve pounds, and for the large size twenty

the Belgian Club s standard of points as ounds

closely as a translation consistent with 20 Faults.— A light-coloured eye. Ears semi-
terms understood by English fanciers would erect, too long or rounded. Head narrow and
nllow elongated, or too short. Coat sparse, wavy, or
' That there was no danger of altering the silky. Absence of the mane and " culotte." Coat

_ , . , . , too long, and white spots, undershot.
true type by breeding Schipperkes in accord-
ance with the description of the Schipperke Relative Value of Points.
Club (England), will be seen by comparing Head, nose, eyes, and teeth ... 20

it with that of the St. Hubert Schipperke ^ ■ ; ■ " " " " ' ' '°

... Neck, shoulders, and chest . . . 10

Club, as in all essential points both are alike. Back and loins 5

Fore-legs 5

Standard of Points of the St. Hubert Schipperke Hind-le^s 5

Club- Feet ° 5

1. Character and General Appearance. — The Hindquarters io

Schipperke is an excellent and faithful little Coat and colour 30

watchdog, who does not readily make friends with

strangers. He is very active, always on the alert, Total . . . . . .100

and very courageous in defending objects left in his

charge, but also gentle with children. A character- To this were added the following supple-

istic peculiarity of the breed is their exceeding in- mentary notes from the pen of Mr. G. R.

quisitiveness and lively interest in everything going Krehl, which contain some very good advice,

on about them, their excitement being expressed by » a' lethargic air is detrimental, as the

sharp barks and the bristling mane. They are „ , . ,

A A ■ A restless temperament of the Schippeike con -

game and good vermin dogs. n-au.v-oo <- ^ "

2. Colour.-Self-coloured ; black. tributes greatly to the breed's character.

3. Head.— Foxy. When in full coat, the dog should be black

4. Nose.— Small. entirely, but when it is changing the coat

5. Eye.-Dark brown, small, oval rather than ^ sometimes preSent a rusty appearance,
round, neither deep set nor prominent, lively and . . ... „j„_ +u_ r-Wm-m

. r r jj brown tinge, which, under the urcum-

keen. ° . , ,

6. Ears.-Quite erect, small, triangular, and set stances, is natural, must not be confounded

THE NEW BOOK OF THE UOG.

with the brindled colour sometimes to be
found on badly-bred specimens. When the
self-coloured black Schipperke is ' off
colour,' there is a woolly look about the
coat. The mane (criniere) and thigh-breech-

MISS L A. LUPTON'S RED SCHIPPERKE RUFUS

BY FIRWOOD FILBERT ZAMPA

BRED BY MRS. DEANE WILLIS.
Ph itograph by T. Fall.

ing (eulotte) are of the greatest importance ;
the first-mentioned imparting a leonine
aspect to the little Schipperkes. This mane
is composed of long harsh hairs growing
through an undercoat so abundant and
dense as to support them from the thick
neck — this gives the mane a full appearance.
As the Belgian standard states, the mane
should ' commence behind the ears,' and
it should finish a little below the shoulder
points. On dogs that have a good mane,
such as Champions Hubert and Frans, and
Exter Menne, it is easy to see where the
mane stops and the ordinary body-coat
continues ; the mane appearing to fall
over the body-coat. The coat on the back
and sides is often not so coarse in texture
as the mane, but it generally becomes a
little harsher just over the hips and on the
' breeches.' The literal description of
the texture of the coat in the Belgian
standard is resistant an toucher, which may
be freely translated, ' harsh,' but it does

not mean wiry. The French expression
precludes the hairs being woolly or fluffy,
and if the Belgian breeders had desired to
say that they required more than harshness
they had the phrase handy, ' poil durS
which is ' hard coat.' Therefore, the pin-
wire hair, or cocoa-nut matting texture of
coat which is sought after in some terrier
varieties would not be correct for a Schip-
perke, whose coat should be, not soft, but
' resistant an toucher.'' The eulotte or thigh-
breeching is as characteristic and essential
as the mane, and the Belgian standard
includes among ' faults ' the absence of
both or either. This question of coat is
deserving of considerable attention, as it is
necessary to avoid the long coat all over
the body of the Pomeranian and the wiry
coat of the Welsh Terrier. These are the
Scylla and Charybdis through which the
barge dogs have to steer their way, as it
would be equally fatal to be cast on the
hard rock of the wire-hair as to get lost in
the Pomeranian whirlpool. If, with the
delusive hope of obtaining the mane, a
Pomeranian cross were resorted to, the ex-
periment would be exposed by the resulting
long coat all over the body, instead of the
full mane falling over a short coat on the
back. In the points it will be observed
thirty have been allotted to ' coat and
colour,' these being deemed of equal im-
portance with 'head and ears,' and just
as distinctive of the breed. Judging by
points should never be adopted, as their
only object is to explain to the novice the
relative values. A white spot is included
among the faults, but a few straggling white
hairs are tolerable. The one word ' foxey '
serves to describe the head, and the skull
must be wide and flat like other varieties
of prick-eared canidee, such as the Collie,
Pomeranian, Arctic dogs, etc. An under-
shot jaw is an intolerable blemish. The
word ' full ' applied to the neck requires
it to be thick and suggestive of virility.
Tin' nnk of the female is seldom so full
as the male's, nor do the bitches carry as
much mane as the dogs. The back of the
Schipperke is described as straight, but it
should round off at the rump, which should

THE SCHIPPERKE.

139

be rotund and full, guinea-pig-like. The
continued straight line of a terrier's back
is not desirable, but it will frequently be
found in specimens that have been docked.
The ' tailless breed ' theory is a myth :
none of the canida were originally tailless,
but the regular removal of the stern for
generations will cause any breed that is
so operated upon to give birth to tailless
pups. This has been the case with Schip-
perkes. It is said that a docked dog can
be told from one that has been born tailless
in this way ; when the docked animal is
pleased, a slight movement at the end of the
spine where the tail was cut off is discernible,
but the naturally tailless dog sways the
whole of its hindquarters. The Belgian
standard requires the legs to be ' fine,' and
not have much bone. The bone of a terrier
is only met with in coarse Schipperkes.
As to size, it need only be noted that the
maximum of the small size, viz., 12 lbs., is
that generally preferred in England, as
well as in Belgium. Further, it is only
necessary to remark that the Schipperke is a
dog of quality, of distinct characteristics,
cobby in appearance, not long in the back,
nor high on the leg ; the muzzle must not
be weak and thin, nor short and blunt ; and,
finally, he is not a prick-eared, black wire-
haired terrier."

The popularity of the Schipperke in-
creased so much in this country that not
only did the two original clubs prosper, but
it was considered expedient to form the
Northern Schipperke Club, which was
founded in 1905, and is also doing excellent
work.

The Schipperke's tail, or rather its absence,
has been the cause of much discussion, and
at one time gave rise to considerable acri-
monious feeling amongst fanciers. On the
introduction of this dog into Great Britain it
arrived from abroad with the reputation of
being a tailless breed, but whether Belgian
owners accidentally conveyed that impres-
sion or did it purposely to give the breed an
additional distinction is difficult to say.
Anyhow the Schipperke is no more " tail-
less " than the old English Sheepdog.

That is to say a iarger number of individuals
are born without any caudal appendage or
only a stump of a tail than in any other
variety of dogs.

The present writer was the first to draw
attention to the — to say the least of it —
undesirable operation which has to be per-
formed in order to give a Schipperke with
a tail the appearance of having been born
tailless, and the deception thereby practised
on the public. This resulted in a meeting
of representatives of the Schipperke Club
with a specially appointed sub-committee of
the Kennel Club at which it was agreed upon
to substitute and add to the description
dealing with the tail the following words :—

" Tail if not naturally absent may be
docked, and a stump of 2 inches is not
objected to, but ' carving or gouging out '
is not permissible and shall disqualify."

At various times it has been attempted
to introduce Schipperkes other than black.

MRS. DEANE WILLIS'S

CH. BAPTON FOX

In 1892 Mr. W. R. Temple proposed in
the Schipperke Club (England) the admis-
sion of chocolate colour to the standard of
points, but it was rejected. However, at
some recent shows classes for " other
coloured " Schipperkes have been given,
and some very typical specimens of attrac-
tive shades of red and fawn have been ex-
hibited.

140

SECTION II.

HOUNDS, GUN DOGS, AND OTHER SPORTING

BREEDS.

CHAPTER XIV.
THE BLOODHOUND.

BY HOWARD HANDLEY SPICER.

" And hark ! and hark ! the deep-mouthed bark
Comes nigher still, and nigher !
Bursts on the path a dark Bloodhound,
His tawny muzzle tracked the ground,
And his red eye shot fire."

— " The Lay of the Last Minstrel."

p

^HE Bloodhound was much used in
olden times in hunting and in the
pursuit of fugitives ; two services for
which his remarkable acuteness of smell, his
ability to keep to the particular scent on
which he is first laid, and the intelligence
and pertinacity with which he follows up
the trail, admirably fit him. The use and
employment of these dogs date back into
remote antiquity. We have it on the
authority of Strabo that they were used
against the Gauls, and we have certain
knowledge that they were employed not
only in the frequent feuds of the Scottish
clans, and in the continuous border forays
of those days, but also during the ever-
recurring hostilities between England and
Scotland.

Wallace and Bruce were frequently in
danger from the Sleuth-hound, as it was
then called, and many thrilling tales are
told of their repeated escapes, and the
" wily turns " by which the hound was
thrown off the scent. Barbour tells how
on <>ne occasion the King waded a bow-
shot down a brook and climbed a tree which
overhung the water. The poet well de-
scribes " the wavering of the Sleuth-hound
to and fra," when it was thrown off the

scent by the King's stratagem. Blind Harry
the Minstrel describes how Wallace, after
being worsted in a short skirmish, sought
safety in flight, closely pursued by the
English with a Border Bloodhound :

" In Gelderland, there was that bratchet bred,
Siker of scent to follow them that fled :
So was she used in Eske and Liddlesdail,
While she gat blood no fleeing might avail."

To spill blood was the sure way to end the
pursuit. The poet states that on this occa-
sion Wallace was accompanied by an Irish-
man named Fawden or Fadzean, who after
a while refused to proceed farther on the
plea of fatigue. It was in vain that Wallace
endeavoured to urge him on. Promises
and threats were alike useless ; carry
him he could not ; to leave him to betray
his whereabouts was equally impossible ;
so, yielding to the necessity of his hazardous
condition, he struck off the fellow's head.
Later, when the pursuers reached the scene
of the tragedy, they found their dog by the
dead body.

" The sleuth stopped at Fawden, still she
stood,
Nor farther would fra time she fund the
blood."

THE BLOODHOUND.

141

Indeed, the very name of the dog calls up
visions of feudal castles, with their trains
of knights and warriors and all the stirring
panorama of these brave days of old, when
the only tenure of life, property, or goods
was by the strong hand. In the stories
of Border forays, the Bloodhound constantly

St. Huberts, are supposed to have been
brought by pilgrims from the Holy Land.
Another larger breed, also known by the
same name, were pure white, and another
kind were greyish-red. The dogs of the
present day are probably a blend of all these
varieties.

HUNTSMEN ROASTING A WILD BOAR.

From a French Tapestry of the Fifteenth Century. Showing Bloodhounds of the period, and, also,

in the background, a Hunting Dog in Armour.

appears in pursuit of enemies and " fol-
lowing gear," and great was the renown of
him who

" By wily turns and desperate bounds.
Had baffled Percy's best bloodhounds."

This feudal dog is frequently pictured by
the poet in his ballads and romances, and
in "The Lady of the Lake" we find the
breed again mentioned :

" Two dogs of black St. Hubert's breed,
Unmatched for courage, breath, and speed,
Fast on his flying traces came.
And all but won the desperate game :
For scarce a spear's length from his haunch
Vindictive toiled the bloodhounds staunch."

These famous black Bloodhounds, called

During the French Wars of Henry VIII.
Bloodhounds were regularly employed, as
they were also by the Spaniards in Mexico
and Peru. In the days of Queen Elizabeth,
it is said, eight hundred Bloodhounds
accompanied the forces of the Earl of Essex
in suppressing the Irish Rebellion. In
later times they became the terror of the
deer stealer and the cattle lifter, and for
this purpose were maintained by the Earls of
Buccleuch on their Border estates till late in
the eighteenth century. So skilful were they
that when one of them got fairly on the
track of a fugitive his escape was all but
impossible.

The Bloodhound, from the nobler pur-
suit of heroes and knights, came in later
years to perform the work of the more

142

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

modern detective ; but in this also his
services were in time superseded by the
justice's warrant and the police officer. We
find it recorded about 1805, however, that
" the Thrapston Association for the Pre-
vention of Felons in Northamptonshire
have provided and trained a Bloodhound
for the detection of sheep-stealers."

To demonstrate the capabilities of the
dog, a day was appointed for the public
trial. The man he was intended to hunt
started in the presence of a great crowd of
people about ten o'clock in the morning.
An hour later the dog was slipped, and
after a chase of an hour and a half with a
very indifferent scent, the hound ran up
to the tree in which he had taken refuge,
at a distance of fifteen miles from the
place of starting, " to the admiration and
perfect satisfaction," to quote the words
of a contemporary account, " of the very
great number assembled upon the occa-
sion."

The Cuban Bloodhound, formerly em-
ployed in tracking runaway slaves in
Jamaica and the slave-holding states of
America, is of Spanish descent, and differs
largely from the true Bloodhound. It is
believed to be a descendant of the Mastiff,
crossed perhaps with the Bulldog, and is
inferior to the true Bloodhound in every
respect save that of ferocity. It has been
described as equal to the Mastiff in bulk,
to the Bulldog in courage, to the Blood-
hound in scent, and to the Greyhound in
agility.

The reputation it obtained for sagacity
and fierceness in the capture of runaway
slaves, and the cruelties attributed to it
in connection with the suppression of the
various negro risings, especially that of
the Maroons, have given the animal an
evil repute, which more probably should
attach to those who made the animal's
courage and sagacity a means for the gratifi-
cation of their own revolting cruelty of
disposition. It has been justly remarked
that if entire credence be given to the de-
scription that was transmitted through
the country of this extraordinary animal.
it might be supposed that the Spaniards

had obtained the ancient and genuine breed
of Cerberus himself.

From all accounts their appearance was
so terrifying that on their arrival at Mon-
tego Bay, the people, we are told, shut
themselves in their houses lest the animals
should break away from their keepers as
they passed through the streets. " The
doors were shut, not a negro ventured to
stir out, as the muzzled dogs, ferociously
making at every object and dragging for-
ward their keepers, who with difficulty
held them in with heavy, rattling chains,
proceeded onward." Shortly afterwards
General Walpole, the Commander-in-Chief,
ordered the dogs to parade before him-
The scene which followed is thus de-
scribed : —

" The Spaniards appeared at the end
of a gentle acclivity, drawn out in line
containing upwards of forty men with their
dogs in front, unmuzzled and held by
cotton ropes. On receiving the command
to fire, the men discharged their weapons
and advanced as upon a real attack. This
was intended to ascertain what effect would
be produced on the dogs if engaged under
a fire of the Maroons. The volley was no
sooner discharged than the dogs rushed
forward with the greatest fury, amid the
shouts of the Spaniards, who were dragged
along by them witli irresistible force.
Some of the dogs, maddened by the shout
of attack while held back by the ropes,
seized the stocks of the guns in the hands
of their keepers, and tore pieces out of
them. Their impetuosity was so great
that they were with difficulty stopped
before they reached the General, who found
it necessary to get quickly into his car-
riage, and, if the most strenuous exertions
had not been made to stop them, they
would most certainly have seized upon his
horses."

The impression created by this display
had immediate consequences and far-reach-
ing effects. On January 14th General Wal-
pole advanced, with his Spanish dogs in
the rear. Their fame, however, had reached
the Maroons, and the force had penetrated
but a short distance into the woods, when

THE BLOODHOUND.

143

a deputation arrived from the insurgents
begging for mercy, and soon after between
two and three hundred of them surren-
dered, on no other condition than a promise
of their lives.

" It is pleasing to observe," remarks
the historian, " that after the dogs arrived
in the island not a drop of blood was spilt."

Coming again to this country, we find
the Bloodhound used from time to time
in pursuit of poachers and criminals, and

prisons has been offered a working hound
for nothing, the authorities have refused
to consider the question or give the hound
a trial.

The following account of the Bloodhound
trials held in the district of West Wycombe,
written by the late Mr. G. R. Krehl, editor
of The Illustrated Kennel News, gives one
a good idea of such a meeting : —

" It was a foggy morning, but about 10.30
o'clock the fog lifted, and the runner went to

BLAZER RUNNING DOWN HIS QUARRY IN A
TRIAL OF TRACKING ON A THREE-MILE SCENT.

in many instances the game recovered
and the man arrested.

Unfortunately, in country districts one
often finds a great deal of prejudice exist-
ing against the Bloodhound. To the writer's
personal knowledge, in one Sussex village
the yokels firmly believe that Bloodhounds
would attack, probably devour, any chil-
dren that came in their way, and that once
having smelt blood they were no more
to be trusted than an escaped tiger. One
owner, during his first six months' resi-
dence, had continually to be on the look-
out for poisoned meat. Perhaps it is only
fair to say that this myth was not con-
tradicted but encouraged by a large circle
of poachers living in the neighbourhood.

There is no doubt that the police in
country districts, and at our convict prisons,
could use Bloodhounds to advantage ; but
public sentiment is decidedly against the
idea, and although one of his Majesty's

lay the first trail. Almost the entire line could
be followed without the use of glasses. It was
an ideal course on the far side of Radnage
Valley, and from a 140-acre field most of the
run could be seen without leaving the farm
wagon, which formed a good grand stand.
According to the conditions of the trials, a line
of three miles on scent at least an hour cold
had to be run, and the hounds were hunted
singly, Mrs. Litkie. winning the toss, electing
to run Rufus first. By this time the sun was
high, and it was blazing hot ; and, as there was
no shade on the side of the valley selected for
the run, scent was not expected to be very
good. Collett worked the hound, Mr. Edgar
Farman (mounted) following as judge. For a
start Rufus cast very prettily, and, having
gained the line, gave tongue and went up the
hill at a fair pace. Gibbs, it ought to be ex-
plained, had mapped out the course with flags,
so that we could see how the line was kept to.
Halfway up the line the hound was at fault,
but only momentarily, and, casting rather
wide, he was speedily on terms again, and went

144

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

off to the left, hunting in the most approved
fashion and at a good pace. The ground here
is all arable land ; but on reaching roots on
the crest of the hill, scent was better, and the
hound very quickly came into the open again,
but was at fault on a strip of plough. Not far

MR. C. E. HOLFORD'S CH. REGENT,
SON OF COLONEL COWENS DRUID.
Reproduced from a Drawing on Wood by George Earl.

away a group of villagers were watching the
sport, and close to the line a woman was stand-
ing ; but Rufus paid no heed to either, and
went on hunting every inch of the line until
reaching the outside boundary, clearly defined
by one of Gibbs' white flags. Here he came
to his first serious check, being out of view
for some minutes in a wood. On coming into
sight he ran heel for a distance ; but, en-
couraged by Collett, he at length regained the
line, and rattling down into the valley, where
scent was warmer than on the higher ground,
he ran into his quarry in exactly one hour
and ten minutes— really an excellent per-
formance.

" On the second day scenting conditions
seemed perfect ; but, judging by the way
Blazer shaped on being unleashed, the ground
was holding scent no better than was the case
yesterday. Casting round in pretty style, he
was quickly on the line, and by slow hunting
he reached the point at which Rufus was first
at fault on the previous day in twenty minutes
— capital time, everything taken into con-
sideration. The light plough proved no ob-
stacle to Blazer, and, keeping up a nice pace.

but hunting perfectly mute, he reached the
place where the Radnage villagers were as-
sembled. He passed these without the least
hesitancy, but met a much greater check in the
shape of a flock of sheep, which had fouled
the ground after the runner had passed. This
was awkward, and for
a time the obstacle
seemed a fatal one ;
but, allowed plenty of
liberty, Blazer took up
a line and carried it
to the end, making a
beautiful point by round-
ing a flag very closely,
and running down his
quarry in fifty minutes
— really a capital per-
formance. It was rather
curious, by the way, that,
like Rufus, who ran prac-
tically the same time on
the previous day, Blazer
went on a voyage of dis-
covery into the coppice
to the right of the turn-
ing flag. We would have
given a trifle to have had
time to make personal
investigations into that coppice. There was
apparently something attractive to the Blood-
hounds."

Half a century ago the Bloodhound was
so little esteemed in this country that the
breed was confined to the kennels of a very
few owners ; but the institution of dog
shows induced these owners to bring their
hounds into public exhibition, when it
was seen that, like the Mastiff, the Blood-
hound claimed the advantage of having
many venerable ancestral trees to branch
from. At the first Birmingham show, in
i860, Lord Bagot brought out a team from
a strain which had been in his lordship's
family for two centuries, and at the same
exhibition there was entered probably one
of the best Bloodhounds ever seen, in Mr.
T. A. Jenning's Druid. Known now as
"Old" Druid, this dog was got by Lord
Faversham's Raglan out of Baron Roths-
child's historic bitch Fury, and his blood
goes down in collateral veins through Mr.
L. G. Morrel's Margrave, Prince Albert

145

146

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

Solm's Druid, and Mr. Edwin Brough's
Napier into the pedigrees of many of the
celebrated hounds of the present day.

" Druid " was a name given with per-
plexing frequency to Bloodhounds during
the succeeding decade, and Mr. Jenning's
dog, who was exported into France when

CAPT. J. W. CLAYTON'S FAMOUS LUATH XI.

BY LUATH X. BRAN VIII.

BRED BY THE REV. G. STRATON IN 1874.
From a Drawing by C. Button Barber.

just in his prime, is not to be confounded
with Colonel Cowen's Druid, a champion of
champions, bred in 1862, who was even
more remarkable as a sire than his earlier
namesake. With the exception of Leo
and Major, Old Druid had no son of suffi-
cient character to continue his reputation.
Colonel Cowen's hound, on the other hand,
had among his immediate progeny such
famous representatives of the breed as
Draco, Dingle, Dauntless, Hilda, Daphne,
Mr. Wright's Druid, and Mr. C. E. Holford's
Regent. Of these the last-named was the
most notable, as, like his sire, Regent took
first prizes year after year at both Bir-
mingham and the Crystal Palace. The Rev.
Thomas Pearce, a very good judge of the
breed, considered him absolutely faultless.

Another famous Druid — grandsire of
Colonel Cowen's hound of the name — was
owned by the Hon. Grantley Berkeley.
This typical dog was unsurpassed in his time,
and his talent in following a line of scent
was astonishing. His only blemish was one
of character ; for, although usually as good-
tempered as most of the breed are, he was
easily aroused to uncontrollable fits of
savage anger.

Her late Majesty Queen Victoria at
various times possessed one or more fine
specimens of the Bloodhound, procured for
her by Sir Edwin Landseer, and a capital
hound from the Home Park Kennels at
Windsor was exhibited at the London Show
in 1869, the judge on the occasion being
the Rev. Thomas Pearce, afterwards known
as " Idstone." Landseer was especially
fond of painting the majestic Bloodhound,
and he usually selected good models for
his studies. The model for the hound in
his well-known picture, " Dignity and Im-
pudence," was Grafton, who was a collateral
relative of Captain J. W. Clayton's cele-
brated Luath XL

This last-named dog, bred by the Rev.
G. Straton in 1874, by Luath X. out of
Bran VI 1 1., is more particularly remem-
bered for his magnificent and noble head.
In colour he was a pale tan. His legs were
not of the best and straightest, and he was
unfortunate in having a Dudley nose.
These faults handicapped him severely in
competition with such a well-shaped speci-
men as his contemporary Don (owned by
Mrs. Humphries) ; but he was most suc-
cessful at stud, and his grandly developed
head characteristics were transmitted with
unvarying certainty to his offspring. His
mating with Mr. E. Bird's Juno II. pro-
duced Tarquin, thought by many to have
been the most perfect Bloodhound puppy
ever seen. Unfortunately, Tarquin died
before his promise could be realised. A
more memorable litter was bred from
Luath to Mr. Nichols' Restless, a grand-
daughter of Mr. Ray's Roswell. It com-
prised Napier, Nimrod, Diana, and Lawyer,
besides Belladonna and Mr. Brough's Bravo ;
all winners at first class shows.

THE BLOODHOUND.

147

Mr. Reynold Ray's Roswell, a dog of
faultless quality, was of unrecorded pedi-
gree ; but he became the progenitor of many
champions who have continued the merit
of his strain in a more marked degree than
is the case with almost any other Blood-
hound sire in the stud book.

Four superlative Bloodhounds of the past
stand out in unmistakable eminence as
the founders of recog-
nised strains. They are
Mr. Jenning's O d Druid,
Colonel Cowen's Druid,
Mr. Reynold Ray's Ros-
well, and Captain Clay-
ton's Luath XI. ; and the
owner of a Bloodhound
which can be traced back
in direct line of descent
to any one of these four
patriarchs may pride
himself upon possessing
a dog of unimpeachable
pedigree.

Among breeders within
recent years Mr. Edwin
Brough, of Scarborough,
is to be regarded as the
most experienced and suc-
cessful. No record of the
breed would be complete
without some acknowledg-
ment of the great services he has rendered to
it. Bloodhounds of the correct type would
to-day have been very few and far between
if it had not been for his enthusiasm and
patient breeding. Reference has already
been made to the kennel of Mr. Nichols,
and it was just as Mr. Nichols was giving
up the breed that Mr. Brough came into it.
During several years Mr. Brough bred and
produced many hounds, which all bore
the stamp of his ideal, and there is no
doubt that for all-round quality his kennel
stands first in the history of the Blood-
hound. His most successful cross was, per-
haps, Beckford and Bianca, and one has
only to mention such hounds as Burgundy,
Babbo, Benedicta, and Bardolph to recall
the finest team of Bloodhounds that has
ever been benched. Fortunately, Mr.

Brough is still a keen spectator at the ring
side, and promises one day again to get
together a kennel. The entries at shows
and field trials indicate that the breed is
not making the progress that one could
wish, and it is hoped that before long he
may fulfil his promise.

Mrs. G. A. Oliphant, of Shrewton,
Wilts, whose kennels include Ch. Chatley

MR. S. H. MANG
BY MARCUS HC

ns CH. HORDLE HERCULES.

RDLE DIANA

Blazer and Chatley Beaufort, has of late
years been a keen supporter of the breed.
Mrs. Oliphant, who is the president of the
ladies' branch of the Kennel Club, is a
great believer in hounds being workers
first and show hounds second, and her
large kennels have produced many hounds
of a robust type and of good size and
quality. There is no doubt that as far
as hunting is concerned at the present
moment this kennel stands easily first.
But admirable Bloodhounds have also
given distinction to the kennels of Mr.
S. H. Mangin, Dr. Sidney Turner, Mr.
Mark Beaufoy, Mr. F. W. Cousens, Mr.
A. O. Mudie, Lord Decies, Mr. Hood
Wright, Mr. A. Croxton Smith, Dr. C. C.
Garfit, Dr. Semmence, and Mrs. C. Ashton
Cross, to mention only a few owners and

148

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

breeders who have given attention to this
noble race of dog. Mr. Mangin was the
breeder of Ch. Hordle Hercules, a dog
of distinguished quality, and his prefix
is familiar to all admirers of the Blood-
hound. Hercules was the sire of the Cham-
pion bitch, Mirables Mischief, and many
another worthy representative of the breed.
The Duchess of Dunsborough, another

as with philosophic thought, his flews deep
and square, his dewlap loosely hanging,
his whole expression that of an ancient
sphinx. He is surprisingly active and of
enduring strength. At tracking the clean
boot he justifies the reputation of his keen-
scented breed, and his hardy constitution
makes him impervious to all physical ills.
Probably he gets his hardiness from Wel-

MR. ROBERT PRATT'S HIPPOLYTA

BY CH. PANTHER BOUNDLESS. BRED BY MR. CHARTERIS.

bitch who won championship honours, was
also of Mr. Mangin's breeding. Mr. Croxton
Smith has the distinction of having bred,
amongst many other excellent hounds,
Ch. Hengist, now the treasured property
of Dr. C. C. Garfit, of Kirby Muxloe.

Hengist is a magnificent upstanding
black-and-tan hound, twenty-seven inches
in height at the shoulder, with legs like
oak saplings for strength and firmness of
bone and muscle and sinew. His head is
significant of all that is aimed at in Blood-
hound type, high peaked and ponderous,
Willi low-set cars pendulous as a chancel-
lor's wig, his sombre, inscrutable eyes look-
ing out from their cavernous depths in
sage contemplation, his forehead furrowed

fare, his dam, whose own dam, Ch.
What's Wanted, was a result of Mr. Mark
Beaufoy's outcross through Babylone, a
French hound derived from crossing a
Bloodhound with a Vendee and again cross-
ing with a St. Hubert. On his sire Pan-
ther's side Hengist is descended directly
from Mr. Ray's Roswell, and he hits back
to the famous Luath XI. — Restless litter.
Restless herself was great-granddaughter
of Mr. Cowen's Druid ; while Juno, who
also is in Hengist's pedigree, was four
generations removed from Mr. Jenning's
Old Druid. Dr. Garfit's dog can therefore
be traced back in descent from all four of
the great Bloodhounds of the past, who are
recognised as the founders of the best strains.

THE BLOODHOUND.

149

In dealing with the rearing and breeding
of Bloodhounds, we will imagine that the
beginner selects a couple of puppies from
different strains with which to start his

but all young animals do far better when
they are kept reasonably warm. If they
are always shivering and cold, they will not
grow and do not enjoy those dead sleeps
which overtake an active puppy after he
has been running about for some hours.

A dry, light soil is the best on which to
rear puppies. When no paddock is avail-
able, or is only to be had on clay soil,
during the winter a good big stable yard or
the run of the garden is the best thing
for pups. Many gardeners object, but in
the winter there are parts of the garden
which (if one has not a big enough yard)
will not be very much damaged by the

DR. C. C. GARFITS CH. HENGIST

BY CH. PANTHER WELFARE.

BRED BY MR. A CROXTON SMITH.

kennels. Before getting his puppies home
he will naturally provide accommodation
for them, and nothing is better than a
good airy loose box or stall, with a bench
raised some inches above the floor and
with a good board in front of it to keep
off the floor draught. Of course, if this is
not possible, Spratt or some other well-
known maker will supply a good house
with windows and ventilation for about
£10, in which case, instead of the bench,
I would recommend a sort of low box on
four feet, which can be easily moved and
in which the puppy can jump easily and
lie snugly out of all draughts ; but this
should not be too high, so that there is
no strain or j ar on his front legs as he j uraps
in and out.

One does not want to coddle puppies,

CH. CHATLEY BEAUFORT

BY CH. CHATLEY BLAZER CHATLEY FRIVOL

BRED AND OWNED BY MRS. G. A. OLIPHANT,
SHREWTON. WILTS.

gambols of a two months' old puppy. The
exercise a pup gets at play with another
dog is the very best he can have.

Regular exercise is not necessary until

15©

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

the dog is at least six months old. Per-
haps the stableman or gardener will let
the puppy run about with him during the
day, or trot behind him when he goes to
his meals if he does not live far away.
This form of exercise will bring on a puppy
as well as anything.

When a puppy is from six to eight weeks
old he should have four good meals a day.
Brown bread and milk in the morning, some
chopped meat about noon, rodnim about
four o'clock, and chopped raw or cooked
meat again at night. Little and often is
a good rule with Bloodhounds. Where
size is required, raw meat should certainly
form half the puppy's diet. Added to
this, if you wish to do everything to bring
your puppy on well, chemical food and
cod-liver oil — a tablespoonful every day —
will do a lot to help him on, especially as
regards bone.

When the puppy is six months old this
diet can be reduced to three meals a day,
omitting the bread and milk, and directly
his teeth are strong enough let him have
broken dogs' biscuits and sometimes a
good bone with a little meat on it in place
of one of the meat meals. At ten months
old, three Spratt's biscuits at twelve o'clock,
and \\ lb. of raw or cooked meat with a
little rodnim mixed in (if bulk is wanted)
about seven o'clock should be sufficient.

The dog should be groomed every day —
first with a dandy brush to get any mud
off, then with a hand-glove, and finally
run over with a wash-leather. The eyes
should be sponged and the ears constantly
looked at, and if any sign of canker or ear
trouble appears inside the ear, powdered
boracic acid should be dredged into the
ear.

Seven out of ten Bloodhounds fall victims
to distemper, and great care should be
taken to deal with it from the very first.
A piece of blanket should be taken, two
holes made in it, the front feet placed in
the holes, and then the blanket should be
drawn round the chest and over the back
and ribs and sewn up tightly, and the
patient put in a room temperature of 6o°
with plenty of fresh air.

As a rule, there is not much danger of
infection, except after shows, and those
who go in for showing should certainly
wash their dogs' flews and nostrils out well
with disinfectant and water, and as a pre-
cautionary measure give them about three
Pearson's antiseptic capsules twice a day
during the show and for some time after-
wards. When the dogs return from the
show they should be given a dose of salts
with their food.

If a puppy is intended for the show ring,
as soon as he begins to go on a lead he should
be taught to stand properly. If he is
allowed to grow up without having learned
this, it will be difficult to make him show
well unless he is what is termed " a natural
shower," but so many Bloodhounds are
shy that this is exceptional.

When puppies are six months old they
should begin to have short lessons in track-
ing. Someone they know should run on,
say across a field, perhaps hiding behind
a fence some two or three hundred yards
away, and then the puppies should be al-
lowed to follow him. Then when they come
up to him a fuss should be made of them,
and they should be given a small piece of
meat. The distance can be increased in a
day or two. and the runner can leave little
sticks with pieces of paper in the top along
his line, so that the puppies can be made to
work the proper track. If a puppy is tired,
or does not seem keen, take him home and
bring him out another day I it is no good
trying to make him work when he feels
disinclined.

In the writer's opinion, every show hound
should also be a working hound ; but for
the show ring road exercise is necessary to
bring the hound well up on his feet, and a
judicious combination of road exercise and
field work is advisable.

The description of a perfect type of dog,
as defined by the Association of Bloodhound
Breeders, is as follows : —

i. General Character.— The Bloodhound pos-
sesses, in a most marked degree, every point and
characteristic of those dogs which hunt together
by scent (Sagaces). He is very powerful and
stands over more ground than is usual with

THE BLOODHOUND.

151

hounds of other breeds. The skin is thin to the
touch and extremely loose, this being more espe-
cially noticeable about the head and neck, where
it hangs in deep folds.

2. Height. — The mean average height of adult
dogs is 26 inches and of adult bitches 24 inches.
Dogs usually vary from 25 inches to 27 inches
and bitches from 23 inches to 25 inches ; but in
either case the greater height is to be preferred,
provided that character and quality are also
combined.

3. Weight. — The mean average weight of adult
dogs in fair condition is 90 pounds and of adult
bitches 80 pounds. Dogs attain the weight of
no pounds, bitches 100 pounds. The greater
weights are to be preferred, provided (as in the
case of height) that quality and proportion are
also combined.

4. Expression. — The expression is noble and
dignified and characterised by solemnity, wisdom
and power.

5. Temperament. — In temperament he is ex-
tremely affectionate, quarrelsome neither with
companions nor with other dogs. His nature is
somewhat shy, and equally sensitive to kindness
or correction by his master.

6. Head. — The head is narrow in proportion to
its length and long in proportion to the body,
tapering but slightly from the temples to the end
of the muzzle thus (when viewed from above and
in front) having the appearance of being flattened
at the sides and of being nearly equal in width
throughout its entire length. In profile the
upper outline of the skull is nearly in the same
plane as that of the foreface. The length from
end of nose to stop (midway between the eyes)
should be not less than that from stop to back
of occipital protuberance (peak). The entire
length of head from the posterior part of the
occipital protuberance to the end of the muzzle
should be 12 inches, or more, in dogs, and n
inches, or more, in bitches.

7. Skull. — The skull is long and narrow, with
the occipital peak very pronounced. The brows
are not prominent, although, owing to the deep-set
eyes, they may have that appearance.

8. Foreface. — The foreface is long, deep, and of
even width throughout, with square outline when
seen in profile.

9. Eyes . — The eyes are deeply sunk in the orbits,
the lids assuming a lozenge or diamond shape, in
consequence of the lower lids being dragged down
and everted by the heavy flews. The eyes cor-
respond with the general tone of colour of the
animal, varying from deep hazel to yellow. The
hazel colour is, however, to be preferred, although
very seldom seen in red-and-tan hounds.

10. Ears. — The ears are thin and soft to the
touch, extremely long, set very low. and fall in
graceful folds, the lower parts curling inwards
and backwards.

1 1 . Wrinkle. — The head is furnished with an
amount of loose skin which in nearly every
position appears superabundant, but more par-
ticularly so when the head is carried low ; the
skin then falls into loose, pendulous ridges and
folds, especially over the forehead and sides of
the face.

12. Nostrils. — The nostrils are large and open.

13. Lips, Flews, and Dewlap. — In front
the lips fall squarely, making a right-angle with
the upper line of the foreface, whilst behind they
form deep, hanging flews, and, being continued
into the pendent folds of loose skin about the
neck, constitute the dewlap, which is very pro-
nounced. These characters are found, though
in a less degree, in the bitch.

THE SLEEPING BLOODHOUND.
FROM the Painting by SIR E. LANDSEER,

14. Neck, Shoulders, and Chest.— The neck
is long, the shoulders muscular and well sloped
backwards ; the ribs arc well sprung, and the
chest well let down between the forelegs, forming
a deep keel.

15. Legs and Feet.— The forelegs are straight
and large in bone, with elbows squarely set ;
the feet strong and well knuckled up ; the thighs
and second thighs (gaskins) are very muscular ;
the hocks well bent and let down and squarely
set.

16. Back and Loins.— The back and loins are
strong, the latter deep and slightly arched.

17. Stern. — The stern is long and tapering and
set on rather high, with a moderate amount of
hair underneath.

18. Gait.— The gait is elastic, swinging, and
free— the stern being carried high, but not too
much curled over the back.

19. Colour.— The colours are black-and-tan,
red-and-tan, and tawny — the darker colours
being sometimes interspersed with lighter or
badger-coloured hair and sometimes flecked with
white. A small amount of white is permissible on
chest, feet, and tip of stern.

152

THE LATE DUKE OF HAMILTON'S PACK OF OTTERHOUNDS.
Photograph by C. Rcid, Wishaw.

CHAPTER XIV.
THE OTTERHOUND.

BY GEORGE S. LOWE.

"My hounds are bred out of the Spartan kind.
So flew'd, so sanded ; and their heads are

hung
With ears that sweep away the morning dew ;
Crook-knee' d, and dew-lapp'd like Thessalian

THE Otterhound is a descendant of the
old Southern Hound, and there is
reason to believe that all hounds
hunting their quarry by nose had a similar
source. Why the breed was first called
the Southern Hound, or when his use
became practical in Great Britain, must
be subjects of conjecture ; but that there
was a hound good enough to hold a line
for many hours is accredited in history
that goes very far back into past cen-
turies. The hound required three centu-
ries ago even was all the better esteemed
for being slow and unswerving on a line
of scent, and in many parts of the King-
dom, up to within half that period, the
so-called Southern Hound had been especi-
ally employed. In Devonshire and Wales
the last sign of him in lus purity was perhaps

Slow in pursuit, but match'd in mouth like

bells,
Each under each. A cry more tuneable
Was never halloo'd to. nor cheer'd with horn,
In Crete, in Sparta, nor in Thessaly :
Judge, when you hear."

— " A .Midsummer Night's Dream."

when Captain Hopwood hunted a small pack
of hounds very similar in character on the
fitch or pole-cat ; the modus operandi being
to find the foraging grounds of the animal,
and then on a line that might be two days
old hunt him to his lair, often enough ten
or twelve miles off.

When this sort of hunting disappeared,
and improved ideas of fox-hunting came
into vogue, there was nothing left for the
Southern Hound to do but to hunt the
otter. He may have done this before at
various periods, but history rather tends
to show that otter-hunting was originally
associated with a mixed pack, and some
of Sir Walter Scott's pages seem to
indicate that the Dandie Dinmont and
kindred Scottish terriers had a good
deal to do with the sport. It is more

THE OTTERHOUND.

153

than probable that the rough-coated terrier
is identical with the now recognised Otter-
hound as an offshoot of the Southern Hound ;
but be that as it may, there has been a
special breed of Otterhound for the last
eighty years, very carefully bred and gradu-
ally much improved in point of appear-
ance. They are beautiful hounds to-day,
with heads as typical as those of Blood-
hounds, legs and feet
that would do for Fox-
hounds, a unique coat
of their own, and they
are exactly suitable for
hunting the otter, as
everyone knows w ho
has had the enjoyment
of a day's sport on
river or brook.

The very existence of
the otter is a mystery.
He seldom allows him-
self to be seen. There
is a cunning about the
animal that induces
him to live far away
from the haunts of
man, and to occupy
two totally different
points of vantage, as
it were, in as many „ „ _, _. .

J From 'The Spoilsman s

hours. He may live in
a burrow on a cliff
by the sea, and his fishing exploits may
extend seven or eight miles up a river,
generally in the hours nearest midnight.
A stream in South Devon defied whole
generations of otter hunters, or perhaps,
more properly speaking, the otters did. No
matter how early in the morning the hunt
was started, there would be a hot trail up
stream, hounds throwing their tongues
and dashing from bank to bank, through
pools, over clitters of rocks, and often
landing on meadow-side ; but there would
be no otter, and then the hunt would turn
and hounds would revel on a burning scent
down stream, the quarry meanwhile sleep-
ing in his sea-girt holt perfectly safe from
any interference. Then, again, the otter
may live on the moorside at the head of

the river, and fish down and back. He is
then more accessible, and it is under such
conditions that the best sport is obtained.
But still these animals are wrapt in won-
drous mystery. The Rev. C. Davies, who
wrote in The New Sporting Magazine under
tin- nomme de guerre of " Gelert," in giving
his experience of South Devon otter-hunt-
ing early in the 'forties, relates that he

THE SOUTHERN HOUND <1803\

P. Reinagh, R.A.

quite astonished old resident farmers when
he first commenced hunting near their
homesteads. They asked him what he
was doing. He replied that he was " otter-
hunting," and they laughed, and told
him they had never heard of such an
animal ; and yet he must have killed over
fifty in the next five years within a mile of
them, and of course otters had always
been there. It was the reverend gentle-
man's surmise, therefore, that the otter in-
habits nearly every river in Great Britain,
but that there is no knowing his where-
abouts until he is regularly hunted .

There are different opinions on the sub-
ject as to how the otter should be hunted,
and the kind of hound best suited for
the sport. Mr. Davies leant towards the

154

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

modern Foxhound, and he had many dis-
ciples holding the same views. They be-
lieved in the dash of the Foxhound to
keep the otter moving as soon as he was
dislodged from his holt, and it is certainly
very grand to see a pack of Foxhounds
swimming at really a great pace up stream
and to hear their voices fairly echo amid
the petty roar of waterfall or the bubbling
of rapid stream. It is sport that can never
be forgotten. Such was shown by Mr.

MR. J. C. CARRICK'S SWIMMER

BY LUCIFER COUNTESS.

Front a Painting by George Edit.

Davies, and later by Mr. Trelawny's hounds,
the latter being the Master of the Dartmoor
country ft the time ; and in the summer
he hunted otter with fourteen or fifteen
couples of his Foxhounds, and about one
couple of rough Otterhounds (Cardigan
being a notable one), and of course two or
three terriers. The old squire would never
admit, however, that the regular Otter-
hound was as good as the Foxhound, which
he would argue was better in every part
of a hunt than Cardigan. Others differ
partially from this view, and consider that
Foxhounds will miss a good many otters
in their over-anxiety to get forward.

The Otterhound proper is very steady
and methodical ; he feels for a trail on
boulder or rock, and if he touches it he

will throw his tongue just once or twice.
The scent may be one or two days old ; but
if fresher he repeats his own challenge,
becomes full of intent, moves a little up
stream, crosses the river, back again per-
haps, tells by his manner that the quarry
is about ; and if the hound is a good one,
and he is not hurried, he is sure to find,
although it may be three or four miles from
the starting point. Foxhounds might miss
all this. The Otterhound, again, is the far
better marker. The otter may be in some
drain a couple of hundred yards away from
the river, and his outlet may be at the
root of some old trees washed by the con-
stant flow into a deep refuge under water
to the depth of possibly four or five feet.
Foxhounds may flash over such a holt,
but the experienced Otterhound is always
on the look-out for such places. He steadies
himself as he swims that way, turns his
head to the bank, is not quite sure, so lifts
himself to the trunk of the tree bending
down to the water. The otter has landed
there in the night, and a voice like thunder
says so. It is a find. The pack will be
all there now, and the notes of delight,
becoming savage, concern the otter so far
that he will generally shift his quarters
at this stage without the aid of the terrier.
The tell-tale chain of bubbles is then seen,
or the animal coming up to vent, and then
the hunt is in all its fullest excitement. He
may beat them, by slipping down stream,
or into very deep water ; but, with good
hounds and the right sort of men as the
hunters, the odds are against the otter.

There was one point upon which Squire
Trelawny was very particular, and that was
that the otter was not to be touched in any
way, but left entirely to the hounds. If
it came to his ears that one had been hit
by a pole, nothing could well exceed his
anger ; and this was in con trast to the old-
fashioned ways of Scotland, of which there
are pictures of the otter being held up on a
barbed spear.

The Dartmoor was always a very fair
hunt, and it is so now, although for many
years since detached from the fox-hunting
establishment. It was in the hands at

THE OTTERHOUND.

155

first of the late Mr. Gage Hodge, of Glaze-
brook House, and afterwards of Major
Green and Mr. A. Pitman.

There were three other otter hunts in
Devonshire, notably Mr. Cheriton's, Mr.
Newton's, and Mr. Collier's. Mr. Cheriton
hunted the pure-bred rough Otterhounds,
and had some very good-looking ones. He
started hunting the North Devon rivers
about the year 1850, and continued to do
so until early in the
'seventies ; but the pack
still retains his name,
and has now for its
Master Mr. Arthur
Blake Heineman. A
late return gives from
ten to fifteen couples
of hounds ; about half
pure Otterhounds and
half Foxhounds. Mr.
Newton's hunt became
the Tetcot after that
gentleman retired ;
while on Major Green's
retirement in 1902 the
Dartmoor went into
committee, and is so
managed at present
under the Mastership of
Mr. A. J. Pitman, of the
Manor House, Huish.

The greatest otter
hunter of the last
century may have been the Hon. Geoffrey
Hill, a younger brother of the late Lord
Hill. A powerful athlete of over six feet,
Major Hill was an ideal sportsman in ap-
pearance, and he was noted for the long
distances he would travel on foot with his
hounds. They were mostly of the pure
rough sort, not very big ; the dogs he
reckoned at about 23V inches, bitches 22 :
beautiful Bloodhound type of heads, coats
of thick, hard hair, big in ribs and bones,
and good legs and feet. In seeing them at
a meet it was noticeable that some were
much shorter in their coats than others —
not shorter, however, than the coat of an
Irish Terrier. Possibly these may have
been cross-bred. Something, however,

must be allowed for the exposure and hard
work that falls to the lot of an Otterhound
in respect to coat. The Hon. Geoffrey
Hill's hounds were in perfect command :
a wave of his hand was enough to bring
them all to any point he wanted, and he
was remarkably quiet. This may be essen-
tial, as the otter is particularly wary and
very easily disturbed.

It was a narrow, but deep brook, and

CHAMPION
WITH MR.

TEAM O
WILSON

- THE DUMFRIESSHIRE OTTERHOUNDS,
DAVIDSON, HON. HUNTSMAN.

hounds flew from side to side. They did
not appear to miss an inch of ground ;
everything was examined, and that an
otter could be missed seemed impossible.
Presently, as two streams met, there was
a waving of sterns, a voice giving forth, and
then another to swell into a big chorus in
a few minutes, and the trail was found.
They still hunted steadily. The otter might
move now at any second ; but there was
no certainty that he would, and the hounds
were hanging on his trail, probably twelve
hours old, as if glued to him. Major Hill
said very little to them, but his experienced
eye saw where the real scene of action lay :
a bit of a swamp, where several streams
united, and down in a gorge under some

156

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

trees where some deep back-water had col-
lected, looked the ideal place for an otter's
holt. A hollow below proved that the
wily one had slipped through ; but the
hounds forced him back to the holt, and
each stream was tried in turn, but his re-
lentless followers showed him no mercy,
and in three parts of an hour from the time
he left the holt they pulled him down,
a big dog otter.

Major Hill seldom exhibited his hounds.
They were seen now and then at Birming-
ham ; but, hunting as hard as they did
through Shropshire, Staffordshire, Cheshire,
and into Wales, where they got their best
water, there was not much time for show-
ing. Their famous Master has been dead
now many years, but his pack is still going,
and shows great sport as the Hawkstone
under the Mastership of Mr. H. P. Wardell,
the kennels being at Ludlow Racecourse,
Bromfield.

The leading pack in the Kingdom for
the last sixty years, at any rate, has been
the Carlisle when in the hands of Mr. J. C.
Carrick, who was famous both for the sport
he showed and for his breed of Otter-
hound, so well represented ;tt all the im-
portant shows. Such hounds as Lottery,
first at Birmingham some years back, and
Lucifer were very typical specimens ; but
of late years the entries of Otterhounds
have not been very numerous at the great
exhibitions, and this can well be explained
by the fact that they are wanted in greater
numbers for active service, there being
many more packs than formerly — in all,
twenty-one for the United Kingdom. Be-
sides those already mentioned, there are,
for instance, the Bucks, which hunt three
days a week from Newport Pagnell on the
rivers Ouse, Xene, WeUand, Lovall, and
Gleb ; Mr. T. Wilkinson's, at Darlington ;
and the West Cumberland at Cockermouth.
In Ireland there is the Brookfield, with its
headquarters in County Cork ; while in
Wales there are the Pembroke and Carmar-
then, the Rug, the Ynysfor, and Mr. Buck-
ley's.

The Crowhurst Otter Hunt hunts most
of the rivers in Sussex with sixteen couples

of hounds, including seven couples of pure
Otterhounds. The " Master " last season
was Mrs. Walter Cheesman. The Essex
have, appropriately enough, their kennels
at Water House Farm, Chelmsford. They
hunt three days a week on the rivers of
Essex and West Suffolk, with a pack of
about eight couples of pure Otterhounds and
a like number of Foxhounds. L. Rose, Esq.,
is the Master, and he hunts them him-
self. The Culmstock, with kennels now
at Ilminster, is a very old hunt, established
and maintained for over fifty years by Mr.
William P. Collier, who hunted his own
hounds, and showed great sport on the
rivers in Somersetshire and North and
East Devon. The Master at the present
time is J. H. Wyley, Esq., and he carries
the horn himself. Mr. Hastings Clay hunts
a pack from Chepstow, and shows a good
deal of sport on many of the Welsh rivers,
as also in Gloucestershire and Hereford-
shire. Otter-hunting, really introduced into
the New Forest by the Hon. Grantley
Berkeley, is now continued in that district
very successfully by Mr. Courtney Tracey,
with about fifteen couples of pure and
crossed hounds. The Northern Counties
Hunt was established as recently as 1903,
and up to the present the hounds have been
drafts from the Culmstock, Hawkstone,
Dumfriesshire, Mr. Thomas Robson's, and
the Morpeth. They hunt the rivers over a
very wide country, as they find their sport
on the Tweed and the Tyne in Northumber-
land and go down to the Swale at Middle-
ham, Yorkshire. Other packs have hunted
these rivers in the past, such as those be-
longing to the well-known Mr. John Gallon,
Major Browne — the great buyer of the Pol-
timore Foxhounds — and Mr. T. L. Wilkin-
son ; but they were not called the Northern
Counties. They are now under the Master-
ship of F. P. Barnett, Esq., of Whalton,
Newcastle-on-Tyne .

Another pack to hunt other Yorkshire
waters, mostly in the West Riding districts,
is the Wharfdale, with kennels at Adding-
ton. The present hunt was only estab-
lished in 1905, but there had been a Wharf-
dale Otter Hunt Club, who invited certain

157

158

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

hunts to their rivers. Now the whole
country is taken up, and that also which
was formerly hunted by the famous Kendal
Otterhounds. The pack at present com-
prises twenty couples. Mr. W. Thompson
is the Master, and they hunt three days a
week.

The two packs that appear to be most
staunchly attached to the pure Otterhound
are the Dumfriesshire and the East of
Scotland. The former of these admits
of nothing but sixteen couples of pure-
bred Otterhounds. The hunt was estab-
lished in 1889, but not with such hounds
as are kennelled now by J. B. Bell Irvine,
Esq., of Bankside, Lockerbie. They hunt
all the rivers in the South of Scotland as
far as those of Ayrshire, and by all accounts
show excellent sport. It is evident that
the Dumfriesshire, as hunted now by the
very well-known sportsman, Mr. Wilson
Davidson, are the typical Otterhounds
shown between 1870 and 1880, by Mr.
J. C. Carrick, the Hon. Geoffrey Hill, Mr.
W. Tattersall, Mr. C. S. Coulson, and Mr.
Forster. Mr. J. C. Carrick had three very
good hounds in the 'seventies, called
Booser, Stanley, and the bitch Charmer.
The two last were immensely admired when
they took first prizes in their respective
classes at Birmingham in 1876. In the
following year there were good classes at
the Alexandra Palace, when one of Mr.
Carrick's called Royal won. The mantle
of Mr. J. C. Carrick has probably fallen on
the Dumfriesshire, as in October, 1906, at
the Crystal Palace show, the entries were
confined to the kennel in question with one
exception — Mr. J. H. Stocker's Dauntless
Lady. The Dumfriesshire had two couples
entered in the dog class — namely, Thun-
derer, Stormer, Bruiser, and Bachelor, all
home-bred examples, and likewise the two
bitches Thrifty and Darling, the first by
Stanley out of Truthful, the other by the
same sire out of Doubtful. The portrait
on p. 154 is that of Swimmer, shown some
years back by Mr. J. C. Carrick at Birming-
ham : the exact type of what the true-
bred Otterhound should be. It is from an
oil painting by George Earl.

The East of Scotland is a pack boasting
of eleven couples of rough Otterhounds
which was established in 1904. They hunt
some of the rivers formerly belonging to
the Dumfriesshire, or at least they were
invited by the East Lothian Otter Hunt
Club, which, with the half of the Berwick-
shire, started the East of Scotland pack.
They hunt on no fixed days. The Master
is W. M. Saunderson, Esq., of Crammond
Bridge, Midlothian.

Enough has been said to show that the
sport of otter-hunting is decidedly increas-
ing, as there have been several hunts started
within the last four years. There can well
be many more, as, according to the opinion
already quoted of that excellent authority,
the late Rev. " Otter " Davies, as he was
always called, there are otters on every
river ; but, owing to the nocturnal and
mysterious habits of the animals, their
whereabouts or existence is seldom known,
or even suspected. Hunting them is a very
beautiful sport, and the question arises
as to whether the pure Otterhounds should
not be more generally used than they are
at present. It is often asserted that their
continued exposure to water has caused a
good deal of rheumatism in the breed,
that they show age sooner than others,
and that the puppies are difficult to rear.
There are, however, many advantages in
having a pure breed, and there is much to
say for the perfect work of the Otterhound
The scent of the otter is possibly the sweet-
est of all trails left by animals. One can-
not understand how it is that an animal
swimming two or three feet from the bottom
of a river bed and the same from the sur-
face should leave a clean line of burning
scent that may remain for twelve or eighteen
hours. The supposition must be that the
scent from the animal at first descends and
is then always rising. At any rate, the
oldest Foxhound or Harrier that has never
touched otter is at once in ravishing excite-
ment on it, and all dogs will hunt it. The
terrier is never keener than when he hits
on such a line.

The Foxhound, so wonderful in his for-
ward dash, may have too much of it for

THE OTTERHOUND.

159

otter-hunting. The otter is so wary. His
holt can very well be passed, his delicious
scent may be over-run ; but the pure-
bred Otterhound is equal to all occasions.
He is terribly certain on the trail when he
finds it. Nothing can throw him off it,
and when his deep note swells into a sort
of savage howl, as he lifts his head towards
the roots of some old pollard, there is a
meaning in it — no mistake has been made.
In every part of a run it is
the same ; the otter dodges
up stream and down, lands
for a moment, returns to his
holt ; but his adversaries are
always with him, and as one
sees their steady work the
impression becomes stronger
and stronger that for the real
sport of otter-hunting there is
nothing as good as the pure-
bred Otterhound. There is
something so dignified and
noble about the hound of
unsullied strain that if you
once see a good one you will
not soon forget him. He is
a large hound, as he well
needs to be, for the " var-
mint " who is his customary
quarry is the wildest, most
vicious, and, for its size, the most power-
ful of all British wild animals, the in-
veterate poacher of our salmon streams,
and consequently to be mercilessly slaugh-
tered, although always in sporting fashion.
To be equal to such prey, the hound must
have a Bulldog's courage, a Newfoundland's
strength in water, a Pointer's nose, a
Retriever's sagacity, the stamina of the
Foxhound, the patience of a Beagle, the
intelligence of a Collie.

THE PERFECT OTTERHOUND.

1. Head. — The head, which has been described
as something between that of a Bloodhound and
that of a Foxhound, is more hard and rugged

than either. With a narrow forehead, ascending
to a moderate peak.

2. Ears. — The ears are long and sweeping, but
not feathered down to the tips, set low and lying
flat to the cheeks.

3. Eyes. — The eyes are large, dark and deeply
set, having a peculiarly thoughtful expression.
They show a considerable amount of the haw.

4. Nose. — The nose is large and well developed,
the nostrils expanding.

5. Muzzle. — The muzzle well protected with
wiry hair. The jaw very powerful with deep flews.

DOG HOUNDS OF THE DUMFRIESSHIRE OTTER HUNT,

including THUNDER and SPANKER,

ATTENDED BY THE WHIP'S DAUGHTER.

6. Neck. — The neck is strong and muscular,
but rather long. The dewlap is loose and folded.

7. Chest. — The chest, deep and capacious, but
not too wide.

8. Back. — The back is strong, wide and arched.

9. Shoulders. — The shoulders ought to be slop-
ing, the arms and thighs substantial and muscular.

10. Feet. — The feet, fairly large and spreading,
with firm pads and strong nails to resist sharp
rocks.

11. Stern. — The stern when the hound is at
work is carried gaily, like that of a rough Welsh
Harrier. It is thick and well covered, to serve
as a rudder.

12. Coat. — The coat is wiry, hard, long and
close at the roots, impervious to water.

13. Colour. — Grey, or buff, or yellowish, or
black, or rufus red, mixed with black or grey.

14. Height. — 22 to 24 inches.

i6o

CHAPTER XV.
THE IRISH WOLFHOUND.

BY FREDK GRESHAM.

" An eye of sloe, -with cur not low,
With horse's breast, with depth of chest,
With breadth of loin, and curve in groin,
And nape set far behind the head —
Such were the dogs that Fingal bred."

— Translated from the Irish.

I

T is now some eight and twenty years
since an important controversy was
carried on in the columns of The Live
Stack Journal on the nature and history of
the great Irish Wolfhound. The chief dis-

THE IRISH WOLFHOUND (1803).

From " The Sportsman's Cabinet." By P. Reinagle, R A.

putants in the discussion were Captain G. A.
Graham, of Dursley, Mr. G. W. Hickman, Mr.
F. Adcock, and the Rev. M. B. Wynn, and
the main point at issue was whether the dog
then imperfectly known as the Irish Wolf-

dog was a true descendant of the ancient
Cants grains Hibcmicns, or whether it was
a mere manufactured mongrel, owing its
origin to an admixture of the Great Dane
and the dog of the Pyrenees, modified and
brought to type by a
cross with the Highland
Deerhound. It was not
doubted — indeed, his-
tory and tradition
clearly attested — that
there had existed in
early times in Ireland
a very large and rugged
hound of Greyhound
form, whose vocation it
was to hunt the wolf,
the red deer, and the
fox. It was assuredly
known to the Romans,
and there can be little
doubt that the huge
dog Samr, which Jar]
Gunnar got from the
Irish king Myrkiarton
in the tenth century
and took back with
him to Norway, was
one of this breed. But
it was supposed by
many to have become
extinct soon after the
disappearance of the last wolf in Ireland,
and it was the endeavour of Captain Graham
to demonstrate that specimens, although
admittedly degenerate, were still to be
found, and that they were capable of being

THE IRISH WOLFHOUND.

161

restored to a semblance of the original
type.

At the time when he entered into the
controversy, Captain Graham had been
actively interesting himself for something
like a score of years in the resuscitation
of the breed, and his patience had been

rough material the majestic breed that
holds so prominent a position to-day.

There is little to be gathered from ancient
writings concerning the size and appear-
ance of the Irish Wolfhounds in early times.
Exaggerated figures are given as to height
and weight ; but all authorities agree that

MRS. PERCY SHEWELL'S CH. COTSWOLD

BY CH. O'LEARY PRINCESS PATRICIA OF CONNAUGHT.

Photograph by Holloway, Cheltenham.

well rewarded. By the year 1881 the Irish
Wolfhound had been practically restored,
although it has taken close upon a quarter
of a century to produce the magnificent
champions Cotswold and Cotswold Patricia,
which are such brilliant examples of the
modern breed — a brace of Wolfhounds who
bear living testimony to the vast amount
of energy and perseverance which Captain
Graham and his enthusiastic colleague Major
Gamier have displayed in evolving from

they were impressively large and imposing
dogs, and that they were regarded as the
giants of the canine race. Oliver Goldsmith,
himself an Irishman and also a student
of natural history, wrote of dogs in 1770
or thereabout : —

" The last variety, and the most wonder-
ful of all that I shall mention, is the Great
Irish Wolfdog, that may be considered as
the first of the canine species. He is ex-
tremely beautiful and majestic in appear-

I&2

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

ance, being the greatest of the dog kind
to be seen in the world. The largest of
those I have seen — and I have seen about
a dozen — was about four feet high, or as
tall as a calf of a year old. He was made
extremely like a Greyhound, but more
robust, and inclining to the figure of the
French Matin or the Great Dane."

Goldsmith, however, was more elegant
as a writer than accurate as an observer,
and it is not probable that the tallest of
the Wolfdogs that he or any of his country-
men ever saw stood over thirty-five inches
at the shoulder. A better judge of dogs
than tlie gentle and credulous author of
" The Vicar of Wakefield " was the com-
piler of the " Sportsman's Cabinet," pub-
lished in 1803, who wrote : —

" The dogs of Greece, Denmark, Tartary,
ind Ireland are the largest and strongest
of their species. The Irish Greyhound is
of very ancient race, and is still to be found
in some remote parts of that kingdom,
though they are said to be reduced even
in their original climate. They are much
larger than the Mastiff ; exceedingly fero-
cious when engaged."

In the same work a very spirited repre-
sentation is given of this hound, engraved
after a drawing by Philip Reinagle, R.A. (see
p. 160). Although in some slight respects
faulty, the illustration conveys an admirable
impression of what the dog was like a hun-
dred years ago — an immense rough-coated
animal of great power, closely resembling
the Highland Deerhound, but evidently
then, as now, considerably larger in build.

It seems extraordinary that so little should
have been accurately known and recorded
of a dog which at one time must have been
a familiar figure in the halls of the Irish
kings. It was no mere mythical animal
like thf heraldic griffin, but an actual
sporting dog which was accepted as a
national emblem of the Emerald Isle, asso-
ciated with the harp and the shamrock.
Proof of its recognised nobility is shown
in the circumstance that [rish Wolfhounds
were formerly depicted as supporters of
the armorial bearings of the Hibernian
kint^. They were usually collared Or, with

the appropriate motto, " Gentle when
stroked, fierce when provoked."

In the Dublin Museum there is pre-
served the skull of one of the old Irish
Wolfhounds, but this is of little help to
those who would inquire into the nature
and character of the original hound. It
is short and round, and could not possibly
have been taken from any but a medium-
sized dog. Contributory evidence as to
the size of the Wolfdog is perhaps better
sought by considering the size of its quarry.
The Irish wolf was probably no larger than
the wolf of any other country ; but it is
certain that the hound was a contemporary
of the extinct Irish Elk (Mcgaccros hiber-
nicus), and that this immense animal was
commonly hunted by these dogs. Skeletons
of the Irish Elk are to be seen in most
museums. It stood about six feet high
at the shoulder, and the antlers often
measure from ten to eleven feet from tip
to tip, with a weight of eighty pounds.*
Such an animal would require a very power-
ful hound indeed to pull it down, and we
may therefore assume that the original Irish
Wolfdog was no pigmy.

It is interesting to note that the Irish
Wolfhound was legislated for in the days
of Cromwell. A declaration against the
transporting of " Wolfedogges " dated Kil-
kenny, April 27th, 1652, reads as follows : —

" Forasmuch as we are credibly informed
that wolves do much increase and destroy
many cattle in several parts of this dominion,
and that some of the enemy's party who
have laid down their arms and have liberty
to go beyond the seas, and others do at-
tempt to carry away several such great
dogges as are commonly called Wolfe
Dogges. whereby the breed of them which
are useful for destroying wolves would, if
not prevented, speedily suffer decay, these
are therefore to prohibit all persons what-
soever from exporting any of the said dogges.
out of this dominion."

As regards the origin of the Irish Wolf-

* My friend Mrs. Clement K. Shorter possesses
a well-preserved skull of an elk, dug up from a
bog m Inland. The stretch of the antlers \9
3 feet 2 inches from tip to tip. — Ed.

THE IRISH WOLFHOUND.

163

hound, more than one theory is advanced.
By some authorities it is suggested that it
was the dog which we now know as the
Great Dane. Others hold that as there
were rough-coated Greyhounds in Ireland,
it is this dog, under another name, which
is now accepted. But probably Captain
Graham is nearer the truth when he gives
the opinion that the Irish hound that was
kept to hunt wolves has never become
extinct at all, but is now represented in

and they appeared to have very much
deteriorated in bone and substance. Sir
J. Power, of Kilfane, was responsible for
one line, Mr. Baker, of Bailvtobin, for
another, and Mr. Mahoney, of Dromore, for
the remaining strain. From bitches ob-
tained from two of these kennels, Captain
Graham, by crossing them with the Great
Dane and Scottish Deerhound, achieved
the first step towards producing the animal
that he desired. Later on the Russian

MR. I. W EVERETT'S BLACK AND TAN WOLFHOUND FELIXSTOWE YIRRA
BY KILCULLEN KITTY ASTORE.

the Scottish Deerhound, only altered a
little in size and strength to suit the easier
work required of it — that of hunting the
deer. Fhis is the more probable, as the
fact remains that the chief factor in the
resuscitation of the Irish Wolfhound has
been the Scottish Deerhound.

The result of Captain Graham's investiga-
tions when seeking for animals bearing some
relationship to the original Irish Wolfe
Dogge was that three strains were to be
found in Ireland, but none of the repre-
sentatives at that time were anything like
so large as those mentioned in early writings,

Wolfhound Roratai, better known as the
Borzoi, who was an exceedingly large hound,
was introduced, as also were one or two
other large breeds of dogs.

The intermixture of these canine giants,
however, was not at first very satisfactory,
as although plenty of bone was obtained,
many were most ungainly in appearance
and ill-shaped animals that had very little
about them to attract attention. Captain
Graham, however, stuck to his work, and
very soon the specimens that he brought
forward began to show a fixity of type
both in head and in general outline. Brian

164

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

was one of his best dogs, but he was not
very large, as he only stood just over thirty
inches at the shoulder. Banshee and Fin-
tragh were others, but probably the best
of Captain Graham's kennel was the bitch
Sheelah. It was not, however, until to-
wards the end of the past century that

to keep his name green ; the best probably
being Mr. Hall's Ch. Gareth.

Mr. F. M. Birtill in the following year
produced Wargrave and Ballyhooley in
one litter ; these two, who were sired by
Brian II., also becoming the parents of
excellent offspring. Wargrave was sent

MR. A. S. HALL'S CH. GARETH
BY CH. DERMOT ASTORE TYNAGH.

the most perfect dogs were bred. These
included O'Learv. the property of Mr.
Crisp, of Playford Hall. O'Leary is re-
sponsible for many of the . best dogs of
the present day, and was the sire of Mrs.
Percy Shewell's Ch. Cotswold and the same
lady's Kilcullen, besides several other high-
class prize-winners. Then Captain Graham
bred Dermot Astore in 1896, and sold him
to Mrs. Williams, of Llanllowell Rectory,
near Usk. This dog carried all before him
for some time, but was never quite such a
typical dog as O'Leary. He has, however,
left main* ,L,ri»x] dogs and bitches behind him

by his breeder to a show at Gloucester
when about a year old, ami was entered in
the catalogue to be sold for £25 ; he was
nearly defeating Dermot Astore, was claimed
by more than one would-be buyer, and was
consequently put up to auction, when he
was bought by Mr. Hood Wright for forty-
five guineas. Later on he became the
property of Mrs. Williams, who held a
strong hand at that time. Wargrave soon
be< .nne a champion, and when eighteen
months old bred Ch. Artara. who was prob-
ably the best Irish Wolfhound bitch that
has ever been bred. When shown in con-

THE IRISH WOLFHOUND.

i&5

dition, Artara could beat all the dogs. Ch. the selection of Captain Graham and two
Wargrave was also the sire of Wolf Tone, other judges. This dog, which has been re-
who has done an immense amount of good named Brian Boru, is still hearty and well,
to his breed. He was bred by the late and was at his post on St. Patrick's Day,

1907, when the shamrock that had been
sent by Her Majesty Queen Alexandra was
handed to the men.

Mrs. Gerard owned one of the largest
kennels of Irish Wolfhounds in England,
and amongst her many good dogs and
bitches was Cheevra, who was a wonderful
brood bitch, and included amongst her
stock were several that worked their way
up to championship honours ; she was the
dam of Rajah of Ridnal.

Besides Ballyhooley, Mr. W. Williams
owned a good dog in Finn by Brian II.
Finn produced Miss Packe's Wickham La-
vengro, a black and tan dog that has won
several prizes. Some judges are opposed

head of FELIXSTOWE YIRRA.

Mr. Herbert Compton, who always had a
very high opinion of him. Like his sire
Wargrave, Wolf Tone has excellent legs
and feet, and now that the dog belongs to
Mrs. Shewell, the stock that he produces
are all remarkable for their good limbs,
and he has had a great deal to do with
abolishing the straight hocks which were
such an eyesore with many of the older
hounds. Amongst the best of his off-
spring is Ch. Cotswold Patricia, the hand-
some animal who forms one of the illus-
trations in this chapter (p. 166). Bally-
hooley, the litter brother of Wargrave,
went into the hands of Mr. W. Williams,
who did very well with him.

In 1900 Mr. Crisp bred Kilcullen from
O'Leary, this dog winning the champion-
ship at the Kennel Club Show at the Crystal
Palace in 1902 under Captain Graham.
This was the year the Irish Wolfhound
Club presented the hound Rajah of Kidnal
as a regimental pet to the newly formed
Irish Guards, and the present Lord Powers-
court went to the Crystal Palace with a
non-commissioned officer to receive the dog.

Rajah of Kidnal, who was bred and ex-
hibited by Mrs. A. Gerard, of Malpas, was

head OF CH. COTSWOLD.

to giving prizes to Irish Wolfhounds of
this colour, but Captain Graham does not
object to it. Finn was a very heavy dog,
and weighed 14S lbs.

A hound that has been of great benefit

1 66

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

to the breed in Ireland is Ch. Marquis of
Donegal. He is the property of Mr. .Martin,
and I believe I am correct in saying that
he is an own brother to Dermot Astore.
Mr. Martin has had several other high-
class specimens, of which Connaught was
one of the best.

Amongst the bitches that have been in-

most promising young dog in Felixstowe
Yirra, a son of Kilcullen and Kitty Astore,
with which he was second to Mrs. Shewell's
Ch. Cotswold, who is undoubtedly the
grandest Irish Wolfhound ever bred, and
has so far had an unbeaten record. In
height Ch. Cotswold stands 34+ inches.
At the same show Miss Clifford, of Rvde,

MRS. P. shewells CH. COTSWOLD PATRICIA

BY WOLF TONE PRINCESS PATRICIA OF CONNAUGHT.

strumental in building up tne breed to its
present high state of excellence is Princess
Patricia of Connaught, who is by Dermot
Astore out of Cheevra, and is the dam
of Ch. Cotswold Patricia. She is one of
the tallest of her race, her height being
33 inches ; another bitch that measures
the same number of inches at the shoulder
being Dr. Pitts-Tucker's Juno of the Fen,
a daughter of Ch. Wargrave, who has had
several prizes placed to her credit.

Mr. Everett, of Felixstowe, is now one
of the most successful breeders. He ex-
hibited at the last Kennel Club show a

exhibited a good hound in YVildcroft,
another of Dermot Astore's sons, and other
supporters of the breed are Lady Kathleen
Pilkington, Mr. T. Hamilton Adams, Mr.
G. H. Thurston, Mr. Bailey. Mrs. F. Mar-
shall, Mr. J. L. T. Dobbin, and Miss Ethel
McCheane.

The following is the description of the
variety as drawn up by the Club : —

1. General Appearance. — The Irish Wolfhound
should not be quite so heavy or massive as the
Great Dane, but more so than the Deerhound,
which in general type he should otherwise resemble.
Of great size and commanding appearance, very

THE IRISH WOLFHOUND.

167

muscular, strongly though gracefully built: move-
ments easy and active ; head and neck carried
high ; the tail carried with an upward sweep,
with a slight curve towards the. extremity. The
minimum height and weight of dogs should be
31 inches and 120 pounds, of bitches 28 inches
and 90 pounds. Anything below this should
be debarred from competition. Great size, includ-
ing height at shoulder and proportionate length
of body, is the desideratum to be aimed at, and
it is desired firmly to establish a race that shall
average from 32 inches to 34 inches in dogs,
showing the requisite power, activity, courage,
and symmetry.

2. Head. — Long, the frontal bones of the fore-
head very slightly raised and very little indenta-
tion between the eyes. Skull not too broad ;
muzzle long and moderately pointed ; ears small
and Greyhound-like in carriage.

3. Neck. — Rather long, very strong and mus-
cular, well arched, without dewlap and loose skin
about the throat.

4. Chest. — Very deep, breast w:de.

5. Back. — Rather Ion j than short. Lons arched.

6. Tail. — Long and slightly curv 3d. of moderate
thickness, and well covered with hair.

7. Belly. — Well drawn up.

8. Forequarters. — Shoulders muscular, giving
breadth of chest, set sloping, elbows well under,
neither turned inwards nor outwards. Leg — Fore-
arm muscular and the whole leg strong and quite
straight.

9. Hindquarters. — Muscular thighs, and second
thigh long and strong as in the Greyhound, and
hocks well let down and turning neither in nor
out.

10. Feet. — Moderately large and round, neither
turned inwards nor outwards ; toes well arched
and closed, nails very strong and curved.

11. Hair. — Rough and hard on body, legs, and
head ; especially wiry and long over eyes and
under jaw.

12. Colour and Markings. — The recognised
colours are grey, brindle, red, black, pure white,
fawn, or any colour that appears in the Deer-
hound.

Faults. — Too light or heavy in head, too highly
arched frontal bone, large ears and hanging
flat to the face ; short neck ; full dewlap ; too
narrow or too broad a chest ; sunken and hollow
or quite level back ; bent forelegs ; overbent
fetlocks ; twisted feet ; spreading toes ; too curly
a tail ; weak hindquarters, cow hocks, and a
general want of muscle ; too short in body.

BRIAN BORU: the Irish guards' wolfhound.

Photograph 6j Pictorial Agency.

1 68

CHAPTER XVI.

THE DEERHOUND.

BY ROBERT LEIGHTON.

' A chieftain's, in good truth, this dog was once.
And if in form and action he remained
What he then was when first Odyssens left,
His swiftness and his strength would well have roused
Thy wonder at his hunting : never game
Escaped him in the thickest woodland glade :
Whatever he might follow, by their trail
He knew them all most thoroughly."

— Cordrey's " Odyssey.

THE Deerhound is one of the most
decorative of dogs, impressively
stately and picturesque wherever he
is seen, whether it be amid the surround-
ings of the baronial hall, reclining at luxu-
rious length before the open hearth in the
fitful light of the log fire that flickers on
polished armour and tarnished tapestry ;
out in the open, straining at the leash as he
scents the dewy air, or gracefully bounding
over the purple of his native hills. Grace
and majesty are in his every movement and
attitude, and even to the most prosaic mind
there is about him the inseparable glamour
of feudal romance and poetry. He is at his
best alert in the excitement of the chase ;
but all too rare now is the inspiring sight
that once was common among the mountains
of Morven and the glens of Argyll of the
deep-voiced hound speeding in pursuit of his
antlered prey, racing him at full stretch
along the mountain's ridge, or baying him
at last in the fastness of darksome corrie or
deep ravine. Gone are the good romantic
days of stalking, beloved by Scrope. The
Highlands have lost their loneliness, and
the inventions of the modern gunsmith have
robbed one of the grandest of hunting dogs
of his glory, relegating him to the life of a
pedestrian pet, whose highest dignity is
the winning of a pecuniary prize under
Kennel Club rules.

Historians of the Deerhound associ.it c
him with the original Irish Wolfdog, of

whom he is obviously a close relative, and
it is sure that when the wolf still lingered
in the land it was the frequent quarry of
the Highland as of the Hibernian hound.
Legend has it that Prince Ossian, son of
Fingal, King of Morven, hunted the wolf
with the grey, long-bounding dogs. " Swift-
footed Luath " and " White-breasted Bran "
are among the names of Ossian's hounds.
I am disposed to affirm that the old Irish
Wolfhound and the Highland Deerhound
are not only intimately allied in form and
nature, but that they are two strains of an
identical breed, altered only in size by
circumstance and environment. There are
reasons for the supposition that they were
originally of one family. During the period
of the Danish dominion over the Hebrides,
the sport-loving Scandinavians held such
constant communication between Scotland
and Ireland that it is to be presumed they
commonly interbred the hounds of both
countries.

Nor was the process confined to one
channel of intercourse. In the southern
parts of the main island, and particularly in
Wessex, there existed in ancient times a
rough-coated Gazehound of analogous type,
which possibly drifted over the border to
become more rugged and sturdy under the
influence of a rigorous climate. The dogs
of Great Britain have never for long remained
strictly local in type and character. Civil
wars, the courtesies of friendly kings, and

THE DEERHOUND.

169

extensive hunting expeditions have all had
their effect in the work of distribution.
King Arthur and his noble knights of the
Round Table' — all of them imbued with
enthusiasm for the chase — were experts in

distinct from its now larger Irish relative,
it was recognised as a native dog in Scotland
in very early times, and it was distinguished
as being superior in strength and beauty to
the hounds of the Picts. Stewart in his

the knowledge of hunting dogs, and they " Buik of the Cronicles of Scotland " *
took their hounds with them wherever they quaintly records that

SCENE AT ABBOTSFORD.

SIR WALTER SCOTT'S MAIDA AND TORRUM.

FROM the Painting by SIR EDWIN LANDSEER, R.A.

went. It is difficult, even with the help of
illuminated manuscripts and the records of
contemporary scribes, to determine the
particular breeds most in vogue ; but King
Arthur's Cavall and the yet more famous
Hodain were almost certainly of a rough
Greyhound type. Hodain himself — the
hound who shared the love potion with Sir
Tristram and Iseult — was brought by the
knight of Lyonesse over from Ireland, a
gift from King Anguish of that land, and
was presumably of the breed we are now
considering. There is nothing more prob-
able than that in the days of chivalry hounds
were numbered among the presents given
by king to king.

Whatever the source of the Highland
Deerhound, and at whatever period it became

" The Pictis houndis were nocht of sic speed
As Scottis houndis, nor yet sae gude at need,
Nor in sic game they were nocht half sae

gude,
Nor of sic pleasure, nor sic pulchritude."

The reference is included in the description
of a battle fought on account of a Deer-
hound. The hound's name is not given,
but he is said to have excelled all others
" sae far as into licht the moon does near
a star." He was the property of a Scots
king who had been enjoying a great hunting

* This was a metrical version of Hector Boece's
History, which was written in Latin and pub-
lished in Paris in 1526-7. The translation was
made in 1531 by command of Margaret, Queen
of James the Fourth.

170

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

CH. TALISMAN by ch st. ronan s ranger-
bred AND OWNED BY MRS. H. ARMSTRONG.
Photograph by Russell.

in the Grampians among the Picts, who
coveted the dog. To console them the king
made them a gift of a pair of his hounds,
but, not wholly content, they stole his
favourite. The thieves were pursued, and
a bloody battle followed, in which sixty
good Scots and a hundred Picts were slain,
before the dog was restored to his rightful
owner.

From that time onward, Scottish nobles
cherished their strains of Deerhound, seeking
glorious sport in the Highland forests. In
Pitscottie's " History of Scotland " (1528)
it is said that " the King desired all gentle-
men that had dogges that war guid to bring
theme to hunt in the saides boundis quhilk
the most pairt of the noblemen of the High-
lands did, such as the Earles of Huntlie,
Argyle, and Athole, who brought their
Deerhoundes with theme and hunted with
his majestic" The red deer belonged by
inexorable law to the kings of Scotland,
and great drives, which often lasted for
several days, were made to round up the
herds into given neighbourhoods for the
pleasure of the court, as in the reign of

-CH. CRAIGIE.

Queen Mary. But the
organised coursing of
deer by courtiers ceased
during the Stuart
troubles, and was left
to servants, the pursuit
of men being regarded
as more suitable for the
occupation of a gentle-
man.

At the time when Dr.
Johnson made his tour
in the Hebrides, deer
hunting was still mainly
in the hands of retain-
ers, who thus replen-
ished their chief's larder.
"The stags of the
mountains are less than
those of our parks and
forests," wrote Johnson,
with reference to sport
in the Isle of Skye.
"The deer are not
driven with horns and
hounds. A sportsman, with his gun in his
hand, watches the animal, and when he
has wounded him, traces him by the blood.
They have a race of brindled Greyhounds,
larger and stronger than those with which
we course hares, and these are the only dogs
used bv them for the chase." Boswell
mentions that Mr. Grant, of Glenmoriston,
permitted any stranger to range his forest
after deer, in the belief that nobody could
do them any injury. The stag was valued
only for the amount of venison it might
yield. The abandonment of the sport and
the gradual disappearance of the boar and
the wolf naturally caused the Deerhound to
decline both in number and in size and
strength, and by the end of the eighteenth
century the breed had become scarce.

The revival of deerstalking dates back
hardly further than a hundred years. It
reached its greatest popularity in the High-
lands at the time when the late Queen and
Prince Albert were in residence at Balmoral.
Solomon, Hector, and Bran were among the
Balmoral hounds. Bran was an especially
fine animal — one of the best of his time,

THE DEERHOUND.

171

standing over thirty inches in height. It
was at this period that Sir Edwin Landseer
was industriously transferring to canvas his
admiration of the typical Deerhound. Sir
Walter Scott had already done much to
preserve public interest in the breed, both
by his writings and by the fact that he kept
many of these dogs at Abbotsford ; but it
is saddening to note that although his
Torrum was the son of a true Glengarry sire,
yet his famous Maida was a mongrel by a
Pyrenean Wolfdog. Notwithstanding the
sinister bend, however, Maida was a mag-
nificent animal, partaking of the appearance
of his Deerhound dam, but having height
and power from his sire. The cross was of
benefit to the breed, and from Maida many
of our best modern Deerhounds are de-
scended. Washington Irving described him
'as a giant in iron grey. Landseer's portrait
of him (p. 169) shows him to have been a
white dog with a grey saddle mingled with
black, extending into patches on the thighs.
He had a white blaze up the face, and a
white muzzle and collar, and his dark ears
seem to have been cropped. The com-
panion hound sitting behind him in the
picture is of better type.

Scrope's neglected
but delightful book
on deerstalking was
written when the
sport was at its
zenith, and it con-
tains fascinating de-
scriptions of the
glories of pursuing
the red deer in the
wilds of the forest of
Atholl, and of the
performances of such
hounds as Tarff and
Derig and Schuloch.

The Deerhounds
were used in two
ways. In the one
case they coursed the
deer from first to last
without the aid of
man. In the other,
they held the

wounded stag at bay. In the former
case a hound of superior strength, speed,
and courage was required. So soon as
the herd were in sight, the hunters, getting
as near as they could, slipped the hounds
and the race began. On the roughest
ground the strong-legged, hard-footed dogs
could hold their own, while on the flat they
overhauled their quarry. They stuck
staunchly to the chase, and when within
seizing distance would sometimes spring
at the leg in order to confuse and encumber
the stag until there came a better oppor-
tunity of springing at the neck. If the stag
stood at bay, woe betide the hound whose
courage led him to make a frontal attack ; for
he would surely pay for his valour with his
life or sustain terrible injuries. If, however,
the attack was made from behind, the hunter
would generally come up to find the deer
dead, while the hounds were unharmed.
Their duty was not to kill their victim but
to keep him at bay until the hunters arrived.
Two historic feats of strength and en-
durance illustrate the tenacity of the Deer-
hound at work. A brace of half-bred dogs,
named Percy and Douglas, the property of
Mr. Scrope, kept a stag at bay from Saturday

CH. BLAIR ATHOL by ch. selwood dhouran — Katrine.

BRED AND OWNED BY MRS. W. C. GREW.

17=

THE NEW BOOK OE THE DOG.

night to Monday morning ; and the pure
bred Bran by himself pulled down two un-
wounded stags, one carrying ten and the
other eleven tines. These, of course, are
record performances, but they demonstrate
the possibilities of the Deerhound when
trained to his natural sport.

In Scrope's time driving was commnnly
resorted to in the extensive forests, but
nowadays when forests are sub-divided
into limited shootings the deer are seldom
moved from their home preserves, whilst
with the use of improved telescopes and the
small-bore rifle, stalking has gone out of
fashion . With guns having a muzzle velocity
of 2,500 feet per second, it is no longer
necessary for sportsmen stealthily to stalk
their game to come within easy range, and
as for dogs, they have become so doubtful
an appendage to the chase that we have
an experienced deerstalker like Cameron
of Lochiel soberly putting the question :
" Ought dogs to be used in a forest at
all ? " *

Obviously they ought still to be of use
in enabling the sportsman to secure his
wounded deer, which may not be crippled
beyond the possibility of successful flight.
Admitting that dogs are thus helpful in
tracking, Cameron of Lochiel discusses the
question as to the breed best adapted for
this sport, and, with all a Highlander's love
for the Deerhound, he yet reluctantly
decides that these magnificent dogs are not
by any means the most suitable. " For
use on the hill," he adds, " nothing beats the
Collie. He is possessed of instinct— one
may almost call it sense— in a higher degree
than any other breed, and he is more
tractable — he will run by sight or by scent,
loose or on a cord ; he will keep close to his
master, requiring no gillie to lead him ; he
can be taught to lie down, and will even
learn to crawl when necessary ; and at any
rate his motions are those of an animal
who knows that he is trying to approach a
prey unobserved. But the chief merit in
a Collie over all other dogs for following a

* " The Red Deer." Fur and Feather Series
(Longman and Co., 1896).

wounded deer consists in his wonderful
faculty for distinguishing between the track
of a wounded and that of a cold stag."

Primarily and essentially the Deerhound
belongs to the order Agaseus, hunting by
sight and not by scent, and although he
may indeed occasionally put his nose to
the ground, yet his powers of scent are not
remarkable. His vocation, therefore, has
undergone a change, and it was recently
ascertained that of sixty deer forests there
were only six upon which Deerhounds were
kept for sporting purposes.

Happily the Deerhound has suffered no
decline in the favour bestowed upon him
for his own sake. The contrary is rather
the case, and he is still an aristocrat among
dogs, valued for his good looks, the symmetry
of his form, his grace and elegance, and
even more so for his faithful and affectionate
nature. Sir Walter Scott declared that he
was " a most perfect creature of heaven,"
and when one sees him represented in so
beautiful a specimen of his noble race as
St. Ronan's Rhyme, for example, or Talis-
man, or Ayrshire, one is tempted to echo
this high praise.

In recent years the Deerhound has been
fashionable at exhibitions of dogs, and
although the number brought into com-
petition is never very great, yet it is always
apparent that the true type is being steadily
preserved and that in many respects decided
improvements are achieved. The oldest
strain is probably that of Chesthill, on
Loch Tay, established by the Menzies over
a hundred years ago. It is no longer kept
in its integrity by the Menzies family, but
Mr. R. Hood Wright, whose name must
always be intimately associated with this
breed, came into possession of some of the
strain, and bred from them to a considerable
extent. Mr. G. W. Hickman, of Selly Hill,
made similar efforts, his Morni and Garry
being of true Chesthill descent. Cameron
of Lochiel had also a venerable strain, of
which his Torrum, exhibited at Birmingham
in 1869, was a notable example. Other
strains which have entered largely into
our present day Deerhounds are those of
Morrison of Glenelg, McNeil of Colonsay,

173

174

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

and Bateson of Cambusmere ; the last
mentioned providing the originals of some
of the paintings by Landseer, who con-
sidered them the finest Deerhounds he had
ever seen. The Marquis of Breadalbane
also owned a famous strain on the Black
Mount Forest, as did Lord Campbell of
Glendarule. The hounds kept at Windsor
were usually of splendid type. Three of
these, including the magnificent dog Keildar

grand specimen of his race, strong framed,
with plenty of hair of a blue brindle colour.
Captain Graham's own dog Keildar, who
had been trained for deerstalking in Windsor
Park, was perhaps one of the most elegant
and aristocratic-looking Deerhounds ever
seen. His full height was 30 inches, girth
33^- inches, and weight, 95 lbs., his colour
bluish fawn, slightly brindled, the muzzle
and ears being blue. His nearest competitor

head OF CH. BLAIR ATHOL

and his sister Hag, came into the hands of
Captain G. A. Graham, of Dursley, who is
still one of our greatest authorities on the
Deerhound.

Five - and - twenty years ago Captain
Graham drew up a list of the most notable
dogs of the last century. Among these
were Sir St. George Gore's Gruim (1843-44).
Black Bran (1850-51) ; the Marquis of
Breadalbane's King of the Forest, said to
stand 33 inches high ; Mr. Beasley's Alder
(1863-67), bred by Sir John McNeil of
Colonsay ; Mr. Donald Cameron's Torrum
(1869). and his two sons Monzie and Young
Torrum ; and Mr. Dadley's Hector, who
was probably the best-bred dog living in
the early 'eighties. Torrum, however, ap-
pears to have been the most successful of
these dogs at stud. He was an exceedingly

for perfection was, after Hector, probably
Mr. Hood Wright's Bevis, a darkish red
brown brindle of about 29 inches. Mr.
Wright was the breeder of Champion Sel-
wood Morven, who was the celebrity of his
race about 1897, and who became the
property of Mr. Harry Rawson, of Joppa
House, Midlothian. This stately dog was a
dark heather brindle, standing 32I inches
at the shoulder, with a chest girth of 34!
inches.

A few years ago breeders were inclined
to mar the beauty of the Deerhound by a
too anxious endeavour to obtain great size
rather than to preserve the genuine type ;
but this error has been sufficiently corrected,
with the result that symmetry and elegance
conjoined with the desired attributes of
speed are not sacrificed. The qualities

THE DEERHOUND.

175

aimed at now are a height of something
less than 30 inches, and a weight not
greater than 105 lbs., with straight fore-legs
and short, cat-like feet, a deep chest, with
broad, powerful loins, slightly arched, and
strength of hind-quarters, with well-bent
stifles, and the hocks well let down. Straight
stifles are objectionable, giving a stilty
appearance. Thick shoulders are equally a
blemish to be avoided, as also a too great
heaviness of bone. The following is the
accepted standard of merit.

THE PERFECT DEERHOUND.

1. Head. — The head should be broadest at the
ears, tapering slightly to the eyes, with the muzzle
tapering more decidedly to the nose. The muzzle
should be pointed, but the teeth and lips level.
The head should be long, the skull flat rather
than round, with a very slight rise over the eyes,
but with nothing approaching a stop. The skull
should be coated with moderately long hair,
which is softer than the rest of the coat. The
nose should be black (though in some blue-fawns
the colour is blue), and slightly aquiline. In the
lighter-coloured dogs a black muzzle is preferred.
There should be a good moustache of rather
silky hair, and a fair beard.

2. Ears. — The ears should be set on high,
and, in repose, folded back like the Greyhound's,
though raised above the head in excitement
without losing the fold, and even, in some cases,
semi-erect. A prick ear is bad. A big, thick
ear, hanging flat to the head, or heavily coated
with long hair, is the worst of faults. The ear
should be soft, glossy, and like a mouse's coat
to the touch, and the smaller it is the better.
It should have no long coat or long fringe,
but there is often a silky, silvery coat on the
body of the ear and the tip. Whatever the
general colour, the ears should be black or dark-
coloured.

3. Neck and Shoulders.— The neck should be
long— that is, of the length that befits the Grey-
hound character of the dog. An over-long neck
is not necessary, nor desirable, for the dog is
not required to stoop to his work like a Grey-
hound, and it must be remembered that the
mane, which every good specimen should have,
detracts from the apparent length of neck.
Moreover, a Deerhound requires a very strong
neck to hold a stag. The nape of the neck
should be very prominent where the head is set
on, and the throat should be clean-cut at the
angle and prominent. The shoulders should be
well sloped, the blades well back, with not too
much width between them. Loaded and straight
shoulders are very bad faults.

4. Stern. — Stern should be tolerably long,
tapering, and reaching to within i£ inches of
the ground, and about ii- inches below the hocks.
When the dog is still, dropped perfectly straight
down, or curved. When in motion it should
be curved when excited, in no case to be lifted
out of the line of the back. It should be well
covered with hair, on the inside thick and wiry,
underside longer, and towards the end a slight
fringe is not objectionable. A curl or ring tail
is very undesirable.

5. Eyes. — The eyes should be dark : generally
they are dark brown or hazel. A very light
eye is not liked. The eye is moderately full,
with a soft look in repose, but a keen, far-away
gaze when the dog is roused. The rims of the
eyelids should be black.

6. Body. — The body and general formation
is that of a Greyhound of larger size and bone.
Chest deep rather than broad, but not too narrow
and flat-sided. The loin well arched and droop-
ing to the tail. A straight back is not desirable,
this formation being unsuitable for going up-
hill, and very unsightly.

7. Legs and Feet.— The legs should be broad
and flat, a good broad forearm and elbow being
desirable. Fore-legs, of course, as straight as
possible. Feet close and compact, with well-
arched toes. The hind-quarters drooping, and
as broad and powerful as possible, the hips
being set wide apart. The hind-legs should be
well bent at the stifle, with great length from
the hip to the hock, which should be broad and
flat. Cow hocks, weak pasterns, straight stifles,
and splay feet are very bad faults.

8. Coat. — The hair on the body, neck, and
quarters should be harsh and wiry, and about
3 inches or 4 inches long ; that on the head,
breast, and belly is much softer. There should
be a slight hairy fringe on the inside of the fore-
and hind-legs, but nothing approaching to the
feathering of a Collie. The Deerhound should
be a shaggy dog, but not over coated. A woolly
coat is bad. Some good strains have a slight
mixture of silky coat with the hard, which is
preferable to a woolly coat, but the proper
covering is a thick, close-lying, ragged coat,
harsh or crisp to the touch.

9. Colour. — Colour is much a matter of fancy.
But there is no manner of doubt that the dark
blue-grey is the most preferred. Next come
the darker and lighter greys or brindles, the
darkest being generally preferred. Yellow and
sandy-red or red-fawn, especially with black
points — i.e., ears and muzzle — are also in equal
estimation, this being the colour of the oldest
known strains, the McNeil and the Chesthill
Menzies. White is condemned by all the old
authorities, but a white chest and white toes,
occurring as they do in a great many of the
darkest-coloured dogs, are not so greatly objected

1 76

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

to, but the less the better, as the Deerhound
is a self-coloured dog. A white blaze on the
head or a white collar should entirely disqualify.
In other cases, though passable, yet an attempt
should be made to get rid of white markings.
The less white the better, but a slight white tip
to the stern occurs in the best strains.

10. Height of Dogs. — From 28 inches to 30
inches, or even more if there be symmetry
without coarseness, which, however, is rare.

11. Height of Bitches. — From 26 inches up-
wards. There can be no objection to a bitch
being large, unless she is too coarse, as even at her
greatest height she does not approach that of
the dog, and, therefore, could not well be
too big for work, as over-big dogs are. Besides,
a big bitch is good for breeding and keeping up
the size.

12. Weight. — From 85 pounds to 105 pounds
in dogs ; from 65 pounds to 80 pounds in bitches.

Among the more prominent owners of
Deerhounds at the present time are Mrs.
H. Armstrong, of Jesmond, near Newcastle ;
Mrs. W. C. Grew, of Knowle, Warwickshire ;
Mrs. Janvrin Dickson, of Bushey Heath ;
Mr. Harry Rawson, of Joppa ; and Mr. H.
McLauchlin, of Dublin. Mrs. Armstrong
is the breeder of a beautiful dog hound in
Ch. Talisman, and of two typically good
bitches in Fair Maid of Perth and Bride of
Lammermoor. Mrs. Grew counts as her
" friends " many admirable specimens, among
them being Ch. Blair Athol, Ayrshire,
Kenilworth, and Ferraline. Ayrshire is con-
sidered by some judges to be the most
perfect Deerhound of his sex exhibited for
some time past. He is somewhat large,
perhaps, but he is throughout a hound of
excellent quality and character, having a
most typical head, with lovely eyes and
expression, perfect front feet and hind-
quarters. Other judges would give the
palm to Mr. Harry Rawson's Ch. St. Ronan's
Ranger, who is certainly difficult to excel
in all the characteristics most desirable in
the breed.

Mr. Harry Rawson inherits an active
interest in the Deerhound. From his boy-
hood he has been associated with one of
the most successful kennels of the breed in
the kingdom ; and the St. Ronan's prefix
is to be found in the pedigrees of many of
the best Deerhounds in the Stud Book.
To him belongs the honour of having bred

what is acknowledged to be not only the
least assailable of herdistinguished breed now
living, but possibly the most flawless Deer-
hound of any time in Ch. St. Ronan's Rhyme.
In the attempt to accord to this remarkable
bitch the position which is her due, one can
only refer to her achievements. One assumes
that, if anywhere, the best dogs in the king-
dom are to be seen at the show held annually
by the Kennel Club at the Crystal Palace,
and that the chosen judges on these occa-
sions are unbiassed and unimpeachable.
A customary event at this show is that of
the general competition among dogs having
full championship honours in their respective
breeds, and the winning dog thus becomes
veritably a champion of champions. It is
the severest test of merit and breeding to
which a dog is ever submitted. St. Ronan's
Rhyme went through the ordeal in Octo-
ber, 1906, and she met with conspicuous
success.

This triumph of St. Ronan's Rhyme
was repeated a few days afterwards at the
Edinburgh show of the Scottish Kennel
Club, under different judges, when again
she was awarded the laurel bestowed upon
the best dog in the show.

Some forty or fifty years ago the Deer-
hound seems to have been in danger of
degeneration, and to have declined in size
and stamina, and there is no doubt that the
various out-crosses which were tried at that
time have been of permanent profit to the
breed. Sir Walter Scott's Maida was, as
we have seen, the offspring of a Glengarry
dam and a Pyrenean sire, who was probably
responsible for the admixture of white in
Maida 's coat, and for the white markings
which even to this day are occasionally
revealed. But the sturdy dog of the
Pyrenees contributed materially to the
strength of the Deerhound, and all other
traces of his different type and character-
istics disappeared in three generations. So,
too, the cross from the Russian Borzoi,
which was judiciously used half a century
ago, imparted to the Deerhound a degree of
quality, and a certain bloodlike look, with
regained symmetry of shape and grace of
action, which the breed was fast losing.

THE DEERHOUND.

177

For the following additional notes on the
Deerhound I am indebted to Mrs. H.
Armstrong.

" Though fast disappearing from the annals
of hunting, the Deerhound is a great favourite
to-day as a household pet and personal

after the style of the Royal beast, the
lion, who appears to look over the heads,
or actually through the bodies, of his ad-
miring visitors at the Zoo, into the back
of beyond.

" Unfortunately, the Deerhound is to-day

THE CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONS ST. RONAN'S RHYME

(BORN FEBRUARY 23RD, 1903) BY ST RONAN'S RANGER GINAGACH.

Photograph by Russell.

companion, and well worthy is he of his
place ; for not only is he wondrous gentle
for his great size, but he is faithful, sensible,
and quiet. The latter quality, indeed, may
almost be described as a fault, for except
for his formidable size and appearance,
which strikes terror into the hearts of
evildoers, he cannot be said to be a good
watch, inasmuch as he will either welcome
all comers as personal friends, or he will
of his dignity and stateliness overlook
the approach of strangers, something

a most delicate and difficult dog to rear.
Perhaps this is due to the extraordinary
amount of inbreeding which has been so
largely resorted to in this race. In order,
probably, to keep the type and character,
as also the pure lineage, we have the same
names occurring over and over again in
the same pedigree, and of those of the present
day none appears more often or more surely
than that of Ch. Swift — a hound bred by
Mr. Singer, of Frome, Somerset, and who
in turn is by Ch. Athole, the property of

i78

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

J£b:

»

** *

CH. TALISMAN, BRIDE OF LAMMERMOOR and FAIR MAID OF PERTH.

BRED AND OWNED BY MRS. H. ARMSTRONG.
Photograph by Russell.

Mr. Goulter, from a very famous bitch,
Hedwig. Swift is described as a red brindle,
30^ inches at the shoulder, and possessing
in a marked degree, those most desirable
points, size and quality. Before him
again we have Ch. Fingall II., another
ancestral dignitary. He is described as
being the most noted Deerhound of his day.
He was not only an excellent dog at the
deer, but a winner of more first prizes than
any Deerhound then living. He was a very
dark blue in colour.

"Another celebrated hound was Ch. Sel-
wood Dhouran, by Ch. Swift. This was an im-
mense dog, said by his owner, Mr. R. Hood
Wright, to weigh over 100 lbs., and to stand
31 inches at the shoulder. Ch. Selwood
Morven, also bred by Mr. Hood Wright,
was another enormous hound, standing
32! inches at the shoulder, while in girth
he measured 34} inches. Many of the old
breeders assert that this is too large, and
that the present day craze for size is not in
accordance with what used to be considered
correct in the old days of exhibiting and
hunting. For instance in 1859 the repre-
sentative dog chosen by " Stonehenge,"

viz. : Buscar, was 28 inches, and in 1872
the following hounds measured :—

Dogs.

Inches.

Bitches

Inches.

Charlie

■ 2l\

Braie .... 27

Arran

■ 29l

Luffra

26

Colin . . .

. 28

Hilda

26

Morna . .

• 30

Meg

26

Torrum

• 30

Bertha

26

Bruce .

. 28

Juno

26

Oscar .

. 28

Hylda

29

Young Torrum

• 30$

Brenda

28

Bismarck .

. 28

Oscar .

. 28

Warrior

. 28

Young Warrior

. 28

Roswell

. 28

Aitkin

. 28

" So that four out of fourteen dogs were
over 28 inches high, and three out of
eight bitches over 26 inches.

'• Personally, I think a dog of 30 inches a
very fair size, and it is unnecessary to strive
after anything taller, for about this height
we generally get the better type, character
and quality, while dogs taller than this have
a tendency to appear coarse and heavy at

THE DEERHOUND.

179

the shoulders, and lean too much to the Irish
Wolfhound ; but there is little doubt that
size will always be a subject of discussion
amongst Deerhound breeders, although, in
the standard of points, as laid down by the
Club, dogs are given as from 28 inches to
30 inches, and bitches from 26 inches
upwards.

" In conclusion, let me add that I think
' once a Deerhound lover, always a Deer-
hound lover,' for there is something about
the breed which is particularly attractive ;
they are no fools, if brought up sensibly,
and they are obedient, while, for all they
are so large, it is astonishing what little

room they occupy : they have a happy
knack of curling themselves up into wonder-
fully small compass, and lying out of the
way. They do not require a very great
amount of food, and are readily and easily
exercised, as, if let loose in some field or
other convenient place, they soon gallop
themselves tired. They are as a rule
excellent followers, either in town or country,
keeping close to heel and walking in a digni-
fied manner ; while, on the approach of a
strange dog, a slight raising of the head and
tail is generally all the notice they deign to
give that they have even seen the passing
canine."

CHAMPION TEAM OF MR. HARRY RAW30NS DEERHOUNDS,

REGIUS, RHYME. RODERICK, and RANGER.

CHAPTER XVII.
THE BORZOI, OR RUSSIAN WOLFHOUND.

BY MAJOR BORMAX.

' The lady's hound, restore the hound, Sir Knight.'

'The hound,' said Gawaine, much relieved; 'what hound?'

And then perceived he that the dog he fed,
With grateful steps the kindly guest had found,

And there stood faithful. ' Friend,' Sir Gawaine said,
' What's just is just ! the dog must have his due,
The dame had hers, to choose between the two.' "

— Bulwer Lytton.

OF the many foreign varieties of the
dog that have been introduced into
this country within recent years,
there is not one among the larger breeds
that has made greater headway in the
public favour than the Borzoi, or Russian
Wolfhound. * Nor is this to be wondered
at. The most graceful and elegant of all
breeds, combining symmetry with strength,
the wearer of a lovely silky coat that a
toy dog might envy, the length of head,
possessed by no other breed — all go to
make the Borzoi the favourite he has
become.

He is essentially what our American
cousins would call a " spectacular " dog.
Given, for example, the best team of
terriers and a fifth-rate team of Borzois,
which attracts the more attention and
admiration from the man in the street ?
Which does he turn again to look at ?
Not the terriers ! Add to this that the
Borzoi makes a capital house dog, is, as a
rule, affectionate and a good companion,
it is not, I repeat, to be wondered at that
he has attained the dignified position in
the canine world which he now holds.

In his native country the Borzoi is em-
ployed, as his English name implies, in
hunting the wolf and also smaller game,
including foxes and hares.

* Although commonly known as the Russian
Wolfhound, this dog belongs of course to the Grey-
hound family , Levrier, running dog.

Several methods of hunting the larger
game are adopted, one form being as follows.
Wolves being reported to be present in the
neighbourhood, the hunters set out on
horseback, each holding in his left hand a
leash of three Borzois, as nearly matched
as possible in size, speed, and colour.
Arrived at the scene of action, the chief
huntsman stations the hunters at separate
points every hundred yards or so round
the wood. A pack of hounds is sent in
to draw the quarry, and on the wolves
breaking cover the nearest hunter slips
his dogs. These endeavour to seize their
prey by the neck, where they hold him until
the hunter arrives, throws himself from
his horse, and with his knife puts an end
to the fray.

Another method is to advance across
the open country at intervals of about
two hundred yards, slipping the dogs at
any game they may put up.

Trials are also held in Russia. These
take place in a large railed enclosure, the
wolves being brought in carts similar to
our deer carts. In this case a brace of
dogs is loosed on the wolf. The whole
merit of the course is when the hounds
can overtake the wolf and pin him to the
ground, so that the keepers can secure
him alive. It follows, therefore, that in
this case also the hounds must be of equal
speed, so that they reach the wolf simulta-
neously ; one dog would, of course, be
unable to hold him.

l82

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

Naturally, the dogs have to be trained
to the work, for which purpose the best
wolves are taken alive and sent to the
kennels, where the young dogs are taught
to pin him in such a manner that he cannot
turn and use his teeth. I know of no

MRS. E. L. BORMANS CH. KIEFF BY FEDIA"
Photogmph by T. Fall.

reason why the Borzoi should not be used
for coursing in this country. I have owned
several that have been excellent at hares
and rabbits.

One of the first examples of the breed
exhibited in England was owned by Messrs.
Hill and Ashton, of Sheffield, about 1880,
at which time good specimens were imported
by the Rev. J. C. Macdona and Lady
Emily Peel, whose Sandringham and Czar
excited general admiration. It was then
known as the Siberian Wolfhound. Some
years later the Duchess of Newcastle ob-
tained several fine dogs, and from this stock
Her Grace founded the kennel which has
since become so famous. Later still, Queen
Alexandra received from the Czar a gift
of a leash of these stately hounds, one of
them being Alex, who quickly achieved
honours as a champion.

The breed has become as fashionable

in the United States as in Great Britain,
and some excellent specimens are to be
seen at the annual shows at Madison
Square Gardens.

To take the -points of the breed in de-
tail, the description of the perfect Borzoi
is as follows : —

1. Head. — This
should be long and
lean. It is, how-
ever, not only es-
sential for the head
to be long, but it
must also be what
is termed " well
balanced," and the
length, from the tip
of the nose to the
eyes, must be the
same as from the
eyes to the occiput.
A dog may have a
long head, but the
length may be all
in front of the eyes.
The heads of this
breed have greatly
improved the last
few years ; fewer
" apple-headed "
specimens, and
more of the de-
sired triangular
heads being seen.
The skull should be flat and narrow, the stop
not perceptible, the muzzle long and tapering.
Too much stress cannot be laid on the im-
portance of the head being well filled up
before the eyes. The head, from forehead to
nose, should be so fine that the direction of the
bones and principal veins can be seen clearly,
and in profile should appear rather Roman nosed.
Bitches should be even narrower in head than
dogs. A perfect head is shown on p. 185.

2. Eyes. — These should be dark, expressive,
almond shaped, and not too far apart.

3. Ears. — Like those of a Greyhound, small,
thin, and placed well back on the head, with the
tips, when thrown back, almost touching behind
the occiput. It is not a fault if the dog can
raise his ears erect when excited or looking
after game, although some English judges dislike
this frequent characteristic.

4. Neck. — The head should be carried some-
what low. witli the neck continuing the line of the
back.

5. Shoulders. — Clean and sloping well back,
i.e. the shoulder blades should almost touch
one another.

THE BORZOI.

183

6. Chest. — Deep and somewhat narrow. It
must be capacious, but the capacity must be
got from depth, and not from " barrel " ribs — a bad
fault in a running hound.

7. Back. — Rather bony, and free from any
cavity in the spinal column, the arch in the back
being more marked in the dog than in the bitch.

8. Loins. — Broad and very powerful, showing
plenty of muscular development.

9. Thighs. — Long and well developed, with
good second thigh. The muscle in the Borzoi is
longer than in the Greyhound.

10. Ribs. — Slightly sprung, very deep, reaching
to the elbow.

11. Fore-legs. — Lean and straight. Seen from
the front they should be narrow and from the
side broad at the shoulder and narrowing gradu-
ally down to the foot, the bone appearing flat
and not round as in the Foxhound.

14. Coat. — Long, silky, not woolly ; either flat,
wavy, or curly. On the head, ears, and front
legs it should be short and smooth ; on the neck
the frill should be profuse and rather curly ;
on the chest and the rest of the body, the tail and
hind quarters, it should be long ; the fore-legs being
well feathered.

15. Tail. — Long, well feathered, and not gaily
carried. It should be carried well down, almost
touching the ground.

16. Height. — Dogs from 29 inches upwards at
shoulder, bitches from 27 inches upwards.
(Originally 27 inches and 26 inches. Altered at
a general meeting of the Borzoi Club, held
February. 1906.)

17. Faults. — Head short and thick ; too much
stop ; parti-coloured nose ; eyes too wide apart :
heavy ears ; heavy shoulders ; wide chest ;
" barrel " ribbed ; dew-claws ; elbows turned out ;

MRS. aitchesons CH. STRAWBERRY KING.

BY CH. KIEFF MAID OF HONOUR.

12. Hind Legs. — The least thing under the
body when standing still, not straight, and the
stifle slightly bent. They should, of course,
be straight as regards each other, and not " cow-
hocked," but straight hind legs imply a want of
speed.

13. Feet. — Like those of the Deerhound, rather
long. The toes close together and well arched.

wide behind. Also light eyes and over or under-
shot jaws.

18. Colour. — The Club standard makes no men-
tion of colour. White, of course, should pre-
dominate ; fawn, lemon, orange, brindle, blue,
slate and black markings are met with. Too
much of the latter, or black and tan markings, are
disliked. Whole coloured dogs are also seen.

1 84

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

The foregoing description embodies the
standard of points as laid down and adopted
by the Borzoi Club, but I have interpolated
some remarks for the further guidance of
the novice.

The Borzoi Club was founded in 1892,
and now consists of about fifty members,
with the Duke and Duchess of Newcastle
as joint-presidents. It does much good
work for the breed, guaranteeing classes
at shows, where otherwise few or none
would be given, encouraging the breeding
of high-class Borzois by offering its valu-
able challenge cups and other special prizes,
and generally looking after the interests
of the breed.*

Although the Club standard of height
has been raised from 27 and 26 inches
to 29 and 27 inches for dogs and bitches
respectively, it must be borne in mind
that the best dogs of to-day far exceed
these measurements, and, unless exception-
ally good in other points, a dog of 29 inches
at shoulder would stand little or no chance
in the showing under the majority of English
judges ; indeed, bitches of 29 to 30 inches
are by no means uncommon, as will be
seen by glancing at the following measure-
ments of some of the leading champions
of recent years.

Ch.

Ch

Ch. Velsk (dog) :

Height at shoulder
Length of head
Girth of chest
Tatiana (bitch) :
Height at shoulder
Length of head
Girth of chest
Statesman (dog) :
Height at shoulder
Length of head
Girth of chest

Ch. Kiefi (dog) :

Height at shoulder
Head ....
Girth ....

Ch. Miss Piostri (bitch) :
Height at shoulder
Head ....
Girth ....

3i*
12*

3oi

ins.
12 ins.
35i ins-

31 J ins.
12J ins.
35i ins.

33 ins.
12J ins.
35 ins.

31 ins.
11+ ins.
34i ins.

* The Hon. Sec. is Major Borman, Billericay, Essex,
who will at all times be pleased to furnish any lady or
gentleman desiring to join with full particulars.

The above, of course, all combine quality
with size ; mere size in itself is nothing to
go by. A list of Borzois entitled to the
coveted prefix of " Champion " at the
present day (1907) may be of interest.

Clumber Kennels (Her Grace the Duchess
of Newcastle's) — Dogs : Ivan Turgeneff,
Velsk, Votrio, Vassal. Bitches : Sunbeam,
Theodora, Tatiana.

Ramsden Kennels (Mrs. Borman's) —
Dogs: Kieff, Ramsden, Ranger, States-
man. Bitch : Miss Piostri.

Padiham Kennels (Mr. Murphy's) — Dog
Padiham Nordia.

Mrs. Aitcheson's Kennels — Dog : Straw-
berry King. Bitch : Votrio Vikhra.

Mrs. May's Kennel — Dog : Berris.

There are, however, a few others that have
won one or two challenge prizes, and who,
ere this appears in print, may rank with
the elite of their breed.

The above measurements, together with
the accompanying photographs, should be
sufficient guide to an intending purchaser
of Borzois, who must, however, remember
that they are given only as a guide, and
that he must not expect quite such ex-
cellence, unless prepared to dip very deeply
into his pocket.

Not many of us can afford to start at
the top of the tree, and, except for the
favoured few to whom money is no object,
and who can buy ready-made champions,
there is no better way of starting a kennel
than to purchase a really good bitch, one,
say, capable of winning at all but the
more important shows. She must be of
good pedigree, strong, and healthy ; such
an one ought to be obtained for £15 up-
wards. Mate her to the best dog whose
blood " nicks " suitably with hers, but
do not waste time and money breeding
from fourth-rate stud dogs, for if you do
it is certain you will only meet with dis-
appointment. You may save a guinea
or two on the stud fee, but you will find
you will have no sale for the progeny of
unknown dogs ; whereas strong, healthy
puppies by a well-known sire will always
command a ready market. On the other
hand, if you have had little or no experi-

THE BORZOI.

185

ence of dogs, you may possibly prefer to
start with a puppy. If so, my advice is
to place yourself in the hands of a breeder
with a reputation at stake (unless you
have a friend who understands the breed).
It is a fact that even a " cast off " from a
good strain that has been bred for certain
points for years is more likely to turn out
a better dog than a pup whose dam has
been mated " haphazard " to
some dog who may or may not
have been a good one. Big
kennels also generally possess the
best bitches and breed from them,
and the bitch is quite as import-
ant a factor as the sire. If, how-
ever, you prefer to rely on your
own judgment, and wish to choose
a puppy yourself from a litter,
select the one with the longest
head, biggest bone, smallest ears,
and longest tail, or as many of
these qualities as you can find
combined in one individual. Coat
is a secondary matter in quite a
young pup ; here one should be
guided by the coat of the sire
and dam. Still, choose a pup
with a heavy coat, if possible,
although when this puppy coat
is cast, the dog may not grow so
good a one as some of the litter
who in early life were smoother.
As regards size, a Borzoi pup
of three months should measure
about 19 inches at the shoulder, at six
months about 25 inches, and at nine
months from 27 to 29 inches. After ten
or twelve months, growth is very slow,
although some continue adding to their
height until they are a year and a half
old. They will, of course, increase in
girth of chest and develop muscle until
two years old ; a Borzoi may be con-
sidered in its prime at from three to four
years of age. As regards price, from £5
to £10 is not too much to pay for a really
good pup of about eight to ten weeks
old ; if you pay less you will probably
get only a second-rate one. Having pur-
chased your puppy, there are three princi-

pal items to be considered if you intend
to rear him well ; firstly, his diet must be
varied ; secondly, the pup must have un-
limited exercise, and never be kept on
the chain ; thirdly, internal parasites must
be kept in check. For young puppies the
writer — who has tried nearly every ad-
vertised remedy — has found nothing to
equal " Ruby " Worm Cure ; it is most

MRS.
BY W
BRED
Photog,

BORMANS PIOSTRI

INDLE EARL ALSTON QUEEN.

BY MR. SIDNEY TURNER.
aph by W. H. Stnck.

efficacious, and does not distress the
patient.

Food should be given at regular intervals
— not less frequently than five times a day
to newly weaned puppies — and may con-
sist of porridge, bread and milk, raw meat
minced fine, and any table scraps, with
plenty of new milk. Well-boiled paunch
is also greatly appreciated, and, being
easily digested, may be given freely.

One important part of the puppy's
education that must by no means be
neglected is to accustom him to go on
the collar and lead. Borzoi pups are,
.as a rule, extremely nervous, and it requires
great patience in some cases to train them

i86

THE NEW BOOK OE THE DOG.

to the lead. Short lessons should be given
when about four months old. If you can
induce the puppy to think it is a new-
game, well and good — he will take to it
naturally ; but once he looks upon it as
something to be dreaded, it means hours
of patient work to break him in.

If you decide on commencing with a

but to rear them well they should not be
allowed to suckle more than five — or, if
a strong, big bitch, six — pups. If the
litter is larger, it is better to destroy the
remainder, or use a foster mother.

One great advantage the breed has over
many others is the absolutely natural state
in which the dogs may be shown. Xo

MRS. BORMAN'S TYPICAL BITCH CH. MISS PIOSTRI
BY PIOSTRI FRINCESS RUBIKOFF.

brood bitch, see that she is dosed for worms
before visiting the dog ; that she is in good
hard condition — not fat, however ; and,
if possible, accompany her yourself and
see her mated. For the first week rather
less than her usual quantity of food should
be given ; afterwards feed as her appetite
dictates, but do not let her get too fat,
or she may have a bad time when whelping.
For two days before the puppies are due
give sloppy but nourishing diet, and this
should be continued, given slightly warm,
for four or five days after the pups are born.
Borzois as a rule make excellent mothers,

" trimming " is required. A good bath a
day or two before the show is all that is
necessary, for which purpose nothing is
better than rain water ; a little liquid
ammonia in it helps to remove the dirt.

Whatever they may be in their native
land — and the first imported specimens
were perhaps rather uncertain in temper —
the Borzoi, as we know him in this country,
is affectionate, devoted to his owner, friendly
with his kennel companions — I have had
as many as twenty all running loose to-
gether, and kennel fights are practically
unknown — and he makes ' a capital house

THE BORZOI.

187

dog. As a lady's companion he is hard to
beat ; indeed, a glance at any show cata-
logue will prove that the majority of
Borzois are owned by the gentle sex.
No one need be deterred from keeping a
Borzoi by a remark the writer has heard
hundreds of times at shows : " Those
dogs are so delicate." This is not the
case. Once over distemper troubles — and
the breed certainly does suffer badly if
it contracts the disease — the Borzoi is as
hardy as most breeds, if not hardier. Given
a good dry kennel and plenty of straw,
no weather is too cold for them ; in fact,
all my own dogs live in cold kennels with
open doors the entire winter. Damp, of
course, must be avoided, but this applies
equally to other breeds.

The adult hound, like the puppy, should
never be kept on chain ; a kennel with a
railed-in run should be provided, or a
loose box makes a capital place for those

kept out of doors, otherwise no different
treatment is required from that of other
large breeds. A dry biscuit in the morning,
a good feed at night— most Borzois are,

for their size, comparatively small eaters

a good grooming daily with an ordinary
dandy brush, and plenty of exercise, should
suffice to keep any Borzoi in excellent con-
dition. A few minutes expended on the
dog's coat daily saves much trouble in the
long run ; a Borzoi " pays " for a little
attention. His beautiful coat shines ; the
feathering keeps free from mats, the skin
is clean and healthy, and a bath is un-
necessary except before shows. One word
more : feed, groom, and exercise your
purchase yourself, at all events until he
thoroughly knows you are his master. A
dog arriving at a new home, petted and
ordered about by all the inmates of the
house, often ends by rendering obedience
to none.

3RMAN S BORZC

TYPES OF GREYHOUNDS OF THE FIFTH CENTURY B.C.
From Gr.ek tcrra-cotta vases in The British Museum.

CHAPTER XVIII.
THE GREYHOUND.

BY FREDK' GRESHAM.

" Let us swear
That you are worth your breeding ; which I doubt not ;
For there is none of you so mean and base,
That hath not noble lustre in your eyes.
I see you stand like Greyhounds in the slips.
Straining upon the start. The game's afoot."

— King Henry V.

THE Greyhound is the oldest and most
conservative of all dogs, and his
type has altered singularly little
during the seven thousand years in which
he is known to have been cherished for his
speed, and kept by men for running down
the gazelle or coursing the hare. The
earliest references to him are far back in
the primitive ages, long before he was
beautifully depicted by Assyrian artists,
straining at the leash or racing after his
prey across the desert sands. The Egyptians
loved him and appreciated him centuries
before the pyramids were built.* In those

* A recent American writer on the dog makes
a point of his discovery of "a beautifully modelled
dog of Greyhound type from an Egyptian tomb "
preserved in the Metropolitan Museum, New York.
We have scores of such beautiful models in the
British Museum ; they are not the models of
Greyhounds, however, but of the sacred Jackal
of Anubis. This Jackal figure is of frequent
occurrence in Egyptian monuments, and is almost
invariably represented in the couchant position.

days he wore a feathered tail, and his ears
were heavy with a silken fringe of hair.
His type was that of the modern Arabian
Slughi, who is the direct and unaltered
descendant of the ancient hound. The
glorious King Solomon referred to him
(Proverbs xxx. 31) as being one of the
four things which " go well and are comely
in going — a lion, which is strongest among
beasts, and turneth not away from any ; a
Greyhound ; an he goat also ; and a king
against whom there is no rising up."

That the Greyhound is " comely in
going," as well as in repose, was recognised
very early by the Greeks, whose artists
were fond of introducing this graceful
animal as an ornament in their decorative
workmanship. In their metal work, their
carvings in ivory and stone, and more
particularly as parts in the designs on their
terra-cotta oil bottles, wine coolers, and
other vases, the Greyhound is frequently to
be seen, sometimes following the hare, and

THE GREYHOUND.

usually in remarkably characteristic atti-
tudes, as in the third dog in the panel at the
head of this chapter, which is copied from
a wine jug of 500 B.C. This is the dog of
Cheiron the Centaur, fawning in front of
Peleus and the infant Achilles. Usually

the fifteenth century, and Albert Diirer, in
the same period, introduced a beautifully
typical Greyhound in his pictorial interpre-
tation of the somewhat similar subject,
" The Vision of St. Hubert." The hound
in Van Dyck's portrait of Philippe Le Roy,

THE VISION OF ST. EUSTACE.
From the Painting by Vittore Pisano in thi

these Greek Greyhounds are represented
with prick ears, but occasionally the true
rose ear is shown, and in the British Museum
there is a bronze lamp of the fourth century
B.C., made in the form of a Greyhound's
head, which might have been modelled by
Elkington from Fullerton or Long Span.
The lip of the lamp is fashioned in the form
of a hare, held in the hound's mouth, thus
proving that the hare was the recognised
quarry.

The Greyhound enters largely into more
modern European art. There is an admir-
able leash of these dogs in Vittore Pisano's
" Vision of St. Eustace," painted early in

now in the Wallace collection, is black
with white markings, very much resembling
Master McGrath. All these examples give
eloquent proof of the conservation of the
Greyhound type.

From the earliest history of the breed
the Greyhound has been considered the
highest type of the canine race ; he has
been the favourite of Emperors and Kings.
Xenophon and Herodotus extolled his high
qualities in prose, and Ovid in verse, though
there appears to be some doubt as to whether
or not Xenophon in his treatise on hunting,
when speaking of coursing, alluded to dogs
hunting the hare by scent or by sight, but

i go

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

THE VISION OF ST. HUBERT.

Painted by Albert Durer Early in the Fifteenth Century.

{The Greyhound in front of the horse should be particularly studied.)

a good idea of a course is given in the lines
of Ovid, translated by Dryden.

" As when the impatient Greyhound, slipped

from far,
Bounds o'er the glade to course the fearful

hare,
She in her speed does all her safety lie,
And he with double speed pursues his prey,
O'erruns her at the sitting turn ; but licks
His chaps in vain ; yet blows upon the flix,
She seeks the shelter which the neighbouring

covert gives,
And, gaining it, she doubts if yet she lives."

All writings in connection with Greyhounds
point to the high estimation in which the
dog has always been held. Dr. Caius,
when referring to the name, says " The Grey-
hound hath his name of this word gre ;
which word soundeth gradus in Latin, in
Englishe degree, because among all dogges

these are the most principall,
occupying the chiefest place, and
being simply and absolutely the
best of the gentle kinde of
Houndes."

It was not, however, until the
reign of Queen Elizabeth that
coursing in England was con-
ducted under established rules.
These were drawn up by the
then Duke of Norfolk. The sport
quickly grew in favour, and con-
tinued to increase in popularity
until the first coursing club was
established at Swaffham in 1776.
Then in 1780 the Ashdown Park
Meeting came into existence, and
for several years was quite at
the top of the tree. The New-
market Meeting in 1805 was the
next fixture that was inaugu-
rated, and this now remains
with the champion stakes as its
most important event. After-
wards came the Amesbury Meet-
ing in 1822, but Amesbury, like
Ashdown, although for many
years one of the most celebrated
institutions of the description, has
fallen from its high estate. Three
years later came the Altcar Club. But it
was not until eleven years after this period
that the Waterloo Cup was instituted (in
1836), to win which is the highest ambition
of followers of the leash.

At the present time the run for the Water-
loo Cup, which at the commencement was an
eight dog stake, is composed of sixty-four
nominations, the entry fee for which is £25.
The winner takes £500, and the cup, value
£100, presented by the Earl of Sefton, the
runner up £200, the third and fourth £50
each, four dogs £36 each, eight dogs £20 each,
and sixteen dogs £10 each. The thirty-two
dogs beaten in the first round of the Cup
compete for the Waterloo Purse, value £215,
and the sixteen dogs run out in the second
round for the Waterloo Plate, value £i45-
The winner in each case taking £75, and
the runner up £30, the remainder being
divided amongst the most forward runners

THE GREYHOUND.

191

in the respective stakes. The Waterloo
Cup holds the same position in coursing
circles as the Derby does in horse racing.

The National Coursing Club was estab-
lished in 1858, when a stud book was com-
menced, and a code of laws drawn up for
the regulation of coursing meetings. This
is recognised in Australia and other parts of
the world where coursing meetings are held.
The Stud Book, of which Mr. W. F. Lamonby
is the keeper, contains particulars of all
the best-known Greyhounds in the United
Kingdom, and a dog is not allowed to
compete at any of the large meetings held
under Coursing Club Rules unless it has
been duly entered with its pedigree com-
plete. In fact, the National Coursing Club
is more particular in connection with the
pedigrees of Greyhounds being correctly
given, than the Kennel Club is about dogs
that are exhibited ; and that is saying a
great deal, for whereas the latter allows a
dog to be registered whose pedigree is un-
known, a Greyhound without a pedigree is
not allowed to compete at all. The National
Coursing Club is conducted on somewhat the
same lines as the x\merican Kennel Club,
the council being partly composed of repre-
sentatives from the less important clubs,
provided the latter are of more than one
year's standing, and have more than twenty
members. It holds the same position in
coursing matters as the Jockey Club does
in racing. It is, in fact, the supreme au-
thority on all matters connected with
coursing. All disputes are arbitrated upon
by the Council, which has power to disqualify
any person who has disregarded the rules
or dog about which there is any suspicion.

For the benefit of the uninitiated in cours-
ing lore I give the value of the points when
a brace of Greyhounds leaves the slips :

Speed is necessarily the important point,
for although stakes are sometimes won by
Greyhounds that are not remarkable for
great pace, but are clever workers, and have
plenty of stamina, the fastest dogs are those
that get more often to the end of the stake.
The points that are allowed for the " run
up " may be one, two, or three, according
to the, length of the lead, and the conditions

upon which it is obtained. The " run up "
which is followed by a " turn " or " wrench "
may give a Greyhound five points to start
with. The " go-bye " is valued at two points,
or three if it is on the outer side. The
" turn " at one point is when the hare,
being pressed by the leading dogs, turns at
a right angle from the line that she is
running. The " wrench," valued at half a
point, is when the hare only bends from the
line that is being taken. If, however, the
hare alters its course without being pressed
nothing is allowed. The " trip," for which
one point is allowed, is an unsuccessful
effort to kill, the hare being thrown off its
legs or flecked by the Greyhound in the
attempt. Then there is the " kill," value

PHILIPPE LE ROY.

Photograph by Manse U, Oxford Street.

Wallace Collection.

ig:

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

two points, if the Greyhound accomplishes
his object without any assistance from his
opponent. If, however, the other dog causes
the hare to turn to the one that kills, or
in any other way is instrumental in
effecting the kill, only one point may be
given.

The advantage of great speed is further
demonstrated by the fact that if a dog after
gaining the first six points is still in pos-
session of the hare he is allowed double

goes off the line in pursuit of the hare, no
points afterwards made by him are scored,
and if the points that he has made up to
this time are the same as those of his
opponent, he shall lose the course ; but should
one or both dogs stop with the hare in view
through being unable to get after her, the
course shall be decided on the points gained
by each dog during the whole course.
Should a dog refuse to fence when his
opponent has got over, any points subse-

•f?>^-

CZARINA and MARIA

DRAWN BY SAWREY GlLPIN. ENGRAVE

points for all he afterwards does before his
opponent begins to score, or what is more
often spoken of as " gets in." Accidents
sometimes occur from a fall, or in some other
way, during a course, but no points are
allowed unless it is proved that the fall
or accident has occurred from the owner (or
his servant) of the competing dog having
ridden over the injured animal. Then, though
the course may have been given against
the latter, he will be declared the winner, or
his owner shall have the option of allowing
the opposing dog to remain in the stake,
when he will be entitled to take half its
winnings.

In addition to the foregoing there are
certain negative points. If a Greyhound
refuses to follow the hare at which it is
slipped it will lose the course. When a dog

quently made by him are not to be scored,
but if he tries to get over or becomes hung
up or foiled by being held in a meuse, the
course will then end, and if the points are
equal the dog that has fenced the better
will be given the course.

It is only the open meetings that have
so far been alluded to, but some twenty
years ago enclosed coursing meetings were
introduced at Gosforth Park, Newcastle-on
Tyne, Kempton Park, near London, and
Haydock Park, near Liverpool. These were
popular for a short time, but they had not
the ring of the true metal, and nearly all
of them have disappeared. The chief stake
at the Kempton Park Meeting was worth a
thousand pounds, and big prize money was
offered at all the principal meetings.

The mode adopted at these enclosed

THE GREYHOUND.

193

meetings was to have a small covert at
either end of a large grass enclosure about
half a mile distant from each other, and
wired round with only one outlet ; the hares,
which had been previously turned down in
these coverts, were driven into one of them
the day before the coursing event was to
take place, and when the stake was run

Like horses, Greyhounds run in all forms,
and there is no doubt that a really good big
one will always have an advantage over the
little ones ; but it is so difficult to find the
former, and most of the chief winners of the
Waterloo Cup have been comparatively
small. Coomassie was the smallest Grey-
hound that ever won the blue ribbon of

COL. norths SIMONIAN and FULLERTON.

FROM an Engraving by R. WALLACE HESTER, after the Painting by HARRINGTON BIRD.

By permission of the Trustees 0/ the lute F. C. McQueen, owners 0/ the Copyright.

they were driven one at a time through
the aperture, the dogs being in the slips
outside. A fairly fast hare would generally
manage to reach the opposite goals ; some-
times, without being turned or wrenched.
The only time that I was ever present at
one of these meetings was at Kempton Park,
and then the company sat in the Grand
Stand to watch the proceedings. This was
a tame style of sport compared with some
of the big open meetings where wild hares
that know the country are coursed.

Various opinions have been advanced as
to the best size and weight for a Greyhound.

the leash ; she drew the scale at 42 lbs.,
and was credited with the win of the Cup
on two occasions. Bab at the Bowster,
who is considered by many good judges to
have been the best bitch that ever ran, was
2 lbs. more ; she won the Cup once, and
many other stakes, as she was run all over
the country and was not kept for the big
event. Master McGrath was a small dog,
and only weighed 53 lbs., but he won the
Waterloo Cup three times. Fullerton, who
was a much bigger dog, and was four times
declared the winner of the Cup, was 56
lbs. in weight.

194

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

There are very few Greyhounds that have
won the Waterloo Cup more than once, but
Cerito, whose portrait appears in the group

LORD LURGAN'S MASTER McGRATH.

GEORGE EARL

on the opposite page, was credited with it
three times, namely, in 1850, 1852, and 1853,
when it was a thirty-two dog stake. Cana-
radzo, Bit of Fashion, Miss Glendine,
Herschel, Thoughtless Beauty, and Fabulous
Fortune, are probably some of the best Grey-
hounds that ever ran besides those already
alluded to. Bit of Fashion was the dam of
Fullerton, who shares with Master McGrath
the reputation of being the two best Grey-
hounds that ever ran. But Master
McGrath came first ; he was the
property of Lord Lurgan, and was
wonderfully quick to his hare, and
when there made good use of
his teeth. It was these qualifi-
cations which helped him so
greatly in his courses, as he had
short spins which took but little
out of him. No Greyhound prob-
ably has had so many honours
heaped upon him as Master
McGrath, as at the command of
the late Queen Victoria he was
taken to Windsor Castle, there
to be introduced to Her Majesty.
During his remarkable career in
public he won thirty-six courses
out of thirty-seven, the only time
that he was defeated being in

1870 at his third attempt to win the
Waterloo Cup, and the flag went up in
favour of Mr. Trevor's Lady Lyons. He,
however, retrieved his good fortune the
following year, when he again ran through
the stake.

Fullerton, who, when he won all his
honours, was the property of Colonel North,
was bred by Mr. James Dent in Northumber-
land. Colonel North gave 850 guineas for
him, which was then stated to be the highest
price ever paid -for a Greyhound. He ran
five times altogether for the Waterloo Cup,
and was declared the winner on four occa-
sions. The first time was in 1889, when he
divided with his kennel companion Trough-
end. Then he won the Cup outright the three
following years. In 1893, however, after
having been put to the stud, at which he
proved a failure, he was again trained for the
Cup, but age had begun to tell its tale, and
after winning one course he was beaten by
Mr. Keating's Full Captain, in the second.
This was one of the two occasions upon
which out of thirty-three courses he failed
to raise the flag. On the other he was
beaten by Mr. Gladstone's Greengage, when
running the deciding course at Haydock
Park.

It was a great disappointment to Colonel
North that Fullerton proved useless for

SIR R. W. BUCHANAN-JARDINE'S LONG
BY FATELEY BRIDGE FOREST FAIRY.

Photograph by If. H. Pugh. I iverpool

195

ig6

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

stud purposes, as at a fee of forty guineas
his list was quickly filled. After his last
defeat in the Waterloo Cup, he retired into
private life at Eltham, where he remained
till the death of Colonel North, when he
was sent back to his old home in Northum-
berland, as a gift to Mr. Dent. On his
death, Fullerton was presented to the

Member's Cup, when he easily led and
defeated Flag of the Free ; he was then
again drawn. Amongst the six dogs that
he defeated in the Waterloo Cup was Hop-
rend, the winner of the Cup in the previous
year. He is a good-looking dog with great
muscular development behind. He is by
Pateley Bridge out of Forest Fairy, the

A HANDFUL.

THE LATE SIR WILLIAM ANSTRUTHER'S GREYHOUNDS.

Photograph by C. RcU, Wishaai.

Natural History Museum, where he may
be seen, beautifully mounted by Mr. Ward.
The hero of the present time, however, is
Sir R. W. Buchanan-Jardine's celebrated
puppy Long Span, who ran so brilliantly
through the Waterloo Cup in February, 1907.
Previously to this he had run only one course
in public, and his trainer had experienced
great difficulty in getting him fit, owing to
the weather in Scotland having been so
severe. It is stated that Long Span not
having been sold at the Barbican when the
litter came under the hammer was after-
wards purchased by his present owner for
ninety guineas. Long Span was entered at
the first Altcar Club meeting, and, being
slightly amiss, he was drawn, but at the
second meeting he ran one course in the

former out of Thoughtless Beauty, the
latter by Under the Globe, both of whom
have been high class performers on the leash.
It appears like descending from the
sublime to the ridiculous to mention the
Greyhound as a show dog, after the many
brilliant performances that have been re-
corded of him in the leash, but there are
many dogs elegant in outline with fine
muscular development that are to be seen
in the judging ring. Mr. George Raper's
Roasting Hot is one of the most prom-
inent winners of the day ; he is a fawn and
white, as handsome as a peacock and,
moreover, is a good dog in the field. On
one occasion after competing successfully
at the Kennel Club Show at the Crystal
Palace, he was taken to a coursing meeting

THE GREYHOUND.

197

where he won the stake in which he was
entered. A brace of very beautiful bitches
are Mr. F. Eyer's Dorset Girl and Miss W.
Eaton's Okeford Queen.

Although, as a rule, the most consistent
winners in the leash have not been noted
for their good looks, there have been ex-
ceptions in which the opposite has been
the case. Fullerton was a good-looking
dog, if not quite up to the form required in
the show ring. Mr. Harding Cox has had
several specimens that could run well and
win prizes as show dogs, and the same may
be said of Miss Maud May's fine kennel of
Greyhounds in the North of England. In
the South of England Mrs. A. Dewe keeps
a number of longtails that when not winning
prizes at the Crystal Palace and elsewhere
are running at Plumpton and other meetings
in Sussex.

The following is the standard by which
Greyhounds should be judged.

1. Head. — Long and narrow, slightly wider
in skull, allowing for plenty of brain room ; lips
tight, without any flew, and eyes bright and in-
telligent and dark in colour.

2. Ears. — Small and fine in texture, and semi-
pricked.

3. Teeth. — Very strong and level, and not
decayed or cankered.

4. Neck. — Lengthy, without any throatiness,
but muscular.

5. Shoulders. — Placed well back in the body,
and fairly muscular, without being loaded.

6. Forelegs. — Perfectly straight, set well into
the shoulders, with strong pasterns and toes set
well up and close together.

7. Body. — Chest very deep, with fairly well-
sprung ribs ; muscular back and loins, and well cut
up in the flanks.

8. Hindquarters. — Wide and well let down,
with hocks well bent and close to the ground, with
very muscular haunches, showing great propelling
power, and tail long and fine and tapering with a
slight upward curve.

9. Coat. — Fairly fine in texture.

10. Weight. — The ideal weight of a dog is from
60 pounds to 65 pounds, of a bitch from 55 pounds
to 60 pounds.

FULLERTON,

AS HE NOW IS IN THE NATURAL
HISTORY MUSEUM, SOUTH KENSINGTON.

ig8

WHIPPET RACING: WEIGHING IN.

CH. SHIRLEY SIREN.

CHAPTER XIX.
THE WHIPPET.

BY F. C. HIGNETT.

' We slipped our dogs, and last my Lelaps too,
When none of all the mortal race would do :
He long before was struggling from my hands.
And, ere we could unloose him, broke his bands,
Thai minute where he was, we could not find,
And only saw the dust he left behind."

Tate's " Ovid.

F

OR elegance of
style, cleanli-
ness of habit,
and graceful move-
ment, few dogs can
equal the Whippet,
for which reason his
popularity as a com-
panion has increased
very greatly within the past decade. No
more affectionate creature is to be found,

yet he possesses considerable determination
and pluck, and on occasion will defend
himself in his own way.

Too fragile in his anatomy for fighting,
in the ordinary sense of the word, when
molested, he will " snap " at his opponent
with such celerity as to take even the most
watchful by surprise ; while his strength of
jaw, combined with its comparatively great
length, enables him to inflict severe punish-
ment at the first grab. It was probably

THE WHIPPET.

199

owing to this habit, which is common to
all Whippets, that they were originally
known as Snap-Dogs.

The Whippet existed as a separate breed
long before dog shows were thought of,
and at a time when records of pedigrees
were not officially preserved ; but it is very
certain that the Greyhound had a share in
his genealogical history, for not only should
his appearance be precisely that of a Grey-
hound in miniature, but the purpose for
which he was bred is very similar to that
for which his larger prototype is still used,
the only difference being that rabbits were
coursed by Whippets, and hares by Grey-
hounds.

This sport has been mainly confined to
the working classes, the colliers of Lanca-
shire, Yorkshire, Durham, and Northumber-
land being particularly devoted to it. The
manner in which it was formerly carried
out was not in keeping with modern ideas, as
the quarry was not hunted up anywhere
near its accustomed haunts, but was first
caught by the aid of nets, and when required
was turned down in an enclosed space in
front of a couple of dogs, who were in charge
of an official slipper. The march of civi-
lisation, however, put a stop to what was
nothing more nor less than cruelty, for the
rabbit had no possible means of escape,
to say nothing of its terrified state when
let loose, consequent on its previous im-
prisonment. The intervention of the au-
thorities brought about a change, which,
though a great improvement from a moral
point of view, has its drawbacks, for the
present manner of Whippet racing cannot
be called coursing, since it does not test the
turning capabilities of the dogs engaged ;
neither do the competitions take place over
grass land, but on cinder tracks, very similar
to those favoured by professional pedestrians,
but always perfectly straight. The official
slipper is dispensed with, instead of whom
the owner of each competitor engages the
services of an experienced person to start
the dog on its journey at a signal given by
the firing of a pistol. As a rule the contests
are handicaps, the starting point of each
competitor being regulated by its weight ;

but the winners of previous important
events are penalised in addition, according
to their presumed merit, by having a certain
number of yards deducted from the start
to which weight alone would otherwise
have entitled them. Amongst Whippet
racers the individual who can release a
Whippet in a satisfactory manner is con-
sidered to be quite a professor.

In all events of importance the number
of competitors necessitates the decisions
being arrived at piecemeal, so to speak,
some four or five dogs running together in
heats. Each dog is taken to its stipulated
mark according to the handicap, and there
laid hold of by the nape of the neck and
hind quarters ; the real starter stands
behind the lot, and after warning all to be
ready, discharges a pistol, upon which each
attendant swings his dog as far forward as
he can possibly throw him, but always
making sure that he alights on his feet.
The distance covered in the race is generally
200 yards, minus the starts allotted, and
some idea of the speed at which these very
active little animals can travel may be
gleaned from the fact that the full distance
has been covered in rather under 12 seconds.

In order to induce each dog to do its
best, the owner, or more probably the trainer
— for the same pains are taken to prepare
these dogs for their engagements as are
bestowed upon Greyhounds — stands beyond
the winning post, which, by the way, is no
post at all, but a white mark across the track,
and frantically waves a towel or very stout
rag. Accompanied by a babel of noise, the
race is started, and in less time than it takes
to write it the competitors reach the goal,
one and all as they finish taking a flying
leap at their trainer's towel, to which they
hold on with such tenacity that they are
swung round in the air. The speed at which
they are travelling makes this movement
necessary in many cases to enable the dog to
avoid accident, particularly where the space
beyond the winning mark is limited. The
judge's position is, of course, at the end of
the line. For racing purposes there is a
wide margin of size allowed to the dogs,
anything from 8 lbs. to 23 lbs., or even more,

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

being eligible ; but in view of the handicap
terms those dogs which possess speed, and
scale 9 to 12 lbs. amongst the light-weights,
and over 17 lbs. in the heavy ones, are con-
sidered to have the best chance.

About a dozen years ago an effort was made
to give the sport a little more tone. Several
ladies and gentlemen of influence were
induced to give their patronage and prac-
tical support to races which were run in
the south of
England, a
favourable
opportunity
occurring in
connect ion
with the show
of the Ladies'
Kennel Asso-
ciation, which
was held in
the Ranelagh
Club grounds
at Barn Elms.
The difficulty
of disassoci-
ating such

When rabbit-
coursing was more
in vogue it was tin-
custom to arrange
the handicaps ac-
cording to the
height of the com-
petitors at the
shoulder, and not
by weight.

Whippet racing
in some form or
other has existed
much longer than
the generality of

the present day fanciers imagine, for this
writer can rely on his memory for at least
half a century, and even so long ago the
patriarchs of the period were prone to
recount the wonderful deeds performed by
famous Whippets of yet earlier years.

MG FOR THE PISTOL SHOT.

WHIPPET RACING.

competitions from the squabbling and com-
monplace surroundings which were prevalent
proved too much for the endurance of those
who had undertaken the responsibility,
and no headway was made, although
Royalty gave its patronage to the event,

THE WHIPPET.

King Edward and Queen Alexandra (then
the Prince and Princess of Wales) being
present. There is no diminution in the
popularity of the sport, however, in the
northern shires ; rather is it on the increase.
The principal handicaps attract not only a
large number of entries, but also a big con-
course of spectators, who, for the most part,
take more than a passing interest in the
success or defeat of the dog or dogs which
may commend themselves to their ideas at
the moment, for nearly all are financially
interested one way or another.

Probably there is no locality where the
pastime has maintained such a firm hold
as in and around Oldham, one of the most
famous tracks in the world being at Higgin-
shaw, where not infrequently three hundred
dogs are entered in one handicap. The
Borough grounds at Oldham and the Welling-
ton grounds at Bury are also noted centres
for races. It is a remarkable but well recog-
nised fact that bitches are faster than dogs,
and in consequence the terms upon which
they are handicapped are varied. The
general custom is to allow a dog 2\ to 3
yards advantage for every pound difference
in weight between it and the gentle sex.

One of the fastest dogs that ever ran was
Collier Lad, but he was almost a Greyhound
as regards size. Whitefoot, whose owner
challenged the world, and was considered
to be quite unbeatable, was a Whippet in
every sense of the word, and was a nice
medium weight, though probably Capple-
bank's time of ii-l- seconds stands alone ;
it must be noted, however, that his record
was made on the Wellington grounds at
Bury, where the course is slightly downhill.
The best of the present-day racing dogs
are Polly fro' Astley (15 lbs.) and Dinah
(11+ lbs.), and of those which promise well
for the future, Eva, whose weight is only
9t lbs., is most prominent, as may be
gauged from the fact that she is at the
time of writing entered in a handicap
commanding three hundred entries, in which
heavier dogs are given a longer start.

The training of Whippets is by no means
easy work, and is more expensive than most
people imagine. To begin with, the very

choicest food is deemed absolutely necessary,
in fact a Whippet undergoing preparation
for an important race is provided with the
most wholesome fare. Choice mutton-chops,
beef-steaks and similar dainties comprise
their daily portion. Of course exercise is
a necessity, but it is not considered good
policy to allow a dog in training to gambol
about either on the roads or in the fields.
Indeed, all dogs which are undergoing pre-
paration for a race are practically deprived
of their freedom, in lieu of which they are
walked along hard roads, secured by a lead ;
and for fear of their picking up the least bit
of refuse each is securely muzzled by a box-
like leather arrangement which completely
envelops the jaws, but which is freely per-
forated to permit proper breathing. Any
distance between six and a dozen miles
a day, according to the stamina and con-
dition of the dog, is supposed to be the proper
amount of exercise, and scales are brought
into use every few days to gauge the effect
which is being produced. In addition to
this private trials are necessary in the
presence of someone who is accustomed to
timing races by the aid of a stop-watch — a
by no means easy task, considering that a
slight particle of a second means so many
yards, and the average speed working out at
about 16 yards per second — nearly twice as
fast as the fastest pedestrian sprinter, and
altogether beyond the power of the fleetest
racehorse.

Formerly there were two varieties of
Whippet, long and short coated, but the
former is rarely met with nowadays, either
at the exhibitions or on the running track ;
in fact, a long-coated dog, however good it
might be as regards anatomy, would have
a poor chance of winning a prize at a show,
for its shaggy appearance would most likely
hide the graceful outline which is a much
admired and characteristic feature.

Of course the handicapper is a most im-
portant personage, and it is very creditable
that amongst surroundings where temptation
is so profuse, and could be embraced almost
with impunity, men are still at work who
have retained the confidence of the public
for over thirty years. Such a one is Mr.

202

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

Ralph Harper, of Kearsley, a mining hamlet
situated half-way between Manchester and
Bolton. Probably no man living is so
thoroughly acquainted with Whippet racing
as he, in fact, it is pretty generally conceded
that he has forgotten more about the sport
than most others know. Another trust-
worthy handicapper is Mr. Large, of Wolver-
hampton, whose bitch Nance is at the present

MR. J. J. HOLGATE'S SHIRLEY DIXIE
BY SHIRLEY BANNER SHIRLEY DAISY.

time playing an important part in big events ;
while Mr. Joe Chadwick, of Higginshaw,
frequently takes charge of the very largest
meetings with credit to himself and to the
satisfaction of all interested.

Reference has been made to the attendant
who releases the dog for a race. He is
officially termed a "slipper" ; and so much
depends upon his efforts, that his ability
has to be taken into account by the handi-
capper, as will be seen by the following
rules, which, though somewhat quaintly
worded, can be easily understood, and are
still in force : —

Ip_Any slipper not having slipped three
winners in 1905 will be allowed one yard ; or
four winners half a yard, and one yard in the
final, or second day all through, providing he
claims and names his dog, before the first heat is
run, to the referee ; but must slip the dog all
through till beaten.

2. — If a slipper claims allowance and
the dog is beaten first time through, he can claim
the same for second and final rounds (of course,
for such dogs as he may then be engaged to slip).

3. — If with the one yard allowance a
slipper's dog wins, he s entitled to half a yard
and one yard in the final after till he has slipped
three more winners.

4. — No owner will be allowed to change
slipper after claiming, for one slipper must slip
the same dog all through till he is beaten, or
the dog will be disqualified.

5. — If two dogs are handicapped off a
mark, and one claims the allowance, that dog
shall start on the left hand side.

It does not follow that the best-looking
Whippet is the best racer, otherwise many
of the champion show dogs would never
have seen a judging ring in a show, for the
majority of them have been disposed of by
their breeders because they were not quite
fleet enough to win races. The value of
such Whippets as, in the opinion of experts,
are quite qualified to win prizes has very
much improved of late years, partly be-
cause classes are liberally provided for them
at all the shows of importance, but primarily
because a few remarkably fine specimens
had the good fortune to go into the possession
of exhibitors who had the opportunity to
attend a large number of shows, in which
they figured successfully in variety classes.
Of these some of the most noted have been
shown by Mr. F. H. Bottomley, whose
prefix " Manorley" is well known. Another
good one is Ch. Southboro Seniority, now
the property of Mr. L. Crabtree, though she
has probably seen her best days ; Mr. H. H.
Taylor's Fleetfoot, too, though not a cham-
pion, has deservedly won scores of prizes ;
while a comparatively new aspirant to fame
in this direction is Mr. W. Proctor, who has
recently bought several good specimens of
the breed, amongst which Lottie Hampton
has made a decisive mark already by winning
at some dozen or more shows. These
owners, with Mr. W. Proudlove, are the
more prominent northern exhibitors, but
Mr. J.J. Holgate must not be overlooked,
for he invariably brings out something
better than ordinary at the championship
shows. The late Mr. A. Lamotte, one of

THE WHIPPET.

203

Photograph by Hignctt and S. n, Lostock.

Photograph by Hignttt ami Son, Lostock.

204

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

is the favourite among amateur fanciers.
Red fawns, blue or slate coloured, black,
brindled of various shades, and these colours
intermingled with white, are most to be met
with, however. In some quarters the idea
is prevalent that Whippets are delicate in
their constitution, but this is a popular error.
Probably their disinclination to go out of
doors on their own initiative when the
weather is cold and wet may account for the
opinion, but given the opportunity to roam
about a house the Whippet will find a com-
fortable place, and will rarely ail anything.
In scores of houses Whippets go to bed
with the children, and are so clean that even
scrupulous housewives take no objection to
their finding their way under the clothes to
the foot of the bed, thereby securing their
own protection and serving as an excellent
footwarmer in the winter months.

Probably in no other breed, except the
Greyhound, do judges attach so little im-
portance to the shape of the head ; so
long as the jaws are fairly long and the
colour of the eyes somewhat in keeping
with that of the body, very little else is
looked for in front of the ears. As in the
case of racing competitors, really good dogs
for show purposes are much more difficult
to find than bitches. The best of the males
are not so classical in outline as the
females, though some of them are as good
in legs and feet — points which are of the
greatest importance. Though it is not
quite in accordance with the standard laid
down by the club, it will be found that most
judges favour dogs which are about 17 lbs.
weight, and bitches which are between 15 lbs.
and 16 lbs., the 20 lbs. mentioned in the

standard of points, without variation for
sex, being considered altogether too heavy.
Appearances are sometimes deceptive, but
these dogs are rarely weighed for exhibition
purposes, the trained eye of the judge being
sufficient guide to the size of the competitors
according to his partiality for middle-size,
big, or little animals.

The South Durham and Yorkshire Show
at Darlington has the credit for first intro-
ducing classes for Whippets into the prize
list. Previous to this it had not long been
generally recognised as a distinct breed, and
it is within the last twenty years that the
Kennel Club has placed the breed on its
recognised list.

The following is the standard of points
adopted by the Whippet Club : —

1. Head. — Long and lean, rather wide between
the eyes and flat on the top ; the jaw powerful
yet cleanly cut ; the teeth level and white.

2. Eyes. — Bright and fiery.

3. Ears. — Small, fine in texture and rose
shape.

4. Neck. — Long and muscular, elegantly arched
and free from throatiness.

5. Shoulders. — Oblique and muscular.

6. Chest. — Deep and capacious.

7. Back. — Broad and square, rather long ana
slightly arched over the loin, which should be
strong and powerful.

8. Fore-legs. — Rather long, well set under the
dog, possessing a fair amount of bone.

9. Hind Quarters. — Strong and broad across
stifles, well bent thighs, broad and muscular ;
hocks well let down.

10. Feet. — Round, well split up, with strong
soles.

11. Coat. — Fine and close.

12. Colour. — Black, red, white, brindle, fawn,
blue, and the various mixtures of each.

13. Weight. — Twenty pounds.

205

CHAPTER XX.

THE FOXHOUND, THE STAGHOUND, AND THE WELSH HOUND.

BY G. S. LOWE.

Yes, I ken John Peel, and Ruby too,
Ranter and Royal and Bellman as true :
From the drag to the chase, from the chase to

a view.
From a view to the death in the morning.

THE flight of society to the shires in
the autumn is substantial proof of
what fox-hunting is to the country.
Some years have elapsed since it was
estimated that nine million pounds are
spent every year on hunting. This sum
appears to be prodigious, and so. indeed,
it is, if only applied to
kennel establishments.
There are 204 packs of
hounds in the United
Kingdom, of which
some could show an
annual expenditure of
£10,000. and many over
£4,000. This is, how-
ever, but the small side
of total costs, as many
thousands of studs of
hunters are maintained,
representing an enorm-
ous amount of money,
with veritable armies of
employees, mansions of
palatial proportions in
nearly every quarter of
England, Ireland, and
Scotland, and a trade
thereby in provincial
towns that must be of
considerable magnitude.
A morning view of Mel-
ton is quite suggestive
of this computation of
nine millions.

Twas the sound of his horn called me from my

bed.
And the cry of his hounds has oft-times led,
For Peel's view-hollo would awaken the dead
Or a fox from his lair in the morning."

John Woodcock Graves (circ. 1825).

It may be regarded as somewhat extra-
ordinary that persons of high social position
should devote such a large proportion of
their lives and interests to hunting and to
the culture of hounds, but it must be said
that much of England's greatness is due
to the power of the Foxhound. The daring;

THE DEATH OF THE FOX.

TTON 11770

2o6

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

deeds under the greatest difficulties in nations. Our respect for the Foxhound,

the Peninsular War ; the important con- and the inspiriting cry of " Tally-ho ! "

quests all over the globe with mere handfuls have had a tremendous influence upon the

of men, and the hardihood of our Colonists virility of our national life.

came about after the hard riding era had
commenced. The Iron Duke always in-

RETURNING FROM THE CHASE.
from the Engraving by p. c. CANOT,

AFTER THE PAINTING BY J. WOOTTON <1770>.

sisted that his best officers were the first
flight men of Leicestershire and Lincolnshire,
and he gave it as his opinion that Assheton
Smith would have been the greatest cavalry
general in the world. Then, again, the
horses were improved by Hugo Meynell's
discovery of the forward dash of the Fox-
hound and the development of the system
of following hounds at high pressure. The
horses were as much elated by the voice
of the hound in full cry as the men, and
the courageous jumping of high fences that
could not have been taken in cool blood
stamped the character of the English hunter
and made him the utility horse for all

There is plenty of proof that Foxhounds
were the very first of the canine races in
Great Britain to come
under the domination
of scientific breeding.
There had been hounds
of more ancient origin,
such as the Southern
Hound and the Blood-
hound ; but something
different was wanted to-
wards the end of the
seventeenth century to
hunt the wild deer that
had become somewhat
scattered after Crom-
well's civil war. The
demand was conse-
quently for a quicker
hound than those
hitherto known, and
people devoted to the
chase began to breed
it. Whether there were
crosses at first re-
mains in dispute, but
there is more proba-
bility that the policy
adopted was one of se-
lection ; those exception-
ally fast were bred with
the same, until the slow,
steady line hunter was improved out of
his very character and shape. At any
rate, there are proofs that in 1710 hounds
were to be found in packs, carefully bred,
and that at that time some of the hunts in
question devoted attention to the fox. In
his description of the De Coverley Hunt,
in 1711, Addison writes that Sir Roger's
stable doors were patched with noses that
belonged to foxes of the knight's own
hunting down. After this period the in-
terest in hound breeding must have become
very keen, as Somerville, who was born in
1699, and died in 1742, wrote much in the
years between 1725-30 on the shape and

THE FOXHOUND.

207

COL. THORNTONS FAMOUS BITCH HOUND MERKIN (1794),

CHALLENGED TO RUN ANY HOUND OF THE YEAR

FOR 10,000 GUINEAS.

DRAWN BY SAWREY GILPIN, Engraved by J. SCOTT.

breeding of hounds, and of their deeds in fifty such breeders, including the fifth
the field with the fox as their quarry. Duke of Beaufort, Lord Lincoln, Lord

The first known kennel
of all was at Wardour
Castle, and was said to
have been established in
1696 ; but more reliable
is the date of the
Brocklesby, commenced
in 1713. The first record
of a pack of hounds being
sold was in 1730, when a
Mr. Fownes sold his pack
to a Mr. Bowles. The
latter gentleman showed
great sport with them in
Yorkshire. At that time
Lord Hertford began to
hunt the Cotswold coun-
try, in Gloucestershire,
and was the first to draw
coverts for fox in the

modern style. Very soon after this it be- Stamford, Lord Percival, Lord Granby,
came the fashion of the day to breed Lord Ludlow, Lord Vernon, Lord Carlisle,
hounds. Many of the nobility and large Lord Mexbro, Sir Walter Vavasour, Sir
landowners devoted much of their time Roland Winns, Mr. Noel, Mr. Stanhope,
and money to it, and would take long Mr. Meynell, Mr. Barry, and Mr. Charles
journeys to get fresh blood. It was the Pelham. The last-named gentleman, after-
rule to breed hounds on the most scien- ward the first Lord Yarborough, was per-
tific principles, and by 1750 there were haps the most indefatigable of all, as he

was the first to start
the system of walking
puppies amongst his
tenantry, on the
Brocklesby estates, and
of keeping lists of
hound pedigrees and
ages. By 1760 all the
above-named noblemen
and gentlemen had
been breeding from
each other's kennels.
The hounds were regis-
tered, as can be seen
now in Lord Middle-
ton's private kennel
stud book, through
which his lordship can
trace the pedigrees of
typical foxhounds of a hundred years ago. his present pack for a

From " The Sportsman's Cabinet " (1803). By P. Reinagle, R.A. hundred and sixty years

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

to hounds that were entered in 1760, got by
Raytor, son of Merryman and grandson of
Lord Granby's Ranter. Another pedigree
was that of Ruby, who is credited with a
numerous progeny, as she was by Raytor out
of Mr. Stapleton's Cruel by Sailor, a son of
Lord Granby's Sailor by Mr. Noel's Victor.
This shows well how seriously Foxhound
breeding was gone into before the middle
of the eighteenth century. Portraits prove

MR. CHAS. RADCLIFFE'S GAINER (1872).

From a Drawing on Wood by GEORGE EARL.

also that a hound approaching very
closely to those of modern times had been
produced at this early period. By such
evidence the Foxhound had outstripped the
Harrier in size by nearly five inches, as
the latter does not appear to have been
more than eighteen inches, and the early
Foxhound would have been twenty-three
inches. Then the heavy shoulder, the dew-
lap, and jowl of the Southern Hound had
been got rid of, and the coat had been
somewhat altered. The old school of
breeders had evidently determined upon
great speed and the ability to stay, through
the medium of deep ribs, heart room, wide
loins, length of quarter, quality of bone,
straightness of foreleg, and round strong
feet ; the slack loined, loosely built, and
splayfooted hound of former generations
had been left behind. To such perfection,

indeed, had the Foxhound attained, that
long before the close of the eighteenth
century sportsmen were clamouring as to
what a Foxhound could do. It had been
proved over and over again that he could
run a fox for four hours at such a pace as
to bring horses to a complete standstill ;
and so far as people could judge, nothing
could tire him. The deeds of the Fox-
hound became the talk of the sporting
world ; and so followed the
matches, the great one in par-
ticular being between Mr. Barry,
the first Master of the Cheshire,
and Mr. Hugo Meynell, the real
founder of the Quorn. The
former gentleman wagered five
hundred guineas on his couple
Blue Cap and Wanton against
Mr. Meynell's Richmond and a
bitch, whose name has never
transpired, to run a drag over
the four-mile Beacon course at
Newmarket. Sixty horsemen
rode in the trial, but only
twelve completed the course,
and the Cheshire hounds won
by a hundred yards in the won-
derful time of eight minutes
and twenty seconds. There was
after this loud talk of match-
ing hounds. Colonel Thornton offered to
match his bitch Merkin to beat any other
over five miles, and to give two hundred
yards start, for ten thousand guineas a side,
but fortunately for the good of fox-hunting
and the Foxhound, such matches ended in
talk, or there might have been Foxhound
race meetings.

With so much prominence given to the
Foxhound in the comparatively short period
of forty or fifty years, it is no wonder that
individual hounds became very celebrated
in almost every part of the country. Mr.
Pelham's Rockwood Tickler and Bumper
were names well known in Yorkshire, and
Lord Ludlow's Powerful and Growler were
talked of both in Lincolnshire and Warwick-
shire. From the first, indeed, it appeared
that certain hounds were very much better
than others, and old huntsmen have gener-

THE FOXHOUND.

209

ally declared for one which was in the whole
length of their careers (sometimes extending
to fifty years) immeasurably superior to
all others they had hunted. Harry Ayris,
who was for just half a century with Lord
FitzHardinge, declared to the day of his
death that nothing had equalled Crom-
well ; Osbaldeston said the same of Furrier,
and Frank Gillard, who is still alive, never
falters from the opinion that Weathergage
was quite by himself as the best hound he
ever hunted. The Foxhound Kennel Stud
Book abounds in the strongest proofs that
hereditary merit in their work has been
transmitted from these wonderful hounds,
and they really make the history of the
Foxhound.

The first celebrity to have had a traditional
repute brought down in print to present
times was Mr. Corbet's Trojan. This gentle-
man had kept Harriers for some years before
he thought of becoming a Master of Fox-
hounds, and he commissioned his brother,
Colonel Andrew Corbet, to buy for him
a pack of Harriers that were advertised
to be sold at Tattersall's. Amongst these
was a bitch called Tidings, evidently a
dwarf Foxhound, and she proved so good
in her work that when Mr. Corbet re-sold
the pack he retained her, and she was sent
to Lord Spencer's (the Pytchley) Tomboy.
In due course she had a litter that contained
Trojan, who was almost drafted, as he
would not look at a hare. Mr. Corbet,
however, began to hunt fox from Sundorne
shortly afterwards, and Trojan at his own
noble game entered naturally. He was
supposed to have been the best Foxhound
ever seen, that he could not do wrong,
could put the pack right on the coldest
scent, could jump walls that no other
hound would attempt, and then by him-
self would run a fox for miles to earth,
before the rest of the pack had joined him.
He lived from 1780 to 1789, and in eight
seasons he was never lame or missed a
day, and was always the leading hound. So
much was he talked of that a great many
kennels bred from him, and Mr. Corbet's
famous pack that he sold to Lord Middle-
ton for 1,500 sovereigns was nearly all by

Trojan. A famous toast in Shropshire and
Warwickshire for years afterwards was :
" Here's to the Trojans."

Another noble example of the Foxhound
was Lord Middleton's Vanguard, got by
a hound called Vaulter, that Lord Middleton
(the sixth baron) got from Lord Vernon
out of Traffic, a great grand-daughter of
the famous Trojan. Lord Middleton, who
hunted his own hounds and was very
liberal in giving them away, would never
part with Vanguard, declaring that no
man could possess two such hounds in a
lifetime, and that he was much too good
to give away. Vanguard's time was from
1815 until 1823, and his portrait was taken
by Fearnley, who also painted a picture,
now at Birdsal, of Vanguard running a
fox to ground. There is a line of ancestry
from Vanguard to the Oakley Driver, whose
blood is in almost every kennel list in
England.

Next to Vanguard would come the
Osbaldeston Furrier, quite the greatest
in Foxhound heraldry for the last eighty-
seven years, as he was whelped in 1820.
Bred at Belvoir by Saladin out of Fallacy
by Lord Lonsdale's Wonder out of Frantic,
he was purchased by Osbaldeston, of Goosey,
the Belvoir huntsman, as an unentered
puppy, the probable reason for his being
drafted was on account of his colour —
black and white with a little tan on his
head ; and it is said that he was none too
straight. He was, however, a wonder in
the field when Osbaldeston hunted the
Quorn. He was exactly the hound his
master wanted, as he would get to the
head of the pack at once, and lead at such
a pace that few horses could live with them.
It was then that Osbaldeston would turn
round and say, " Now, gentlemen, catch
them if you can." Socrates is said to have
sworn by his dog, and to the day of his
death Osbaldeston certainly swore by
Furrier, and the very name would make
the little old man, close on eighty, start
when talking seriously or playing a game
of billiards. When he took the Pytchley
country more than half his pack were by
Furrier or that dog's sons, and he once

2IO

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

took out a whole pack of twenty-one
couples of Furriers. The old hound and
his sons Ranter, Castor, Random, Falstaff,
Ferryman, and Sir Tatton Sykes' Furrier
were bred from immensely by other kennels,
and to-day it would be no uncommon thing
to find a hound with forty crosses of Furrier
in him.

The fourth in greatness next to Furrier
might be Lord Henry Bentinck's Contest
by Comus, son of Mr. Foljambe's Herald
by the Osbaldeston Ranter, son of Furrier.
Mr. Foljambe had two brothers, Herald
and Harbinger, by Ranter out of Harpy
by Herald, a son of the Belvoir Saladin (the
sire of Furrier), and they almost made
the Grove pack. Lord Henry Bentinck's
Contest, however, had much to do in
spreading the sort, and he must have been
a very exceptional hound, as Lord Henry
was never emotional. He would have the
best, discarding anything the least faulty.
In his diary he speaks of Contest more than
once as a very remarkable hound, and he
also refers to him as a wonderful jumper.
He lent him to some of his old friends,
such as the Duke of Beaufort and Sir
Richard Sutton, and it was during his stay
at Badminton that he was used very success-
fully by Harry Ayris with a bitch called
Crazy by the Warwickshire Tarquin out of
Charity. One of the litter so obtained was
Cromwell, who came after his grand-sire
Tarquin in being a grey pied. For seven
seasons he was far and away the best hound
in Lord FitzHardinge's kennel. He, too,
could not possibly do wrong, so Harry
Ayris used to say, and the old man would
go almost into tears as, when quite past
duties in the hunting field, and resting a
gouty foot on the skin of Cromwell, he
would never tire in recounting the great
days he had seen with him. Contest gained
much honour, too, in the kennels of Sir
Richard Sutton, as there he was the sire
of Dryden, thought by some huntsmen to
have been the best hound ever seen in
Leicestershire, and never to be forgotten
in pedigrees, as he was the sire of Destitute
the dam of the Belvoir Senator.

The Grove — or, rather, Lord Galway's —

Barrister was a very remarkable hound.
Jack Morgan, his huntsman, thought him
one of the best he had ever hunted, and
inheriting as he did all Mr. Foljambe's old
sorts, and hitting three times to Ranter
the son of the Osbaldeston Furrier, it was
no wonder that Lord Galway maintained
the great prestige of the Grove in a measure
through Barrister. The Drake Duster was
another hound held in the highest esteem
by breeders, and this was probably due to
the fact that both Mr. Drake and his son
Mr. Tom Drake, junior, thought him un-
deniably good in every part of a run, and
their judgment was greatly respected. Duster
went back to Mr. J. M. Warde's sorts, as
he was by Bachelor son of Regent, son of
Mr. Warde's Rascal, and in three or four
other lines he hit to Mr. Warde's. It
is sixty-three years since Duster was
entered, and yet the mention of the Drake
family is the mention of Duster. Such is
the power of the Foxhound.

Senator must always be regarded as
one of Belvoir's chief landmarks, and he
inherited the blood of nearly all the hounds
mentioned above. He had plenty of Furrier
in him ; his dam Destitute was by Sir
Richard Sutton's Dryden son of Lord
Henry Bentinck's Contest, and his grand-
dam's sire was by the Drake Duster. He
was therefore a combination of the great
ones, and no hound ever put more character
into his progeny. He was a good honest
hound, a rare finder, and would run with
his hackles up right to the front and drive
hard to the death. Then he was a demon,
would fight another hound in his terrible
passion for blood, and no run could tire
him.

Huntsmen will say that the Senators
were all like this. There was Lord Polti-
more's Woldsman of that strain, and his
son the Bicester Whipster, after him —
devils incarnate as they were called, and
at a kill the whips, if they could get at
them, would always couple them up to
avoid mischief. But Senator left his mark
at Belvoir and elsewhere in regard to a
commanding carriage and colour. The
exquisite Belvoir tan, and just half the

THE FOXHOUND.

stern white as a wonderful setting off,
came down from Senator. His head was
set up, and now adorns a wall in Belvoir
Castle, and, by-the-bye, the head of Cromwell
occupies a similar panel at Berkeley Castle.
The celebrity, famous in every quarter
where hounds are talked about, was the
Belvoir Weathergage, entered in 1876. He
strained from Senator on his dam's side as

ments, and mated him with Susan by
Stormer, a grandson of the Drake Duster.
The produce, numbering two and a
half couples, included two very hand-
some dog-hounds Warrior and Woodman,
and the former in due course was the
sire of Weathergage, always regarded by
Gillard as the best hound ever known. He
would find nine foxes out of ten, was never

LORD COVENTRY'S RAMBLER (ENTERED 1S73) AND MARKSMAN (ENTERED 1874),

she was by Rambler, son of Senator, but
his breeding was much brought about
for other qualities. When Frank Gillard
went on as huntsman in 1867, he became
aware that the Singers, Senators, and
Rallywoods had plenty of drive, but when
revelling on the most exquisite line almost
tied to their fox, they said very little about
it. There was one with a beautiful voice
like a bell, and he used him. This was
Wonder by Chanticleer out of Willing,
by the Brocklesby Rallywood, who in-
herited the blood of the Osbaldeston
Furrier. There was one objection, as he
was swine chapped, but Gillard forgave
him this on account of his vocal attain-

known to make a mistake in any part of
a run, driving in front, ready to put the
pack right in a minute, and as desperate
as a Senator at a kill. He was quite a
huntsman's friend, as to see what Weather-
gage was doing revealed the whole story.
He was not notable for extraordinary good
looks, and might have been included in
the second draft if he had not done some
exceedingly good work as a puppy.
His stock were better-looking than him-
self. Frank Gillard has always said that
the best hound he ever saw in a field was
Weathergage, but the best -looking Fox-
hound in the world he always reckoned to
be Gambler, son of Weathergage.

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

In showing how certain individual
hounds excel their comrades, in as great a
degree as is seen in the noble race of man
where generals, statesmen, and poets flutter
as it were, over the common herd, there
are many instances to be cited. The opinion

hound to disentangle a difficulty, that it
was delightful to see him in the field. He
came down in pedigree from the very per-
fect order as he was got by Lord Fitz-
Hardinge's Collier out of Ransom by
Lord Henry Bentinck's Regulus, and

FREYBURG.

of Mr. E. P. Rawnsley, noted as perhaps
the greatest of amateur huntsmen, is that
after hunting hounds for twenty-five years,
he could only recall three that were abso-
lutely perfect ; these were Baronet by
the South Notts Decorate, Bachelor by the
Quorn Warrior, and Freeman by the Bel-
voir Weathergage. He leaned most to the
last-named of the trio, perhaps because
his work was the exact counterpart of his
sire. " He could not do wrong." Mr.
Rawnsley said affectionately of him, " and
he could always put us right." The Earl
of Coventry had the same belief in Rambler,
who was so perfect, so true, and such a

Collier was by Prompter out of Costly by
Chieftain out of Cynthia by Cromwell.
Like the Belvoir Weathergage, there is
scarcely a kennel in England now that
cannot claim as an ancestor Lord Coventry's
Rambler.

There have been many more great hounds ;
the late Tom Firr would have had some-
thing to say about his Alfred ; Mr. Batt
Miller of the V.W.H. would dispute high
prestige for Harlequin, Lord Bathurst for
Crusty, who hunted for twelve seasons ;
the whole of the Grafton Hunt for Wood-
man, who was also a twelve-season hunter ;
and the late John Walker for the Wynnstay

THE FOXHOUND.

213

Royal. But there must be the greatest of
the great. I think I shall be correct in
naming the following hounds as the twelve
best England has ever seen : —

Mr. Corbet's Trojan (1780), by the
Pytchley Tomboy out of Tidings.

Lord Middleton's Vanguard (1815), by
Lord Vernon's Vaulter out of Traffic.

Mr. Osbaldeston's Furrier (1820), by
Belvoir Saladin out of Fallacy.

Lord Henry Bentinck's Contest (1848),
by Comus out of Sanguine.

Lord FitzHardinge's Cromwell (1855), by
Contest out of Crazy.

Mr. Drake's Duster (1844), by Bachelor
out of Destitute.

Sir Richard Sutton's Dryden (1849), by
Contest out of Daphne.

The Duke of Rutland's Senator (1862), by
Singer out of Destitute.

The Duke of Rutland's Weathergage
(1874), by Warrior out of Royalty.

The Earl of Coventry's Rambler (1874),
by Lord FitzHardinge's Collier out of
Ransom.

Mr. E. P. Rawnsley's Freeman (1884), by
Belvoir Weathergage out of Freedom.

The Grafton Woodman (1892), by Wonder
out of Durable.

Breeding Foxhounds is one of the most
fascinating of all the pleasures of animal
culture, as the above list, so full of extreme
merit, can be traced for nearly a hundred
and thirty years from Trojan to Vanguard,
and the Oakley Driver, the great-great-
grandsire of Durable, the dam of the
Grafton Woodman. Then the many
branches to the Osbaldeston Furrier, the
share of Lord Henry Bentinck's Contest
through Dryden, and also the Drake Duster
in the Belvoir Senator, and so on to Weather-
gage, the sire of Why-not the sire of Work-
man the sire of Wonder the sire of the above-
named Grafton Woodman. The truth is that
Frank Gillard and Frank Beers, the Grafton
huntsmen, were great friends and allies,
and when the former had found quite a
precious gem in the shape of a Foxhound,
he imparted the fact to Beers, who conse-
quently used Weathergage in his second
season to the ultimate benefit of a great

many packs as traced through Why-not,
Workman, Wonder, and Woodman, and con-
tinued to some extraordinary families for
work, notably the V.W.H. (Mr. Batt Miller's)
Worcester, and the Puckeridge (Mr. E.
Barclay's) Councillor. It was in this way
that the old school of sportsmen bred
Foxhounds. Men such as Mr. G. S. Fol-
jambe, Captain Percy Williams, Mr. Oakley,
Mr. Nicholas Parry, Lord Portsmouth, Mr.
Robert Arkwright, and Mr. George Lane
Fox. What a debt is due to them from
the hunting world ! There is, however, a
present generation to continue the good
work. None are keener, or can love Fox-
hounds more, than the Duke of Beaufort,
Lord Harrington. Lord Middleton, Lord
Bathurst, Mr. Batt Miller, Mr. Edward
Barclay, Mr. J. C. Monro, Mr. Gerald
Hardy, or Mr. Fernie. They breed on the
lines that have been made famous, and they
have brought the Foxhound to a greater
pitch of perfection than ever.

THE VALUE OF THE FOXHOUND.

It cannot be said that the prices paid
for Foxhounds in very recent times have
greatly exceeded those of the past. In
1790 Colonel Thornton sold Merkin for
four hogsheads of claret, and the seller
to have two couples of the whelps. Then
in 1808 Mr. John Warde sold a pack of
hounds to Lord Althorpe for 1,000 guineas,
and the same gentleman sold another pack
for the same sum a few years later. In
1838 Lord Sufneld offered 3,000 guineas for
Mr. Lambton's pack, and afterwards sold
it to Sir Matthew White Ridley for 2,500.
In 1834 Osbaldeston sold ten couples of
bitches, all descendants of Furrier, for
2,000 sovereigns or £100 a hound — a record
that was almost eclipsed at the sale of
Lord Poltimore's hounds in 1870, when
twenty-two couples of dog-hounds sold for
3>365 guineas.

Of late years there has been the sale of
the Quorn for, it was said, £3,000, and the
late Lord Willoughby de Broke valued the
North Warwickshire for the county to
purchase at £2,500. In 1903 the Ather-
stone was valued by Mr. Rawlence, the

214

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

well-known representative of TattersalFs,
at £3,500, or something like £50 a hound,
and that has been considered very cheap.
If, therefore, modern prices have not greatly
exceeded those of the far past, there has
not been any particular diminution, and
there is no doubt about it that if certain
packs could be purchased the prices would
far exceed anything ever reached before.
It has been stated on pretty good authority
that certain American gentlemen would
give £10,000 for either the Belvoir or the
Warwickshire, and a suggestion of this
was given less than two years ago, when,
after Ben Capel had been taking two
sportsmen from America through the
Belvoir kennels, a couple of bitches in
whelp, that had been running about in
the park, came up to them, and were so
greatly admired that one of the visitors
said to Capel, " You can tell your master
I will give him 500 sovereigns for those
two bitches."

With prices on such a high scale, it is
really wonderful that the drafts are sold
at such low figures. For years it was the
custom to sell young drafts, the rough
with the smooth, for three guineas a coupxe,
and for old drafts the same, with five or
six guineas for second drafts. It is equally
wonderful, too, that those possessing judg-
ment and an eye to a hound may form a
very good pack in that way. The late
Mr. Henry Ashton, Master of the North
Warwickshire, took the view of buying
old draft bitches from good packs like the
Belvoir, Lord Galway's, the Brocklesby,
Lord Harrington's, and the Rufford, as it
seemed reasonable that they would not
have been kept four or five seasons in such
kennels unless they had been uncommonly
good. These he mated carefully to the
crack sires of the day, such as Gambler,
Gordon, and Galliard, and in six years
he made the pack that the late Lord
Willoughby de Broke valued at £2,500.
This requires great judgment, however,
for, as shown in these pages, there are
Foxhounds and Foxhounds, and in breed-
ing it does not do to accept conclusions
too quickly. The old breeders were very

particular in regard to the sources from
which they drew fresh blood. Mr. Lane
Fox, for instance, would only touch four
or five kennels, no hearsay, or extra-
ordinary beauty of form had the slightest
effect on him. He would never use a sire
unless he had seen him in his work, and a
good thick gorse covert was one of his
favourite scenes for a trial of ability.
Those who can be led away by what other
people say will never make a pack of
Foxhounds. They would spoil one. for
that is not a difficult operation. As the
late Lord Portsmouth used to say, " It
takes a good man fifteen years to make
a pack of Foxhounds, and it takes a bad
one three years to spoil one."

Much has been done of late years for
breeders of hounds and buyers by the
Messrs. Tattersall's Rugby sales, always
so ably conducted by Mr. J. R. Rawlence.
A pack can be easily made from amongst
those coming under that gentleman's ros-
trum.

THE PETERBOROUGH SHOWS.

The hound shows were commenced very
nearly as early as the dog shows. It
was in i860 that one was held at Yarm,
which was followed by a more important
one the next year at Middlesbrough.
From that time they became closely asso-
ciated with the Great Yorkshire Agricul-
tural Society under Mr. Tom Parrington,
and famous gatherings of the hunting world
were seen at York, Malton, Redcar, Harro-
gate, Beverley, Hull, Doncaster, Leeds, and
Driffield. Everyone talked of the York-
shire hound shows and of Tom Parrington,
who is still alive to tell the stories. Con-
templating retirement from the manager-
ship of the Great Yorkshire, he trans-
ferred the hound show to Peterborough in
1877, and in the interim it has become a
very great national institution. Masters of
hounds send representatives there from
every part of the kingdom, and the annual
show in July brings more hunting people
together than any other fixture of the
summer season. That the shows have
helped hound-breeding there can be no

THE FOXHOUND.

215

question whatever. The fact that from
the very first they were both countenanced
and supported by such great sportsmen
as the Duke of Beaufort, Lord Willoughby
de Broke, and Mr. Robert Arkwright, was
a certain guarantee that the policy of the
show ring was correct and sound. Lord
Willoughby de Broke gave the greatest
evidence of all this, as
in twenty-five years he
made the Warwickshire
to be as nearly as pos-
sible equal to the Bel-
voir, and he never missed
showing. He used such
champions as the Ouorn
Alfred, the Fitzwilliam
Richmond, the Pytchley
Prompter, and others
seen on the Peter-
borough flags. Then
his lordship's own prize-
takers, Hermit, Wild-
boy, Furrier, Trampler,
Sampson, and many
more had the patronage
of the kingdom through
their good looks at
Peterborough. Lord
Willoughby's quiet re-
buke to a would - be
fault-finder that he was
not at all likely to
breed from or even to keep a faulty
hound was quite enough to show that only
the best were good enough for his lord-
ship. Splendidly managed by a strong
committee and most able secretary, Mr.
John Smart, who has held the post for
twenty-seven years, the Peterborough shows
afford excellent opportunities for seeing
the best hounds and for breeders to com-
pare notes as to what they are breeding
themselves, and how other people are
breeding. At any rate, Foxhounds have
very much improved in looks during the
past five-and-twenty years, and unques-
tionably they are quite as good in the field
or better. Whenever hounds have good
foxes in front of them, and good hunts-
men to assist or watch over them, they are

as able as ever, but the drawbacks to good
sport are more numerous now than they
used to be. The noble hound will always
be good enough, and ever and anon this is
shown by a run of the Great Wood order, to
hunt over five-and-twenty to thirty miles
at a pace to settle all the horses, and yet
every hound will be up. There has been

OLD BERKELEY FOXHOUNDS GEOFFREY AND HAWKER.
PROPERTY OF ROBERT LEADBETTER, ESQ., M.F.H.
Photograph by Russell and Sons.

a slight tendency to increase size of late
years. The Belvoir dog-hound is within
very little of 24 inches instead of 23J,
the standard of twenty years ago, and this
increase has become very general. In
elegance of form nothing has been lost, and
there can be no other to possess beauty
combined with power and the essential
points for pace and endurance in the same
degree as a Foxhound.

William Somerville's poetical description,
written in 1735, still applies to the perfect
Foxhound of to-day.

" See there with countenance blithe,
And with a courtly grin, the fawning hound
Salutes thee cowering, his wide opening nose
Upwards he curls, and his large sloe-black eyes
Melt in soft blandishments, and humble joy !

2l6

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

His glossy skin, or yellow-pied, or blue,
In lights or shades bv Nature's pencil drawn,
Reflects the various tints : his ears and legs
Flecked here and there, in gay enamelled pride,
Rival the speckled pard ; his rush-grown tail
O'er his broad back bends in an ample arch ;
On shoulders clean, upright, and firm he stands,
His round cat foot, strait hams, and wide-spread

thighs,
And his low dropping chest, confess his speed,
His strength, his wind, or on the steepy hill,
Or far-extended plain ; in every part
So well proportioned that the nicer skill
Of Phidias himself can't blame thy choice.
Of such compose thy pack."

But a more detailed description is neces-
sary for the modern sportsman, and is here
given : —

1. Head. — Somewhat broad, not peaked like
the Bloodhound, but long from the apex to the
frontal bones, eyebrows very prominent, cheeks
cut clean from the eye to the nostril, ears set low
and in their natural condition thin and shapely,
but not large, nose large, jaw strong and level, and
small dewlaps, expression fierce, and with the
best often repellent.

2. Eyes. — Very bright and deeply set, full of
determination, and with a very steady expres-
sion. The look of the Foxhound is very remark-
able.

3. Neck. — Should be perfectly clean, no skin
ruffle whatever, or neck cloth, as huntsmen call
it. The length of neck is of importance both for
stooping and giving an air of majesty.

4. Shoulders. — The blades should be well into
the back, and should slant, otherwise be wide
and strong, to meet the arms, that should be long
and powerful.

5. Legs and Feet. — The bone should be per-
fectly straight from the arm downward, and
descend in the same degree of size to the ankles.
or, as the saying is, " down to his toes." The
knee should be almost flat and level ; there should
be no curve until coming to the toes, which
should be very strong, round cat-shaped, and
every toe clean set as it were.

6. Fore-ribs and Brisket. — Deep, fine ribs are
very essential, and the brisket should be well
below the elbows.

7. Back and Loins. — Back should be straight.
A hollow back offends the eye much, and a roach
back is worse. The loin wide, back ribs deep
and long, a slight prominence over the croup.

8. Quarters and Hocks. — The quarters cannot
be too long, full showing a second thigh, and
meeting a straight hock low down, the shank
bone short, and meeting shapely feet.

9. Coat. — The coat is hard hair, but short

and smooth, the texture is as stiff as bristles, but
beautifully laid.

10. Colour. — Belvoir tan, which is brown and
black, perfectly intermixed, with white markings
of various shapes and sizes. The white should be
very opaque and clear. Black and white, with
tan markings on head and stifles. Badger pied
— a kind of grey and white. Lemon pied, light
yellow and white. Hare pied, a darker yellow
and white.

11. Stern. — Long and carried gaily, but not
curled : often half white.

12. Height. — Dogs from 23^ to 24 inches;
bitches from 22 to 22J inches.

PUPPY WALKING.

The Foxhound is bred at the kennels,
but in many cases belongs to the hunting
country in which his lot is cast ; then he
is walked by a member of the hunt, or
more frequently by a friend of the same,
one who has no objection to his lands being
ridden over. At one time many agreements
of estates included a clause requiring
tenants to keep a Foxhound during certain
months of the year. The obligation is
now merely a social one, but it is almost
equally binding, and it is recognised that
the ladies of the hunt shall assist the
M.F.H. in this manner. Puppies cared for
and reared under individual attention in
comfortable homes, necessarily prosper and
become more healthy and intelligent than
when crowded together in the thronged
kennels. Lovers of dogs who live in the
neighbourhood of a hunt may usually be
allowed to take a puppy into their charge,
and in the early days of May one of the
whips from the kennel may be expected to
drive round to the hall or to the cottage —

" With an innocent bundle of white and tan,
A fat little Foxhound bred to the game,
With a rollicking eye and a league long name,
And he'll play with a cork on the end of a

string,
And walking a puppy will be ' just the thing.' "

Doubtless, the rearing of a Foxhound
puppy is a great responsibility, but it is
also a delight to many who feel that they
are helping in the advancement of a great
national sport, and there is always the
possibility that the particular puppy may
turn out to be a future Cromwell or Furrier

217

218

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

or Rambler. There is but one sad side to
the pleasure, and that is that the affections
lavished upon the maturing visitor are bound
very soon to receive the shock of necessary
severance. Young Foxhounds are not less
mischievous than the puppies of other
breeds, but neither are they less winning,
and when the time comes for the sturdy

stones, sharing his bread and cheese at
noon, and certain of a good supper at night.
She proved the best of the bitch entry,
and the cup went to the stone-breaker.
Lord Middleton kindly thought that a
five-pound note would be more acceptable
than the cup, and so sent that proposal.
" Na, na," said the road-maker, " I might

FOXHOUND PUPPIES OF THE LANARK AND RENFREW HUNT.
Photograph by C. Reid, Wishaw.

youngster to be removed to the kennels
and entered, one forgets his juvenile in-
discretions as

"... the davs went by and the bundle grew,
And broke the commandments and stole and

slew,
And covered the lawn with a varied loot,
Of fowl and feather and bone and boot ;
And scratched in the garden a hundred holes,
And wearied our bodies and damned our souls."

And his departure is not seldom accom-
panied by a surreptitious tear.

In the times of Assheton Smith, and even
in those of Lord Henry Bentinck, the puppy
walking was all done for honour and glory,
but of late years three or four silver cups
are presented to those rearing the best.
This new development has added to the
spirit of the cause. A couple or three years
back a puppy was taken by an old stone-
breaker in Lord Middleton's hunt. The
little thing in her small days would lie
upon his coat all day on a near heap of

spend the money, but the coup I'll keep in
memory of her."

This is the English view in all classes
towards the Foxhound, and he is no ordinary
animal to be the national favourite. He
has been brought to wonderful perfection
in beauty and frame, he is quite untire-
able ; foxes may run for miles through
parishes and almost counties, to bring
horses to every kind of grief and distress,
but the hounds will not be beaten. They
will be always showing the same dash over
plough or pasture, ridge or furrow, and
leave every kind of fence behind them, amid
a music of their own which is charming.

THE STAGHOUND.

There is very little purpose in saying much
about the old Staghound. He practically
ceased to exist some sixty or seventy years
ago. A writer under the nom de guerre of
" Shamrock " in the New Sporting Maga-
zine of April, 1840, asserted that the Massy-

THE STAGHOUND.

219

buck hounds was a crack pack in the Baron Rothschild's hunt, established in

'thirties, and he describes their breeding as the Vale of Aylesbury late in the 'thirties,
a cross of the Irish Wolfhound and the was made up entirely of Foxhounds from
Irish Bloodhound, whatever that was, a the very beginning. They were bred by
Spanish dark red Bloodhound, and last of the Baron, and walked by his tenantry and
all with the large English Bull-dog. friends in the Vale. Old Fred Cox, who
Dreadful mongrels, therefore, and as a was nearly fifty years in the service of
matter of course they
did not last long.

There was an old
Staghound breed in the
Royal kennels at Wind-
sor as late as 1820,
and one called Windsor
has been described as
a white hound with a
small spot of yellow
on each ear, and a large
mark of the same
colour on his right
flank. He stood thirty
inches high, and showed
all the points of a lordly
breed, having the full
and kindly eye, heavy
dewlap, immense fore-
quarter, and somewhat
cat hammed. As he
was bred in 1815, he
must have been very
nearly the last of the
old race in the British
Islands. It was shortly
after this date that the
eccentric Colonel
Thornton bought the
whole of the old Royal pack, consisting of
forty couples of recognised Staghounds,
and took them to France, and at the same
time the Duke of Richmond gave his
Majesty the King his Goodwood pack,
composed mostly of Foxhounds. Since that
date the Royal Buckhounds were to all
intents and purposes Foxhounds. Charles
Davis, the huntsman for over forty years,
bred a few, but he mostly got them from
the Leicestershire or the Duke of Beaufort's
kennels. Any breed of Staghounds was
unknown in Davis's time, and he commenced
as whip to the Royal hunt in 1816, and was

DOG HOUND ARGUS.

THE PROPERTY OF SIR R. R. WILMOT, BART.
MASTER OF THE BERKS AND BUCKS STAGHOUNDS.
Photograph by Russell and Sons.

promoted to the post of huntsman in 1824.

the family, had carte-blanche to go where
he pleased for blood, and in " Will "
Goodall's time at Belvoir, he was con-
stantly there selecting sires, and dipped
pretty deeply into the Singer and Senator
blood. He also visited Harry Ayris at
Berkeley Castle, and gave patronage to
Cromwell in 1857-58. He did not forget
to go to Belvoir again in the days of Weather-
gage, and one of his last hits was getting a
famous litter by Gambler, a son of Weather-
gage. Whenever Fred Cox heard of a
good hound he was always after him, pro-
vided he belonged to a crack kennel, as
the old man was very particular about

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

strains of blood. On his retirement the
post of Lord de Rothschild's huntsman
was filled by John Boore, who had been
kennel huntsman to Lord Willoughby de
Broke during nearly the whole of the time
his lordship was building up the Warwick-
shire to be worth £10,000. It will be
seen, therefore, that the Rothschild hunt
has been gifted with the greatest advan-
tages in the breeding of a pack of hounds
in Fred Cox's time, and they are said
to have improved since then. In those
days, however, it was a beautiful pack
of hounds. All alike, dogs 23^ inches,
bitches 22 inches, and as sorty in re-
gard to colour as those of Belvoir. The
good the Rothschild hunt has done to
Buckinghamshire cannot be estimated. It
has enriched the county so that it is one
of the most prosperous in the kingdom,
and Lord de Rothschild and Mr. Leopold
de Rothschild are ever the farmers' best
friends. If ever the faddists succeed in the
suppression of hunting the carted deer,
Lord de Rothschild has only to turn his
pack from deer to fox, to equal in quality
the beauties of the Belvoir and the War-
wickshire.

The old Staghounds were at Badminton
before 1750, as seen by pictures in the
possession of the Duke of Beaufort, but
the story of the Silkwood run in the fifth
Duke's time, when hounds by accident
settled on a fox and had a brilliant run
of an hour and a half, decided the question
of Fox versus Deer, and from that time
Foxhounds only have been located in the
famous Gloucestershire kennels. The big
25-inch hound of Badminton, however, has
always been in great request amongst the
patrons of stag-hunting, and for many years
the Devon and Somerset, hunting the wild
red deer, were ever anxious to get the
draft from Badminton. In other countries-
France and Germany especially — the Stag-
hound of the day is really the English
Foxhound.

THE WELSH HOUND.

The wild mountains of Wales have al-
ways wanted a low scenting hound with

a great deal of tongue and in other re-
spects bearing a similarity to the Fox-
hound. They must be stout, as the
hill foxes give tremendously long runs,
often of three or four hours, and the steep
declines into the valleys are a test indeed
for shoulders. Without plenty of music,
too, they would become lost to the field in
the majority of cases, and those who have
enjoyed runs with them speak rapturously
of the steadiness of Welsh Hounds, their
never-failing cry, and general staunchness.
Some great sportsmen, Colonel Anstruther
Thomson for one, have been so enamoured
with Welsh hunting as to have thought the
hounds superior to English Foxhounds ;
but in this they have been mistaken, as
whenever the experiment has been tried
of bringing hounds from Wales into English
counties they have been found much too
slow, and wanting in drive. Colonel Thom-
son had many hounds of the Gogerddan
blood at one time in the Atherstone, but
they did not do at all for Warwickshire and
Leicestershire.

It is well authenticated that the Llangibby
pack existed as far back as 1750, and for
nearly a hundred years the hounds were
inbred to a sort of their own, but much
resembled the rough Otter-hound, standing
about 23^ inches (the dogs), long and low,
with heads of almost a Bloodhound type,
very strong and bony for their size, coats
very wiry and somewhat rough, and stern
a little shorter than in Foxhounds, but
carried gaily.

That good authority, "Borderer," says
that when Mr. John Lawrence took the
country in 1856, he got a different stamp
of hound with much Harrier blood in them ;
and it is notable that Mr. Lawrence was
Master for fifty years, and lived until he
was ninety-two. He appeared to have
every faith in Welsh Hounds, as when his
friend, Mr. Reginald Herbert, commenced
hunting the Monmouthshire and did not
kill many foxes, he wrote and said :
" My dear fellow you must have Welsh
blood in your pack, I will help you." The
Llangibby had a great name, but what
proportion of the pack was pure Welsh it

THE WELSH HOUND.

221

is hard to say if Mr. Lawrence had Harrier
blood in it in 1856.

Some of the packs in Wales are pure
English Foxhounds, but those that are
known to have at any rate some Welsh
blood in them are the Llangibby, the
Neuadd-Fawr, kept by Mrs. T. H. R.
Hughes — that lady having twenty couples
described as Welsh and first cross of Welsh-
English — but every effort is made to keep
them as Welsh as possible. Then there is
the Ynysfor, the Master of which is Mr.
Evan Bowen Jones of Ynysfor, Penrhyn-
Deudreath. The pack has been in that
gentleman's family for a hundred years,
having been hunted by his great-grandfather
from 1765 to the date of his death at
eighty-five years in 1829. His son then
held the reins of government until 1851, and
a son of the latter again from 1851, when an
uncle carried it on for another twenty-one
years, to be succeeded by the father of the
present Master, whose death took place in
190 1. The hounds are of the old Welsh
breed, some rough, some smooth, and
many are of the old black and tan colour.

The Teme Valley pack is cross-bred,
English and Welsh, and the Gelligaer, of

which Mr. David Jones was the recent
Master, was as pure Welsh as that gentle-
man could get them, as he had a strong
belief in the stamina and excellence of
those so bred.

There is no doubt that the breed is still
to be had, but so many Masters of the
Welsh hunts have endeavoured to improve
by the admixture of English blood that it
has made it extremely difficult to breed the
pure ones excepting through continual in-
breeding, which is always fatal. It is said
that the English cross is not to be depended
upon, as sometimes the results of such
alliances have been good working hounds,
with the qualities perceptible from both
sides, and in other cases there has been a
loss of nose and tongue, and no great advant-
age shown in either pace or stamina. Again
also, when a good hound has been obtained,
his progeny has been of no use. Very few
English Masters would venture on such
experiments, and, in fact, they are not
wanted, as there are English Foxhounds
in goodly numbers with nose and tongue
equal to any Welsh Hound, and they are
naturally better to breed true to their own
kind.

THE MONMOUTHSHIRE PACK

CHAPTER XXI.

THE HARRIER.

BY THE LADY GIFFORD, M.H.

And since we have the vaward of the day,
Mv love shall hear the music of my hounds :
Uncouple in the western valley ; let them go : —
Despatch, I say, and find the forester."

— "Midsummer Night's Dream.

THE Harrier is a distinct breed of
hound used for hunting the hare —
or rather it should be said the Asso-
ciation of Masters of Harriers are doing their

HARRIERS AT WORK.

BlBLIOTHEQUE N

A. BAILLIE-GROHMAN, ESQ.

utmost to perpetuate this breed ; the Harrier
Stud Book bearing witness thereto : and it
is to be deplored that so many Masters of
Harriers ignore this fact, and are content
to go solely to Foxhound kennels to start
their packs of Harriers, choosing, maybe,
20 inch to 22 inch Foxhounds, and thence-
forth calling them Harriers. And indeed,

if it were not for the Stud Book we should
soon lose the breed of hound that can boast
of possibly greater antiquity than any other.
For did not the cavalry soldier Xenophon
at the age of fifty-four keep
a pack of Harriers, over two
thousand years ago — which he
hunted on foot near Olympia
in Elis ? He has left behind
him a disquisition on hounds
and hunting which any Master
of Harriers would do well to
study ; for it evinces a mar-
vellous mastery of this par-
ticular form of hunting. Be-
ginning with a description of a
good hound, the points of which
are practically the same as we
seek in a good hound of to-day,
Xenophon also enumerates the
faults of a bad hound, point-
ing out most clearly what to
guard against in make and
shape, and afterwards, in the
hunting field, what to look for,
to note, and check. He also
describes minutely the ways of
a hare, and how she should be
hunted, showing most perfect
knowledge of his subject in every particular.
In forming a pack of Harriers, opinions
differ as to what standard of height it is
advisable to aim at. If you want to hunt
your Harriers on foot, 16 inches is quite
big enough — almost too big to run with ;
but if you are riding to them, 20 inches is a
useful height, or even 19 inches. Either

THE HARRIER.

223

is a good workable size, and such hounds
should be able to slip along fast enough for
most people. Choose your hounds with
plenty of bone, but not too clumsy or
heavy ; a round, firm neck, not too short,
with a swan-like curve ; a lean head with
a long muzzle and fairly short ears ;
a broad chest with plenty of lung room,
fore legs like gun barrels, straight and
strong ; hind legs with good thighs and
well let down docks ; feet, round like
cats' feet, and a well-set-on, tapering
stern. Such a make and shape should
see many seasons through, and allow
you to be certain of pace and endur-
ance in your pack.

It is useless to lay down any hard
and fast rule as to colour. It is so
much a matter of individual taste, but
light-coloured hounds are useful in a
kennel in point of enabling you to see
them well in the distance.

Some Masters have a great fancy for
the dark colouring of the old Southern
Hound, but nothing could look much
smarter than a good combination of
Belvoir tan with black and white.
Puppies, as a rule, a week or two
after they are whelped, show a greater
proportion of dark marking than any
other, but this as they grow older soon
alters, and their white marking be-
comes much more conspicuous. Some
particular marking shows itself for
generations. It may be a little forked
white mark on the forehead of a
hound, and if watched for, it will be
seen quite distinctly occurring over and
over again in different members of that
one family. Again, particular traits of
character are seen recurring in a most
curious way, such as the fear of thunder,
or of guns. There is much to be taken
into consideration before starting to breed
your own hounds. The most satisfactory
way of keeping a really good pack together
is to breed your own hounds when you
have got a thoroughly good strain, taking
care to replenish them by occasional drafts
from well-known reliable kennels. And then ,
too, every young entry coming into work

provides a fund of interest, and I think
here may be urged the necessity of naming
your hound puppies say at two months old.
They learn their names astonishingly quickly
at this period of their lives, and I am con-
vinced that it saves them in after life much

HARRIERS.

From a Seventeenth-Century PRir

of the whip and rating from Hunt servants,
who are seldom sufficiently quiet with
hounds. By learning their own names thus
early in life, they become obedient and
acquire good ways before the fact of being
obedient is any trouble to them ; and there
are not many prettier sights than to watch
a lot of very young puppies answering their
names in turn. It also prevents their being
shy. What is more tiresome than to call a
young hound up to you, and find that he
promptly goes in the opposite direction ?

Let your puppies from their earliest youth
be out of doors all day long, if possible on
grass with a movable wire-netting enclosure,

224

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG

so that the ground can be changed every
few days. Never keep puppies on stale
ground ; and place inside the enclosure or-
dinary big dog kennels to provide shelter
for them. They may begin this out of door
life directly they are weaned, and even
before, if there is sufficient space for the
mothers to be out too ; they should not be
put out until the dew gets off the grass,
but may remain out until sunset in summer.
It is a good plan to have their night
kennel so situated that every time the

LORD HOPETOUN'S WINIFRED AND ARTFUL
Photograph by C. Beid, Wisham.

puppies are taken to bed and brought out
in the morning they have to pass through
a yard where the grown hounds are ; it
gives the puppies confidence, and takes all
fear away. The earlier they learn kennel
ways the better it will be for them in after
life ; habits of discipline thus early instilled
will never be forgotten. Let them lie on low
hound benches (not boxes) and gradually
heighten these as the puppies grow larger.
They are much more airy and healthy for
them than an enclosed thing like a box.
Be very careful in your choice of walks,
and when you have puppies going out to
walk, make it thoroughly understood that
the first symptom of distemper be reported
to you at once. The life of many a valuable
young hound has been lost through not
taking the proper steps in time. And
so the months pass by, and the time
arrives for them to come back to kennel.

The restraint of this new life must be most
irksome at first, but the young hounds soon
get accustomed to it. Of course fighting
in kennel must be watched for during the
first few weeks. Never check a " song."
It is easy enough to discern between
"chiming" and fighting, and the former
seems to give them vent for their feel-
ings, and to keep them happy and con-
tented. The listener will get joy out of
such singing if he will only listen atten-
tively.

Let us pass on now to the time when
the corn is cut and the harvest is gathered,
for young hounds must now be entered,
and the veterans got to work. Only a
huntsman quite knows the intense pleasure
of seeing hounds busy again as ths season
comes round, and it is a splendid sig it to see
the puppies copy the old hounds when the
latter are feathering on a line. The}' will
join in lustily for a few minutes, and then
up go their heads, and they will be " on-
lookers " for awhile. But there are ex-
ceptions to these ordinary tactics of a
beginner, and I can call to mind some few
hounds that began to be workers from the
first day they were out, taking their own
initiative, and even once or twice putting
the pack right when at fault. You may be
very certain a huntsman never forgets such
incidents, and that he keeps a tender spot
in his heart for that puppy, and will tell
you with much pride "He was born to it.
He took a line as true as steel on his first
day."

It is wonderful how steady a pack can be
on the opening early morning. What must
it feel like to them to be allowed to go, after
four or five months' inactivity ? But inac-
tivitv only in respect to hunting, for they
will have been at exercise with horses along
by-roads soon after sunrise for many weeks
past, getting their feet hard and themselves
generally fit for the dawning of that glorious
autumn morning, with the air laden with
sweet scents.

It is better to get a hare walked up if
possible, because they sit too close at this
time of the year, and are so liable to be
chopped. Let her get well ahead before you

THE HARRIER.

225

LADY GIFFORD!

begin to draw, then take your hounds into
the field, and let them draw up to her form.
They will soon get on her line, and work up
to the form, and then take up the scent again
beyond it and settle down to it well over
the fallow or seed field, or whatever it may
be where you " found." and unless vou
happen to be
hunting an
old hare that
k n o w s the
business well,
she will not
stand up very
long before a
v igorous,
eager lot of
keen workers
so early in
the season ;
but you will
have blooded
the puppies,
and by the
time your season opens, say by the middle
or end of October, both hounds and hares
will be fit to "go."

At this time of year the usual difficulty
arises with covert owners. Messages come
from anxious keepers to say " such and such
a covert has not been shot," or, another
" is to be shot next week," and if your
country lies in the middle of some big
shoots the life of a Master of Harriers is a
burden to him until after Christmas. Most
arable land, too, has to be avoided until the
partridges are shot. There is certain to be
a partridge drive coming off the day after
you meet anywhere ! So you feel you must
go off, to draw a piece of rough grass you
know of that may be good for a hare, rather
than the stubble field that was a sure find.
The rough field yields a hare all right, but
she makes straight for the nearest wood, and
just as hounds are settling down well to the
line, they must be whipped off. And thus
many a good run is spoilt. But later on in
the season, hares will go through woods
without dwelling, if they are making a
point, and give hounds a rare gallop.

The North of England is an ideal Harrier

country, Northumberland for choice, with
glorious stretches of moorland carrying a
grand scent. The Southern counties are
too much enclosed, everything feels cramped,
and there are too many people coming out
hunting in large numbers and caring little
or nothing about actual hunting. It is a
pity no rule exists to compel those who
wish to hunt to learn a few simple laws of
how to ride to hounds, before they come out.
Each season finds more people following
hounds who ride so close on the top of
them, over-riding them at everv turn, that
all chance of good sport is spoilt.

Of course this applies to all hunting, but
perhaps especially to hare-hunting, as a
hare doubles so quickly, often running back
a few yards over exactly the same ground
that she covered in the first instance ; she
will then strike off a yard or two to right or
left, and go on again. It is easy to see, in
cases of this kind, how puzzling it is for
hounds to pick up the line if they are over-
ridden. Then again, a hare will give .1

LADY GIFFORDS DESPERATE AND
KENNEL MATES.

spring into the air, leaving a good space of
ground untouched. This seems to be in-
tense cunning on her part, and has perforce
the result she evidently means it to have,
viz. scent failing, and hounds completely
baffled for the time. And here is another
mysterious thing about scent : you come
to a gateway, or possibly a place where two
ways meet ; you make up your mind, when
you see hounds stop suddenly and throw
up their heads, that the hare has gone on.

226

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

You try them on. Not a hound will own
to the line. The only thing to be done,
after you have tried north, south, east,
and west of it, is to wait a few moments,
filling up your time by making a big cast,
making the Field stand in one place as
quietly as they can (they will generally talk,
and take off the hounds' attention if possible).
You try the place again where they originally
checked, and nine times out of ten the

A MORNING VISIT.

LADY GIFFORDS OLD PARK PACK OF HARRIERS.

hounds will run " on " with a burst of
music. Why ? You know that in all prob-
ability this will happen, but has anyone
ever been able satisfactorily to explain
to you the reason ?

There are days in a huntsman's life when
everything seems to go right, when hounds
look to him for help, he gives it, never making
a mistake — he casts them just right, and if
he lifts hounds they hit it off exactly, and he
begins to think he understands scent ; he
has been years at his work and certain
knowledge is coming to him at last ! It is
all going to be plain sailing henceforth.
Is it ? Alas, next hunting-day things do
not go so easily, and he has to own that
scent is still a mystery, and always will be.
Would the fascination of hunting be of the
absorbing interest it always has been —

and still is — if the mystery of scent were
made clear ? I venture to think not.

Harriers have a more difficult task, take
it all round, than Foxhounds ; the reason
being that a hare evidently has less scent
than a fox. For example, see Harriers on
a day when they have been toiling after a
hare with little or no scent, suddenly get on
to the line of a fox. A perfect chorus will
burst forth, and they can run him strongly
and well. Or try
them in covert, on
a very hot day in
spring, when the
old dead leaves lie
thick upon the
ground, dried up
and withered ; even
then they will hunt
a fox quite easily —
where a Foxhound
will find it difficult
to own to the line.
This seems to point
to the fact that the
nose of a Harrier,
from being accus-
tomed to hunt an
animal with a lesser
scent, is more sensi-
tive, so that he can
more easily make
good a line under difficult circumstances.
It is interesting to note, in watching a
pack of hounds working, which individual
hounds to rely on in a tight place. Those
of the Field who come out to ride and
not to hunt, miss so much of interest
by being unobservant. The hounds that
are to be relied on at all times have the
entire confidence of the remainder of the
pack ; they quickly acknowledge the right
of a few to be leaders. Take, for instance,
some period of any ordinary run when they
are at fault for a moment. A single hound
goes a little apart from the others : you
will see his stern waving, his whole body
vibrating, but, at present, not a sound. By
tins time the remainder of the pack have all
been trying hard to pick up the line over
various portions of the ground ; the hound

THE HARRIER.

227

by himself has been trying the most unlikely
hedgerows and sides of ditches. Surely he
is wrong ! And you are just going to touch
your horn and blow him in, when he whim-
pers. The whole pack as if by magic lift
their heads ; they listen ! He has spoken.
It is enough. They go to him with a rush —
they never question his right to be trusted.
Hounds are so wise, so loyal. You hear that
glad pouring forth of sound as they settle
down on the line once more, and you sit
down in your saddle and feel you are in for
a good ride.

The sad side of hunting is when your best
hounds grow old, and others fill their places.
Take the case of a hound who has been a
leader for some long time. The days come
when he just cannot be first, and he
knows it. When he realises this, he speaks,
hoping the others will still listen, but an-
other has spoken ahead of him, and they
know that Marksman is no longer their
leader. Pathetic thought ! It came hard
to him at first to give place to others ; he
was always first in everything, in beauty of
form, in perfect breeding, in absolute know-
ledge of the way to hunt a hare under any
circumstances, whether on land or in water ;
for he could hunt a hare in a river like an
Otterhound. In the evening of his life if
the meet was near the kennels, he would
walk out and take up a central position on
ground where he knew they would hunt

— it seemed as if he knew the run of every
hare — and there he would wait and watch
until he heard the voices of his beloved com-
rades coming nearer, and until they swept
past him in full cry. Occasionally the spirit
of the chase entered into him too strongly,
and he would try hard to follow a few yards ;
but he was too feeble to go far. And so he
would sit down again and wait once more for
their coming, and his patience was often
rewarded. He is at rest now, having spent
nearly fifteen years in this world, and no
better hound ever lived.

If they are well looked after, Harriers will
often last eight seasons, and even longer.

See that you have one or two good road
hounds in your pack. They are at all
times invaluable, because a hare is very fond
of running a road if beat, and without a
hound capable of taking a line on a road, you
would fare badly.

I will only mention one thing more, and
that is, that from personal observation I am
inclined to think a hare must rather enjoy
the voice of hounds, because last year a
hare put her two leverets in the kitchen
garden (which is only a few yards away from
my kennels and kennel yard), coming, as is
the custom of hares, back to feed them in the
evening, and remaining in the daytime in
a field behind the kennel. So she heard the
hounds' voices continually, and apparently
preferred being near them.

A MEET OF HARRIERS IN SUSSEX.

228

GROUP OF MR. A GORHAM'S ROUGH-COATED BEAGLES.
Photograph by Russell and So)is.

CHAPTER XXII.
THE BEAGLE.

BY G . S . LOWE.

Pour down, like a flood from the hills, brave boys,

On the wings of the wind

The merry beagles fly ;

Dull sorrow lags behind :

Ye shrill echoes reply,
Catch each flying sound, and double our joys."

Wm. Somerville.

THERE is nothing to surpass the beauty
of the Beagle either to see him on the
flags of his kennel or in unravelling
a difficulty on the line of a dodging hare.
In neatness he is really the little model of
a Foxhound. He is, of course, finer, but
with the length of neck so perfect in the
bigger hound, the little shoulders of the
same pattern, legs and feet the same, and
the typical quarters and second thighs.
Then how quick he is in his casts ! and when
he is fairly on a line, of course he sticks to
it, as the saying is, " like a beagle."

Beagles have been carefully preserved for
a great many years, and in some cases they
have been in families for almost centuries.
In the hereditary hunting establishments
they have been frequently found, as the
medium of amusement and instruction in
hunting for the juvenile members of the

house ; and there can be nothing more likely
to instil the right principles of venery into
the youthful mind than to follow all the
ways of these little hounds They must not
be hurried at all — just taken into a field and
a wave of the hand is enough to make them
very busy. A hare, rabbit, or whatever it
may be, will not take them off their noses
if breaking away in view, but they hold to
the line in a sort of revelry of enjoyment.
To lift them is impossible, they know their
part so well, and. throwing their tongues
like peals of little bells, they will hunt a
hare to death by sheer pertinacity. It is
all perfect hunting : not at all like that
of the Dachshund, who dwells round the
form of a hare, and seemingly does not dare
to trust himself. But the little Beagle, with-
out dashing away at all like a Foxhound
— who gets impatient in the enchantment

THE BEAGLE.

229

of his pleasure — hangs on to a line as if
tied to it. The young sportsman may
take all this to account, and learn that it
does not do to excite the hounds. They
must not throw their heads up or they
may overlap the running of their quarry
by a furlong. To do as the Beagle does
is an object lesson.

Dorsetshire used to be the great county
for Beagles. The downs there were exactly
fitted for them, and years ago, when roe-
deer were preserved on the large estates,
Beagles were used to hunt this small breed
of deer. Mr. Cranes' Beagles were noted
at the time, and also those of a Colonel
Harding. It is on record that King George
IV. had a strong partiality for Beagles, and
was wont to see them work on the downs
round about Brighton.

The uses of the Beagle in the early days
of the last century, however, were a good
deal diversified. They were hunted in big
woodlands to drive game to the gun, and
perhaps the ordinary Beagle of from 12
inches to 14 inches was not big enough for
the requirements of the times. It is quite
possible, therefore, that the Beagle was
crossed with the Welsh, Southern or Otter-
hound, to get more size and power, as
there certainly was a Welsh rough-coated
Beagle of good 18 inches, and an almost
identical contemporary that was called
the Essex Beagle. Sixty years ago such
hounds were common enough, but possibly
through the adoption of the more prevalent
plan of beating coverts, and Spaniels being
in more general use, the vocation of the
Beagle in this particular direction died out,
and a big rough-coated Beagle is now very
rarely seen. A very pretty lot of little
rough Beagles were recently shown at
Reigate. They were called the Telscombe,
and exhibited by Mr. A. Gorham.

That a great many of the true order were
bred became very manifest as soon as the
Harrier and Beagle Association was formed,
and more particularly when a section of
the Peterborough Hound Show was reserved
for them. Then they seemed to spring from
every part of the country. In 1S96 one
became well acquainted with many packs

that had apparently held aloof from the
dog shows. There was the Cheshire, the
Christ Church (Oxford), Mr. T. Johnson's,
the Royal Rock, the Thorpe Satchville, the
Worcestershire, etc., and of late there have
been many more that are as well known as
packs of Foxhounds. One hears now of the
Chauston, the Halstead Place — very noted
indeed — the Hulton, the Leigh Park, the
Stoke Place, the Edinburgh, the Surbiton,
the Trinity Foot, the Wooddale, Mrs. G. W.
Hilliard's, Mrs. Price's, and Mrs. Turner's
— exhibited at Peterborough in 1906 — and
they were surpassed again at the Crystal
Palace June Show, 1906, which was confined
to Foxhounds, Harriers, and Beagles.

Mr. James Russel, the master of the
Halstead Place pack, showed some beauties
that for type cannot be well excelled.
His dog hound Searcher, under 14 inches
high, is thought the most marvellous
little hound in the world. He has all the
elegance of a Belvoir Foxhound about him,
is quite a picture in colour and markings,
has model legs and feet, and such a carriage
for a little one ! Mr. Russel bred him
himself by his Solomon, out of Gracious, by
Lord Ducie's Trumpeter.

In the unentered class the same kennel
provided the winners in a beautiful couple
of little bitches called Preference and Rosa-
mond, and Mrs. Price, who must also have
a charming pack, gained the reserve with
Careful and Farmer. The Leigh Park pack,
owned by Sir Frederick FitzWygram, was
wonderfully good too, a couple of half-
sisters by the Thorpe Satchville Bellman,
called Dorothy and Haughty, being as hand-
some as pictures, especially Dorothy. They
took first in a class for exhibits that had
not won at Peterborough for three years.
It was a long way to come from Edinburgh
to Peterborough, but still Mr. A. M. Hender-
son was not dismayed by distance or trouble,
and he took second to the above-named
couple with Ringwood and Heedless, both
beauties by sires from well-known kennels.
Ringwood is by the Halstead Place Forager,
and the other by Petting's Bellman.

Mrs. Price's kennel must be one of very
high quality, as that lady showed some

230

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

that could scarcely be surpassed in hound
points and beauty, but merit at the Peter-
borough Show of 1906 was so great as to
make it very difficult to get first prizes.
So one saw the Trinity Foot beating Mrs.
Price's in an unentered class, and there
was no beating the Halstead Place for the
best couple of bitches — Chorus and Rachel
getting a first, perhaps pretty easily. Rachel,

Palace Cup as the best Beagle in the show,
and with his kennel companions helped to
take the cup for the best three couples.
Mrs. Price showed successfully an old
favourite, Fulmen, in the single dog class,
but he is a well-known champion. Sir F.
FitzWygram won with Dorothy against
nineteen competitors, and one that caught
the attention of everyone was a beautiful

GROUP OF THE MARQUIS OF LINLITHGOW'S BEAGLES.
Photograph by C. Rcid, Wishaw.

who was bred by the Chauston, also got the
champion cup as the best bitch in the show-

The Surbiton, of which Mr. A. G. Allen
Turner is the master, must be very good
to have got second in the open class here
with Passion and Nimble. It was a great
show for the President's Cup, for the best
three couples, and here again the Halstead
Place came out first with Searcher and
Statesman (brothers), Ranter and Rachel
(brother and sister), and Chorus and Cobnut.
The three couples might have been taken
as the exact type of what Beagles ought to
be.

The show at the Crystal Palace was
thought even better than at Peterborough,
as there were no fewer than nineteen packs
entered. The Halstead Searcher was. as
usual, to the fore, as he took the Crystal

little lemon pied bitch called Primrose,
exhibited by Mr. E. F. Goff, the master of
the Wooddale, this little lady coming out first
in her class. To make the competition all
the stronger at the Crystal Palace the Marquis
of Linlithgow sent down a beautiful lot
from Scotland, and although his lordship
was not overdone with success right through
the show, a little gem of his called Dutchie
fairly " brought down the house."

What must have struck anyone who saw
these Beagle shows of 1906 at Peterborough
and the Crystal Palace, was the obvious
unanimity of breeders in the matter of
type. There were no outsiders, if one may
use the term ; all were as much like Searcher,
Fulmen, Primrose, Dorothy, and Dutchie
as possible, without being quite their equals,
and this speaks volumes for the breed, as

THE BEAGLE.

231

excepting in long existence, in the hands of
private individuals for their own use and
pleasure, they have not been the medium
of public competitions for many years.
The owners, like the masters of Foxhound
kennels, have never been very partial to
the ordinary dog shows, and so the develop-
ment of the up-to-date Beagle, as seen at
these shows, is somewhat new. It is just
as it should be, though, and if more people
take up " beagling " — to coin a term — it
may not be in the least surprising. They
are very beautiful little hounds, can give a
vast amount of amusement, and, for the
matter of that, healthy exercise. If a stout
runner can keep within fairly easy distance
of a pack of these well-bred little Beagles on
the line of a lively Jack hare, he is in the
sort of condition to be generally envied.

Description of the Beagie.

1. Head. — Fair length, powerful without being
coarse; skull domed, moderately wide, with an
indication of peak, stop well defined, muzzle not
snipy, and lips well flewed.

2. Nose. — Black, broad, and nostrils well ex-
panded.

3. Eyes. — Brown, dark hazel or hazel, not deep
set nor bulgy, and with a mild expression.

4. Ears. — Long, set on low, fine in texture, and
hanging in a graceful fold close to the cheek.

5. Neck. — Moderately long, slightly arched,
the throat showing some dewlap.

6. Shoulders. — Clean and slightly sloping.

7. Body. — Short between the couplings, well
let down in chest, ribs fairly well sprung and well
ribbed up. with powerful and not tucked-up
loins.

8. Hindquarters. — Very muscular about the
thighs, stifles and hocks well bent, and hocks
well let down.

9. Forelegs. — Quite straight, well under the dog,
of good substance and round in the bone.

10. Feet. — Round, well knuckled up, and
strongly padded.

11. Stern. — Moderate length, set on high, thick
and carried gaily, but not curled over the back.

12. Colour. — Any recognised hound colour.

13. Coat. — Smooth variety : Smooth, very dense
and not too fine or short. Rough variety : Very
dense and wiry.

14. Height. — Not exceeding 16 inches. Pocket
Beagles must not exceed 10 inches.

15. General Appearance. — A compactly-built
hound, without coarseness, conveying the impres-
sion of great stamina and vivacity.

There was until some few years ago in
Ireland a hound known as the Kerry Beagle,
but it seems now to be practically extinct,
although so recently as 1870 the Scarteen
pack in Tipperary was composed entirely
of this breed. It was described by Richard-
son in 1851 as a fine, tall, dashing hound,
averaging 26 inches in height, with deep
chops, broad pendulous ears, and, when
highly bred, hardly to be distinguished
from an indifferent Bloodhound. The coat
was hard, close and smooth, in colour black
and tan, or blue mottled and tan. Some
were tan and white, or black, tan and
white. They were at one time used for
deer hunting.

Etonians will expect here some reference
to the E.C.H. When we first hear of the
Beagles at Eton they apparently hunted a
drag or an occasional bagged fox ; but the
more legitimate sport of hare hunting has
for many years reigned supreme. There is
always a good pack of about twenty couples
kept in an enclosure known as the Kennels
up in Agar's Plough. A kennelman is paid
to look after them. The puppies are usually
walked by the young sportsmen at their
homes, and a prize is given every winter
half for the best walked Beagle. The
appointment of the Master used to rest
with the Captain of the Boats, but this
custom has fallen into abeyance. He acts
as huntsman and is assisted by three whips.
All four wear brown velveteen coats, and
some seventy boys are allowed to run with
them. There were at one period two packs,
a Colleger and an Oppidan, but they were
amalgamated in 1866, and now any boy
may put his name down to join, his admis-
sion being determined by the Master. The
subscription is thirty shillings, reduced to
fifteen shillings at half-term. The Beagles
run every half-holiday during the Easter
half, and there is usually a good field.
" Beagles " are not always looked upon with
favour by the authorities at Eton, and
attempts have occasionally been made to
stop the sport; but it is well disciplined,
and there is no doubt that it provides an
excellent training for our future Fox-
hunters.

23^

POINTERS AT SCHOOL ON THE MOORS.
Photograph by C. Rcid, Wishaw.

CHAPTER XXIII.
THE POINTER.

BY G. S. LOWE.

"Sportsman, sir?" asked Mr. Jingle, abruptly turning to Mr. Winkle
" A little, sir," replied that gentleman.
" Fine pursuit, sir, fine pursuit. Dogs, sir ? "
" Not just now," said Mr. Winkle.

" Ah ! you should keep dogs — /;';/:' animals — sagacious creatures
Pointer — surprising instinct."

■dog of my own once —
Pickwick Papers.

IT has never been made quite clear in
history why the Spaniards had a dog
that was very remarkable for pointing
nil kinds of game. They have always been
a pleasure-loving people, certainly, but
more inclined to bull-fighting than field-
craft, and yet as early as 1600 they must
have had a better dog for game-finding
than could have been found in any other
part of the world. Singularly enough, too,
the most esteemed breeds in many countries
can be traced from the same source, such
as the Russian Pointer, the German Pointer,
the French double-nosed Griffon, and. far
more important still, the English Pointer.
A view has been taken that the Spanish

double-nosed Pointer was introduced into
England about two hundred years ago,
when fire-arms were beginning to be popular
for fowling purposes. Setters and Spaniels
had been used to find and drive birds into
nets, but as the Spanish Pointer became
known it was apparently considered that
he alone had the capacity to find game for
the gun. This must have been towards the
end of the seventeenth century, and for the
next fifty years at least something very
slow was wanted to meet the necessities of
the old-fashioned flintlock gun, which
occupied many minutes in loading and
getting into position. Improvements came
by degrees, until they set in very rapidly,

THE POINTER.

233

but probably by 1750, when hunting had
progressed a good deal, and pace was
increased in all pastimes, the old-fashioned
Pointer was voted a nuisance through his
extreme caution and tortoise-like move-
ments.

That excitable sportsman, Colonel Thorn-
ton, had evidently become so impressed,
as in early life he had crossed the Spanish
Pointer with Foxhounds, and he had bred
up to a tolerably ad-
vanced breed for many
years before his estab-
lishment at Thornville
Royal was broken up.

There is evidence,
through portraits, that
Pointers had been alto-
gether changed by the
year 1800, but it is
possible that the breed
then had been con-
tinued by selection
rather than by crossing
for a couple of decades,
perhaps, as it is quite
certain that by 1S15
sportsmen were still
dissatisfied with the
want of pace in the
Pointer, and Mr. Edge
of Strelly, the Rev.
Mr. Houlden, a well-
known follower of the Quorn and Atherstone,
Mr. Moore of Appleby, in the Atherstone
country, Sir Tatton Sykes, in his Yorkshire
country, the Earls of Derby and Sefton,
and Sir Richard Sutton were known to have
crossed their Pointers with Foxhounds at
about that time.

It must be remembered that all the above
were staunch Foxhound men, and believed
in little else for stamina, dash, and hunting
aptitude. By 1835 the breeds of all these
noblemen and gentlemen were firmly estab-
lished, and they bred from each other's
kennels. The Strelly, the Appleby, the
Knowsley (Lord Derby's), Lord Sefton's and
Lord Lichfield's were the sources for blood
all through the 'forties and 'fifties, and
nothing could have been more celebrated

3°

than their Pointers. The old Spanish Pointer
had been left behind, and the English dog
of the middle of the last century was a
perfect model for pace, stamina, resolution,
and nerve, if one may call it so. The breed
was exactly adapted to the requirements of
that day, which was not quite as fast as the
present. Men shot with good Joe Mantons,
did their own loading, and walked to their
dogs, working them right and left bv hand

THE SPANISH POINTER.

1 The Sportsn

Cabinet" (1603). By P. Reinagle, R.A.

and whistle. The dogs beat their ground
methodically, their heads at the right level
for body scent, and when they came on game,
down they were ; the dog that had got it
pointing, and the other backing or awaiting
developments. There was nothing more
beautiful than the work of a well-bred and
well-broken brace of Pointers, or more
perfect than the way a man got his shots
from them. There was nothing in the
least slow about them, but on the contrary
they went a great pace, seemed to shoot
into the very currents of air for scent, and
yet there was no impatience about them
such as might have been expected from the
Foxhound cross. The truth of it was that
the capacity to concentrate the whole atten-
tion on the object found was so intense as to

234

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

have lessened every other propensity. The
rush of the Foxhound had been absorbed
by the additional force of the Pointer
character. There has been nothing at all
like it in canine culture, and it came out so
wonderfully after men had been shooting in
the above manner for about forty years.

It was nearing the end of this period that
field trials began to occupy the attention of
breeders and sportsmen, and although Setters

SIR RICHARD GARTH'S DRAKE.

THE FIRST POINTER CHAMPION AT FIELD TRIALS.

FROM A Painting by GEORGE EARL.

had been getting into equal repute for the
beauty of their work, there was something
more brilliant about the Pointers at first.
Brockton's Bounce was a magnificent dog,
a winner on the show bench, and of the
first Field Trial in England. He strained
from the Edge of Strelly's sort, and Lord
Henry Bentinck's, and was probably just
seven-eighths Pointer to one of Foxhound,
within a period of forty-five years. That was
the opinion of the late Mr. Sam Price, and
of Mr. Brockton, who is alive now. Newton's
Ranger was another of the early performers,
and he was very staunch and brilliant, but
it was in the next five years that the most
extraordinary Pointer merit was seen, as
quite incomparable was Sir Richard Garth's
Di.ikr, who was just five generations from

the Spanish Pointer, his line reading as a
son of Don, son of Rap, son of Mars, son
of Pallas — Spanish Pointer. In the female
branches, though, in Don, Rap, and Mars,
there was an inbred preponderance of Lord
Sefton's sorts, and they were thought to
have had a somewhat longer probation from
the Foxhound cross than others. The
Seftons were exceedingly inbred to their
own kennel lines. Drake was rather a tall,
gaunt dog, but with immense
depth of girth, long shoulders,
long haunches, and a benevo-
lent, quiet countenance. There
was nothing very attractive
about him when walking about
at Stafford prior to his trial,
but the moment he was down
he seemed to paralyse his op-
ponent, as he went half as
fast again. It was calculated
that he went fifty miles an
hour, and at this tremendous
pace he would stop as if pe-
trified, and the momentum
would cover him with earth
and dust. Quite a sight it
was to watch him on point.
It was perhaps more of a drop
than a point. He could not
transfix himself at the pace he
went, but he was wonderfully
staunch and true. He did not
seem capable of making a mistake, and his
birds were always at about the same distance
from him, to show thereby his extraordinary
nose and confidence. Nothing in his day
could beat him in a field. He got some
good stock, but they were not generally
show form, the bitches by him being mostly
light and small, and his sons a bit high on
tlie leg. None of them had his pace, but
some were capital performers, such as Sir
Thomas Lennard's Mallard, Mr. George
Pilkington's Tory, Mr. Lloyd Price's Luck
of Edenhall, winner of the Field Trial Derby,
1878 ; Lord Downe's Mars and Bounce, and
Mr. Barclay Field's Riot. When Sir Richard
Garth went to India and sold his kennel
of Pointers at Tattersall's, Mr. Lloyd Price
gave 150 guineas for Drake.

THE POINTER.

235

It is necessary to go a little further back
than Drake to get at the first super-excellence
of the English Pointer as found in the early
part of the last century, and to the honour
of Field Trials it must be mentioned that
all the Pointers of after-note in the field
strained from the dogs that ran in the
inaugural trials of all. This was at Southill
in 1865, when the Pointers were divided into
large and small sizes, the former including
Mr. W. R. Brockton's Bounce and Mr.
W. G. Newton's Ranger, and the latter Mr.
J. H. Whitehouse's Hamlet. In a maximum
of 40 for nose, Bounce and Hamlet were
accredited full marks, Bounce taking the
highest compliment too in pace and range,
and also for temperament. He was, there-
fore, estimated by the judges, the Rev. T.
Pearce and Mr. Walker, of Halifax, to have
been absolutely perfect. Hamlet was the
same, both taking 90 in a hundred, but
Ranger only got 30 for nose, and half marks
for pace. This tallied much with his
character at home, as although a good,
steady, workmanlike dog, he yet was never
quite brilliant, such as Bounce had the
credit of being, and the late Mr. Whitehouse,
a capital sportsman, would always contend
that he never shot over a better than
Hamlet. Bounce was by the Duke of
Newcastle's Bounce, out of Juno ; Hamlet by
Bird's Bob, out of Juno ; Bob by Battock's
Joker, out of the late Joseph Lang's (the
gunmaker of Cockspur Street) Fan, by
Lang's Frank, out of Taylor's Bell, by Lord
Ducie's Duncan, out of Sir Massey Stanley's
Bloom.

It is notable that the pedigrees of the
crack Pointers, so far as they went, always
ended with the distinguished Foxhound
breeders, Lord Ducie being a Master of
Hounds for a good quarter of a century ;
and it was the opinion of Mr. Whitehouse
that the origin of the lemon and white
Pointers — such as Hamlet, who mostly got
his own colour in that hue — was the lemon
pied Foxhound. Mr. Whitehouse held strong
opinions on that point, and often declared
to the writer that if he had been twenty
years old instead of fifty, he should have
tried the cross again, to maintain constitution,

stamina, and bone ; but according to his
calculations it would take thirty years to
get at the results aimed at, and so it was
only practicable as an experiment for a
young life. However, the mid-century
owners and breeders had probably all the
advantages of what a past generation had
done, as there were certainly many wonderful
Pointers in the 'fifties, 'sixties, and 'seventies,
as old men living to-day will freely allow.
They were produced very regularly, too,
in a marvellous type of perfection. Drake
had Newton's Ranger blood in him, as
his dam Doll was by Ranger, and the latter
was by Sir Thomas Whichcote's Ranger.

Another great performer in the early
'seventies was the late Mr. Sam Price's Bang,
got by Coham's Bang, son of Hamlet, out
of Vesta by Brockton's Bounce. Here is an
exact pedigree from the first field trial
performers at Southill, and there was no
Pointer more celebrated both on the bench
and in the field than Price's Ch. Bang as
he was called. He won at the Crystal
Palace more than once, and gained his
championship there. He was first also at
Plymouth, Exeter, and numerous other
shows, and in field trials he won at the
Devon and Cornwall ; and in the same
season at Shrewsbury was second in the
All-Aged Stake to Mr. Beckett's Rector,
and the next day won the Braces with his
son Mike, then a puppy, beating thirteen
other braces of about the best Setters and
Pointers in the kingdom, such as Viscount
Downe's Mark and Drake II., Mr. Purcell
Llewellin's Leda and Laura, the Duke of
Westminster's Noble and Ruth, and Mr.
Barclay Field's Bruce and Rose. This
performance was repeated the next year
over even a better lot, as the great Drake
was in it ; but as his companion was only a
young puppy it was hardly a fair display of
the powers of the old dog, who was then
eight years of age. At any rate, Bang
and Mike would have been accepted as
the best brace of Pointers in the world
at that time. Wonderful, too, they won
the same stake for the third year in succes-
sion. My own remarks on their third
victory were : " Bang and Mike have now

!36

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

won the Braces three years in succession,
and they are unquestionably the best brace
of Pointers in the world. Nothing can
exceed the perfection of their work, and
together they are faultless."

Shortly after this Mr. Price sold Mike to
Doctor Salter for a good figure, and refused
400 sovereigns for Bang.

In Devonshire it was considered a treat
to see Mr. Sam Price and his dog Bang
in a morning on partridges : the ground
worked with mathematical precision ; Bang's
decisive point, his staunchness to wait for

progeny, as, of course, he was patronised
from every part of the world. His son Mike
was, if anything, faster than he was, though
not always as sure, and his daughter Bow
Bells was a little charm. To see her cut in
and out of the wind was delightful, and then
her point was as effective as that of her sire.
Bang Bang, who was unlucky not to have
won the Field Trial Derby for Mr. Fred
Lowe in 1881, was a capital dog, and a
winner of Field Trials in England, Belgium,
and America. He was sold into the latter
country for 140 sovereigns. Young Bang

MR W. SHEARER CLARK'S CH. LUNESDALE GEORGE.

BY LUNESDALE TED DRINDRESS. BRED BY MRS. HORNER.

Photograph by C. Rent, Wishaw.

his master as long as the latter pleased, and
his perfect manners as the outside bird fell
and then the other. Mr. Price was an old-
fashioned shot, and to miss a right and left
was rare. With plenty of game about, and the
wind in Bang's favour, the bag was always
a very big one. Bang had some extraordin-
arily good Pointers amongst his numerous

was a very good single-handed dog, but
jealous with another. As a sire he became
famous, as the Field Trial Derby winners,
Priam and Scamp, were by him out of Teal,
by Lord Downe's Mars, son of Drake, her
dam. Lort's Lill by General Prim, son of
Holford, Bang's dam being by Hamlet, so
doubly bred into the first winners at Southill.

THE POINTER.

237

Priam, an extraordinarily good Pointer, was
the sire of Mr. Salter's Paris and Osborn Ale,
Field Trial Derby winner of 1884 and 1885.
Mr. Salter had an exceptionally good little
bitch also in Romp's Baby by Mike, and
altogether the sons and grandsons of Young

bold dogs, but not bold enough for their
sporting owner. His Macgregor, a liver and
white by Sancho, out of Blanche, by Bob,
son of Hamlet, was a very grand dog, and he
won at the Sleaford trials. Rap, a lemon
and white by Hamlet, out of Lort's Sal,

MR. H. SAWTELL'S BRACE OF SHOW AND WORKING POINTER BITCHES

DRAYTON LADY and CH. CORONATION.

Photograph by Russell ami Sons

Bang were wonderful in keeping up the
traditions of possibly the greatest Pointer
family ever known.

The late Mr. Tom Staffer, of Stand Hill,
brought out some capital Pointers of the
Lord Derby and Sefton strains. He ran
Major in the early field trials, and a very
grand liver and white dog he was, by Old
Major out of Garth's Mite, the grand dam of
Drake ; and so when Mr. Staffer bred Major
to Sappho by Drake he was inbreeding to
a sort, and the result was Dick, a beautiful
dog that he ran in trials, and afterwards
sold to Mr. Barclay Field for £60. The last-
named gentleman also ran him in trials,
and probably few more brilliant Pointers ever
ranged on a moor than Dick. Mr. F. H.
Whitehouse got some capital descendants
of Hamlet, and they were always very

was another good Pointer, and so was
Priam, by Bob, son of Hamlet. Then there
was Mr. Lloyd Price's Belle, the fastest and
most beautiful bitch on game perhaps ever
seen. She was by Lord Henry Bentinck's
Ranger out of his Grouse, and this perhaps
sounds very like a far-off descent from the
Foxhound, as Lord Henry swore by nothing
else, and his great contemporary, Mr. G. S.
Foljambe, freely admitted that he crossed
the so-called Spanish bred Pointers with the
Foxhound to get what he wanted ; and so
did Sir Richard Sutton. They were possibly
seven or eight generations away before Mr.
Foljambe had to give up shooting through
his affliction of blindness, but that is just
what the hunting men left to blossom out
in magnificence by about the earliest field
trials, 1865. There never were better dogs

238

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

on game than about that time or perhaps
for some twenty-five years before, and they
lasted well into the 'eighties. They were
as hard as nails for work, no day was long
enough for them, and although with beautiful
tempers in regard to breaking, they were like
Bulldogs if stirred up at all. Sir Thomas
Lennard once gave a couple of tenants a
day's shooting over Mallard by Drake and

row or avenue of Pointers there is a lack of
boldness of expression in countenance, a
falling off in bone and substance, and
amongst the bitches somewhat the look of
the toy. " What have they been doing with
them ? " was my expression, after looking
at a Kennel Club Show lot for ten minutes.
Of course it is well known that many of the
old breeders have died, and others have

WAITING THE FLIGHT.
Photograph by C. RdJ, Wishan

Young Bang. They worked splendidly, and,
finding lots of birds, the farmers were
delighted with the sport. Bang, though,
had been getting jealous at the other wiping
his eye, as it is called, once or twice, and in a
patch of potatoes went for his opponent, and
the two fought like tigers, Tom Knowlton,
their excellent breaker, having as much as he
could do to separate them. The question is,
though, has the excellence of the mid-
century been maintained down to date ? are
the modern Pointers for the moor or field
equal to Drake, Champion Bang, Macgregor,
Mr. Barclay Field's Dick, Sir Thomas Len-
nard's Priam, or Mr. Lloyd Price's Belle ?
The show benches give a refutation to that
idea. In a Crystal Palace or Birmingham

given up. Mr. Sam Price has been dead
now for some years, and so have Mr. Thomas
Staffer, Mr. Barclay Field, Mr. J. H. White-
house, Mr. Heywood Lonsdale, the Duke of
Westminster, H. Brailsford, and Mr. W.
Lort ; but still there are Mr. Norrish and
Doctor Salter to support the breed, and
the former gentleman had beautiful Pointers.
His Saddle Back charmed me when I had the
honour of awarding him his first prize at
Cruft's Dog Show at the Agricultural Hall
in one of the strongest classes of Pointers
I ever judged. It is a pity, though, that
Mr. Lloyd Price and Mr. George Pilkington
gave up Pointer breeding, for they bred
for their own moors, and no sportsman
had better dogs. Mr. Llcyd Price became

THE POINTER.

239

famous with Belle, Gre-
cian Bend, Romp, Mend,
Dandy Drake, Luck of
Edenhall, Bow-Bells,
Ruler, and Elias ; and Mr.
George Pilkington equally
so with Tory, Garnet,
Faust, by Lord Sef ton's
Sam Fauvel, and Fancy.
Then there was Mr.
Beckett, celebrated for
his good dog Rector, three
times the winner of the
All- Aged stakes at Shrews-
bury ; and Mr. Salter with
quite a world-wide repu-
tation for his Mike Romps, the quickest many more ; but still there should have been
and best of their day. The Americans, no a sufficient supply left to maintain the
doubt, got a good many of the best dogs traditions of the breed.

SOLOMON'S SEAL, with SEALINGWAX backing.

CH. SEABREEZE.

during the 'eighties. They bought Bang
Bang, Croxteth, Sensation, and a great

SEABREEZE.

Mr. William Arkwright, of Sutton Scars-
dale, Derbyshire, has probably the best
kennel in England at the present
time,* and that gentleman has
written some very useful volumes
on Pointer breeding. He ignores
the Foxhound cross, which I
uphold in the strong conviction
that it was resorted to by the
celebrated sportsmen in the early
periods of the last century,
greatly to the benefit of a future
generation. Mr. Arkwright, how-
ever, discovered and revived an
old breed of the North of Eng-
land that was black, and bred

by Mr. W. Arkwright of his own Pointers at work.

240

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

for a great many years by Mr. Pape,
of Carlisle, and his father before him.
With these Mr. Arkwright has bred to the
best working strains that I have alluded to
in previous pages, with the result that he has
had many good field trial winners. For a

anything, and Mr. S. Atkinson's Fullerton,
and Mr. Davie's Ferndale Wagg, were the
sort of dogs to catch the eye of the sports-
man. It was the majority one had to
complain about, and with no entries for
a field trial class, there was certainly a
suggestion that the owners of np-to-date
Pointers do not care much about the ranging
and game-finding properties of their now
favourite breed.

There is a notable departure from this
apparent apathy in regard to field merit,
as the Marquis of Waterford, whose age in
the Peerage is stated to be thirty-two, took
the late Mr. Whitehouse's view nearly ten
years ago, and has bred first-class Pointers
to first-class Foxhounds, and then continued
with the Pointer. His lordship has there-
fore broken the ice in respect to the earlier
generations, and now possesses useful Pointers
of the restored order. In another ten years
he may have the best kennel of Pointers in

CHAMPIONS LUNESDALE SCEPTRE.
LUNESDALE WAGG. and
LUNESDALE GEORGE.

BRED BY LIEUT. F. R. HORNER.

good many years now Elias Bishop, of
Newton Abbot, has kept up the old breeds
of Devon Pointers, the Ch. Bangs, the Mikes,
and the Brackenburg Romps, and his have
been amongst the best at the shows and
the field trials during the past few years.
In 1905 he showed a good workmanlike-
looking dog called Denbury Ranger at the
Crystal Palace, and he was rightly awarded
first in more than one class, and at the same
time Bishop had the winner of the Field
Trial class in Fiscal Policy, by Don Pedro.
There are, of course, exceptions to the rule
that many of the modern Pointers do not
carry about them the air of their true business,
as at the last Kennel Club Show there were
three good-looking ones in the Maiden class
in Mr. Charles Drury's Haisthorpe Shot,
Mr. A. J. Mildon's Ruby, and Mr. D. C.
Davie's Ferndale Halburton, and Radium,
that might have been good enough for

mr. w. proctors MELKSHAM FIRST CHOICE

BY CH. LUNESDALE WAGG CH. CORONATION.

.;'; by F. 0. Hignett xnd Sen, I

the world. There may be many more bred
with care from existing strains, as so many
people had Pointers five and twenty years
ago to have made it easy to breed from fresh
blood as required ; but it would appear that

THE POINTER.

241

fewer people keep them now than was the
case a quarter of a century ago, owing to the
advance of quick-shooting, otherwise driving,
and the consequent falling away of the old-
fashioned methods, both for the stubble and
the moor. However, there are many still
who enjoy the work of dogs, and it would
be a sin indeed in the calendar of British
sports if the fine old breed of Pointer were
allowed even to deteriorate. The apparent
danger is that the personal or individual ele-
ment is dying out. In
the 'seventies the names
of Drake, Ch. Bang, or
Garnet were like household
words. People talked of
the great Pointers. They
were spoken of in club
chat or gossip ; written
about ; and the prospects
of the moors were much
associated with the up-to-
date characters of the
Pointers and Setters.
There is very little of
this sort of talk now-a-
days. Guns are more
critically spoken of, and
the closest patterns and
newest inventions are at
any rate more familiar topics. There is, how-
ever, a wide enough world to supply with
first-class Pointers. In England's numerous
colonies it may be much more fitting to shoot
over dogs. It has been tried in South Africa
with marvellous results. Descendants of
Ch. Bang have delighted the lone colonist
on Cape partridge and quails, and Pointers
suit the climate, whereas Setters do not.
The Americans have shown on the other side
of the Atlantic that dogs are indispensable
as the associates of sport. They saw, or
probably read about, the doings of the Setters
and Pointers of the 'sixties and 'seventies,
and they promptly provided themselves with
the best of the stocks. They boast at
present that they have far better examples
of both breeds than can be found in England
— and perhaps that is a correct view.
In the British dominions, however, there
should be plenty of room for the Pointer

and Setter for instance, and settlers can
hardly do better than to take out to
Canada some of the best bred Pointers
from England, not forgetting the strains
mentioned in these pages — the Drakes,
the Hamlets, Price's Ch. Bang, the Mike
Romps, that gave Mr. Salter's kennel
almost world-wide repute, the Seftons, the
Derbys, and Sir Thomas Lennards. The
blood of all can be found— of course diluted,
and perhaps in some instances too much

MR. W. ARKWRIGHT'S BLACK BITCH
BY LORNE FIRST FIDDLE 95.

LEADER

inbred — but there again comes in the science
of breeding and the means of improve-
ment. The Pointer is a noble breed to take
up, as those still in middle life have seen
their extraordinary merit whenever bred
in the right way. There are two breeds that
should, as the saying goes, stay for ever, the
Foxhound and the Pointer. No day's sport
should be too long for either. When a couple
of hours or half a day's work is enough
to steady a Pointer to a trot there is some-
thing decidedly wrong in the pedigree. It
may be the Foxhound that originally gave
the endurance, but surely enough it ought to
be there. Then the pace, the style, the in-
telligence, the intense fondness for sport,
and the working as if by very nature to the
gun, must all be thought of. The late Charles
Littleworth, huntsman to Lord Ports-
mouth's hounds, used to watch Ch. Bang for
half an hour when he saw him at an Exeter

242

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

or Barnstaple show, and say " if any Fox-
hound is made exactly like him in shoulders,
bent ribs, legs, and feet, and quarters, he is
as near perfection as possible." That has
been one reason why I have always judged
Pointers on Foxhound lines. I know there
are certain differences, but the essential
points are very much alike, and taking them
carefully I should give them as follows : —

i. Head. — Should be wide from ear to ear,
long and slanting from the top of the skull to the
setting on of the nose ; cheek bones prominent ;
ears set low and thin in texture, soft and velvety ;
nose broad at the base ; mouth large and jaws
level.

2. Neck. — The neck should be very strong,
but long and slightly arched, meeting shoulders
well knit into the back, which should be straight
and joining a wide loin. There should be great
depth of heart room, very deep brisket, narrow
chest rather than otherwise, shoulders long and
slanting.

3. Legs and Feet. — Should be as nearly like the
Foxhound's as possible. There should be really
no difference, as they must be straight, the knees
big, and the bone should be of goodly size down
to the toes, and the feet should be very round and
cat-shaped.

4. Hind Quarters. — A great feature in the
Pointer is his hind quarters. He cannot well be
too long in the haunch or strong in the stifle, which
should be well bent, and the muscles in the second
thigh of a good Pointer are always remarkable.
The hocks may be straighter than even in a Fox-
hound, as, in pulling up sharp on his point, he

in a great measure throws his weight on them ;
the shank bones below the hock should be short.

5. Colour. — There have been good ones of all
colours. The Derby colours were always liver
and whites for their Pointers and black breasted
reds for their game-cocks. The Seftons were liver
and whites also, and so were the Edges of Strelly,
but mostly heavily ticked. Erockton's Bounce
was so, and so were Ch. Eang, Mike, and Ycung
Bang. Drake was more of the Derby colour ;
dark liver and white. Mr. V\ hitehcuse's were
mostly lemon and whites, after Hamlet of that
colour, and notable ones of the same hue were
Squire, Bang Bang, and Mr. Whitehouse's Pax and
Priam, all winners of field trials. There have
been several very good black and whites. Mr.
Francis's, afterwards Mr. Salter's, Chang was a
field trial winner of this colour. A still better
one was Mr. S. Becket's Rector, a somewhat
mean little dog to look at, but quite extraordinary
in his work, as he won the Pointer Puppy Stake
at Shrewsbury and the All-Aged Stake three
years in succession. Mr. Salter's Romp family
were quite remarkable in colour — a white ground,
heavily shot with black in patches and in ticks.
There have never been any better Pointers than
these. There have been, and are, good black
Pointers also.

6. Height and Size. — A big Pointer dog stands
from 24^ inches to 25 inches at the shoulder.
Old Ch. Bang and Young Bang were of the
former height, and the great bitch, Mr. Lloyd
Price's Belle, was 24 inches. For big Pointers
60 pounds is about the weight for dogs and 56
pounds bitches ; smaller size, 54 pounds dogs
and 48 pounds bitches. There have been some
very good ones still smaller.

MR. w. arkwrights CH. SANDBANK.

^43

IN THE LONG GRASS.
Photograph by C. Reid, Wishau

CHAPTER XXIV.
THE SETTERS.

V F. C. HIGNETT.

As in successive Toil the Seasons roll.
So various Pleasures recreate the Soul
The setting Dog, instructed to betray,
Rewards the Fowler with the Feather'd Prey.
Soon as the lab'ring Horse with swelling

Veins,
Hath safely hous'd the Farmer's doubtful Gains,
To sweet Repast th' unwary Partridge flies,
At Ease amidst the scatter' d Harvest lies,
Wand'ring in Plenty, Danger he forgets,
Nor dreads the Slav'ry of entangling Nets.

i. The English Setter. — In some form or
other Setters are to be found wherever
guns are in frequent use and irrespective
of the precise class of work they have to
perform ; but it is generally conceded that
their proper sphere is either on the moors,
when the red grouse are in quest, or on
the stubbles and amongst the root crops,
when September comes in, and the part-
ridge season commences.

Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, is sup-
posed to have been the first person to train
setting dogs in the manner which has been
commonly adopted by his successors. His

The subtle Dog now with sagacious Nose
Scowrcs through the Field, and snuffs each

Breeze that blows,
Against the Wind he takes his prudent way,
While the strong Gale directs him to the Prey
Now the warm Scent assures the Covey near.
He treads with Caution, and he points with Fear
Then least some Sentry Fowl his Fraud descry,
And bid his Fellows from the Danger fly,
Close to the Ground in Expectation lies,
Till in the snare the fluttering Covey rise.
" Rural Sports," by John Gay, 1713.

lordship lived in the middle of the sixteenth
century, and was therefore a contemporary
of Dr. Caius, who may possibly have been
indebted to the Earl for information when,
in his work on " English Dogges," he wrote
of the Setter under the name of the Index :
" Another sort of Dogges be there, ser-
viceable for fowling, making no noise either
with foote or with tounge, whiles they
follow the game. These attend diligently
upon their Master and frame their conditions
to such beckes, motions, and gestures, as it
shall please him to exhibite and make, either
going forward, drawing backe ward, inclining

244

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

to the right hand, or yealding toward the
left (in making mencion of fowles my mean-
ing is of the Partridge and the Quaile),
when he hath founde the byrde, he keepeth
sure and fast silence, he stayeth his steppes
and wil proceede no further, and with a close
couert watching eye, layeth his belly to
the grounde and so creepeth forward like
a worme. When he approacheth neere

CH. MALLWYD SARAH

BY RUMNEY RACKET PRINCESS EVELYN.

BRED BY MR. T. STEADMAN

to the place where the birde is, he lays him
downe, and with a marcke of his pawes,
betrayeth the place of the byrdes last abode,
whereby it is supposed that this kinde of
dogge is called Index, Setter, being in deede
a name most consonant and agreeable to his
quality-"

This extract, although not throwing much
light upon the appearance of the Setter in
the reign of Queen Elizabeth, nevertheless
is a proof of the existence of this separate
breed and of the uses to which it was
trained, and the fact that Dr. Caius, in his
classification, placed it with the Spaniel
is evidence of its relationship with the latter
breed at the period in which the learned
Doctor wrote.

Though Setters are divided into three
distinct varieties, there can be no doubt
that all have a common origin, though
it is scarcely probable, in view of their dis-

similarity, that the same individual ancestors
can be supposed to be their original pro-
genitors. Nearly all authorities agree that
the Spaniel family is accountable on one
side, and this contention is borne out to a
considerable extent by old illustrations and
paintings of Setters at work, in which they
are invariably depicted as being very much
like the old liver and white Spaniel, though
of different colours.
Doubt exists as to
the other side of their
heredity, but it does not
necessarily follow that all
those who first bred them
used the same means.
Of the theories put for-
ward, that which carries
the most presumptive
evidence must go to the
credit of the old Spanish
Pointer. Where else could
they inherit that wonder-
ful scenting power, that
style in which they draw
up to their game, their
statuesque attitude when
on point, and, above all,
the staunchness and pa-
tience by which they hold
their game spellbound until the shooter has
time to walk leisurely up, even from a
considerable distance ?

But, apart from the question of their
origin, the different varieties have many
other attributes in common ; all perform
the same kind of work, and in the same
manner ; consequently the system of break-
ing or training them varies only accord-
ing to the temper or ideas of those who
undertake their schooling.

Few dogs which grace the show benches
are more admired than English Setters, and
those who are looked upon as professional
exhibitors have not been slow to recognise
the fact that when a really good young dog
makes its appearance it is a formidable rival
amongst all other breeds when the special
prizes come to be allotted. For this reason
a recognised winner will always command
a remunerative price for the breeder, and

THE SETTER.

245

since it is, unhappily, immaterial from an
exhibition point of view whether they have
been trained or not, it is surprising that
many more have not been produced.

If there be any truth in the old saying
that variety is charming, the attribute must
pertain to this particular breed, for they are
of almost every conceivable colour, from pure
white, which is exceptional, to all black.
Probably what are known as the blue-ticked
variety are the favourite colour, though
they have very little advantage over the
lemon and orange coloured. Some hold
that there is a consanguinity between the
English Setter and the English Pointer, and
it has been proved beyond doubt that
several really good prize-winning Pointers
have been produced from the alliance of a
Pointer dog and a
Setter bitch.

It will be within
the memory of many
admirers of this breed
that up to about
twenty years ago it
was the custom to
designate what are
now known as English
Setters by several
distinct appellations,
among the more im-
portant being the
Blue Beltons and
Laveracks, and this
regardless of any con-
sideration as to
whether or not the
dogs were in any way
connected by rela-
tionship to the stock
which had earned
fame for either of
these time-honoured

names. It was the great increase in the
number of shows and some confusion
on the part of exhibitors that made it
necessary for the Kennel Club to classify
under one heading these and others which
had attained some amount of notability by
individual or local influence, from which time
the old terms have gradually been dropped.

There are certainly two schools who
officiate as judges at important shows, and
their decisions are arrived at from stand-
points which make them at least perplexing
to those who are not intimately connected
with both shooting and exhibition life.
Those who care nothing about a dog's
capabilities as a workman, so long as he
answers their own ideal as regards anatomy
and coat and, particularly, possesses what
is known as a " classical " head, are prone
to smile at the awards made by some of the
old shooting sportsmen who will insist on
giving preference to exhibits which possess
the very best body and limbs, making the
head something of a secondary considera-
tion. Of course, both sides advance strong
arguments in support of their creed, but it

MR. FRANK GOODFELLOWS CH. MALLWYD

BY MALLWYD SAILOR EINION LUCY.

BRED BY MR. T. STEADMAN.

Photo,

aph ;...

Ht'iiat

id So

Lotfock.

does not follow that either makes out a con-
clusive case. Better would it be if, as before
stated, a common vantage-ground were de-
cided on, and it became generally acknow-
ledged that there is nothing to stop the highest
class show dogs from being gradually brought
to the same state of perfection in the field
as its more plebeian relation has attained.

H6

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

It can scarcely be claimed that any single
individual specimen of the present day is
better than the best of former days ; in fact,
it is very questionable if we have anything
quite so good as Mr. Rawdon B. Lee's
Ch. Richmond, who was in his prime about
a dozen years ago and was practically un-
beatable. Like many others, he was one of
those celebrities which were bred by Mr.
Hartley, of Kendal, who. with Mr. J.
Poole, Mr. Cockerton, and Mr. Armstrong,
very ably made and maintained the reputa-
tion of the northern
shires as the principal
breeding-ground, par-
ticularly for exhibi-
tion type. Somewhat
younger, Mr. T.
Steadman has been
even more successful.
He has become world
famous for the beau-
tiful heads which
characterise his
strain, a result which
has been brought
about by many years'
experience, and no
sparing of time, trou-
ble, or expense to
select and breed only
from such stock as
possessed this great

desideratum ; the result being that of late
years no one has bred so many notable
winners, and in 1906 his Ch. Mallwyd
Sarah was acknowledged to be the most
perfect specimen before the public. Mr.
Geo. Raper, though not a professed breeder,
has owned many excellent Setters, of which
Ch. Barton Tory was probably the best.
This dog had a chequered career in his
early days, being bought cheaply at the
dispersal of Sir H. F. de Trafford's famous
collection of sporting dogs by Mr. Shirley,
then chairman of the Kennel Club. Like
other cracks, Tory was not at his best
till he was about three years old, but he
improved so much during the time he
was in Mr. Shirley's possession that Mr.
Raper claimed him at his catalogue price

MR. A. R. MULDER'S M
BY MR. T. STEADMANS
MALLWYD REBECCA.

of £100 when he made his appearance at
a big show in the south. Mr. H. Gunn has
also bred a few makers of history, among
which the most noteworthy was Mr. T.
E. Hopkin's Ch. Rumney Rock, who was
purchased at a very high price by another
well-known judge, Mr. C. Houlker, for whom
he won many specials at northern shows as
being the best of all breeds. Of late years
Mr. R. R. P. Wearing has instituted a large
breeding establishment at Kirkby Lonsdale,
and has turned out some fine specimens.
Other prominent pre-
sent-day exhibitors
are Mr. E. Cockill,
of Gomersal, near
Leeds; Mr. H. E.
Gray, of Merthyr
Vale ; and Mr. R. T.
Baines, of Barton
Kennels, near Man-
chester.

The English Setter
Club, of which Mr.
George Potter, of
Quarry Lodge, Heads
Nook, Carlisle, is the
honorary secretary,

has done much since
ALLWYD FAN ■ tQ

its institution in ihqo

MALLWYD BRAGG , , ■

to encourage this
breed of dog, and
has proved the use-
fulness of the club by providing two very
valuable trophies, the Exhibitors' Challenge
Cup, and the Field Trial Challenge Cup, for
competition amongst its members, besides
having liberally supported all the leading
shows ; hence it has rightly come to be
regarded as the only authority from which
an acceptable and official dictum for the
guidance of others can emanate.

The following is the standard of points
issued by the English Setter Club :

Head. — The head should be long and lean,
with well-defined stop. The skull oval from ear
to ear, showing plenty of brain room, and with a
well-defined occipital protuberance. The muzzle
moderately deep and fairly square ; from the stop
to the point of the nose should be long, the nostrils
wide, and the jaws of nearly equal length ; flews

THE SETTER.

247

not too pendulous. The colour of
the nose should be black, or dark,
or light liver, according to the
colour of the coat. The eyes
should be bright, mild, and intelli-
gent, and of a dark hazel colour,
the darker the better. The ears

of moderate length, set on low and hanging in neat
folds close to the cheek ; the tip should be velvety,
the upper part clothed with fine silky hair.

Neck.— The neck should be rather long, muscular,
and lean, slightly arched at the crest, and clean cut
where it joins the head ; towards the shoulder it
should be larger, and very muscular, not throaty with
any pendulosity below the throat, but elegant and
bloodlike in appearance.

Body. — The body should be
of moderate length, with shoul-
ders well set back or oblique ;
back short and level ; loins wide,
slightly arched, strong and mus-
cular. Chest deep in the bris-
ket, with good round widely-
sprung ribs, deep in the back
ribs — that is, well ribbed up.

Legs and Feet. — The stifles
should be well bent and ragged,
thighs long from, hip to hock.
The forearm big and very mus-
cular, the elbow well let down.
Pasterns short, muscu-
lar, and straight. The
feet very close and
compact, and well pro-
tected by hair between
the toes.

Tail. — The tail should
be set on almost in a

line with the back ; medium
length, not curly or ropy, to
be slightly curved or scimitar-
shaped, but with no tendency
to turn upwards ; the flag or
feather hanging in long, pen-
dant flakes ; the feather
should not commence at the
root, but slightly below, and
increase in length to the mid-
dle, then gradually taper off
towards the end ; and the
hair long, bright, soft and
silky, wavy but not curly.

Coat and Feathering. — The

coat from the back of the

head in a line with the

ears ought to be slightly

wavy, long, and silky

which should be the case

with the coat generally :

the breeches and fore-legs,

nearly down to the feet,

should be well

feathered .

Colour and
Markings. —

>48

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

The colour may be either black and white, lemon
and white, liver and white, or tricolour — that is,
black, white, and tan ; those without heavy
patches of colour on the body, but necked all
over preferred.

II. The Irish Setter. — Though this variety-
has not attained such popularity as its
English cousin, it is not because it is re-
garded as being less pleasing to the eye,
for in general appearance of style and
outline there is very little difference ; in

MRS. F. C. HIGNETTS

CH. BRYAN O'LYNN.

Photogyaph by F. C. Hignett and Son, Lostock.

fact, none, if the chiselling of the head
and colour of the coat be excepted.
The beautiful rich golden, chestnut colour
which predominates in all well-bred speci-
mens is in itself sufficient to account
for the great favour in which they are
regarded by exhibitors generally, while
their disposition is sufficiently engaging
to attract the attention of those who desire
to have a moderate-sized dog as a com-
panion, rather than either a very large
or very small one. Probably this accounts
for so many lady exhibitors in England
preferring them to the other varieties of
Setters. We have to go over to its native
country, however, to find the breed most
highly esteemed as a sporting dog for actual
work, and there it is naturally first favourite ;
in fact, very few of either of the other

varieties are to be met with from one end
of the Green Isle to the other. It has
been suggested that all Irish Setters are
too headstrong to make really high-class
field trial dogs. Some of them, on the
contrary, are quite as great in speed and
not only as clever at their business, but
quite as keen-nosed as other Setters. Take,
for instance, some which have competed
within the past few years at the Irish Red
Setter Club's trials, which have had as rivals
some of the best Pointers
from England and Scotland,
and have successfully held
their own, the last occasion
being when these trials took
place at the commencement
of August in 1906 on the
mountains near Stranorlar,
County Donegal, when Mr.
Mclvor's Strabane Pain ran
second in the all-aged stake
for both Pointers and Set-
ters of all varieties. The
work of Mr. E. Ussher
Robert's Dame Fan, Mr.
J. S. Weir's brace Grays-
town Lark and his sire,
Roam, Mr. W. Wilson's
Strabane Young Pam, and
Eary Nellie, and Colonel
Milner's Antrim Molly, was
also of great merit, considering the few
opportunities afforded them in the length
of the season of gaining the experience of
trial work. But, as an instance of the
uncertainty which prevails in all such un-
dertakings, it must be mentioned that Mr.
S. Humphrey's Wilful Irish Lassie, who
was unplaced in the puppy stake, defeated
all those named, when the all-aged stake
confined to this variety was reached.

Some of the most notable owners and
judges of show Setters of long standing in
Ireland are : Colonel Milner, Messrs. T. A.
Bond, A. McEnnery. J. Mclvor, J. H. H.
Swiney, and P. Flahive ; but very few
better specimens have been exhibited of
recent years than the late Mrs. R. Hamil-
ton's Ch. Florizel, Mr. Flahive's Ch. Kerry
Palmerston, Mr. R. Perrin's Peaceful Times,

THE SETTER.

249

and the late Mrs. F. C. Hignett's Ch. Brian
O'Lynn ; but amongst English owners none
have achieved such distinction as the late
Rev. Mr. O'Callaghan, who had a large stud,
and practically swept the decks at all the
leading shows for many years. Sir H. F. de

MRS. M. INGLE BEPLER'S CH. CARRIG MAID.

A HEAD OF PERFECT TYPE.

Trafford also went in strongly for them, and
owned many good specimens, Punchestown
being of the greatest repute, as he was both
a field trial and show winner. Mrs. Ingle
Bepler and Miss N. Whittome have also been
consistent supporters of the variety, the
latter being one of the very few who essay
to compete with this breed at the English
Trials. Probably the most notable of the
English judges is Mr. H. M. Wilson, M.F.H.,
who was a prominent exhibitor in the
'eighties, and Mr. A. E. Daintree has also
achieved a fair amount of success.

The Secretary of the Irish Setter Club is
Mr. S. Brown, 27, Eustace Street, Dublin,
and the standard of points as laid down by
that authority is as follows :

Head. — The head should be long and lean. The
skull oval (from ear to ear), having plenty of brain
room, and with well-defined occipital protuberance.
Brows raised, showing stop. The muzzle mode-
rately deep and fairly square at the end. From
the stop to the point of the nose should be fairly
long, the nostrils wide, and the jaws of nearly
equal length ; flews not to be pendulous. The
colour of the nose dark mahogany or dark walnut,
and that of the eyes (which ought not to be too
large) rich hazel or brown. The ears to be of

moderate size, fine in texture, set on low, well
back, and hanging in a neat fold close to the head.

Neck. — The neck should be moderately long,
very muscular, but not too thick ; slightly arched,
free from all tendency to throatiness.

Body. — The body should be long. Shoulders
fine at the points, deep and sloping well back.
The chest as deep as possible, rather narrow in
front. The ribs well sprung, leaving plenty
of lung room. Loins muscular and slightly
arched. The hind quarters wide and powerful.

Legs and Feet. — The hind legs from hip to hock
should be long and muscular ; from hock to heel
short and strong. The stifle and hock joints well
bent, and not inclined either in or out. The fore-
legs should be straight and sinewy, having plenty
of bone, with elbows free, well let down, and, like
the hocks, not inclined either in or out. The
feet small, very firm ; toes strong, close together,
and arched.

Tail. — The tail should be of moderate length, set
on rather low, strong at root, and tapering to a
fine point, to be carried as nearly as possible on
a level or below the back.

Coat. — On the head, front of legs, and tips of
ears the coat should be short and fine ; but on
all other parts of the body and legs it ought to be
of moderate length, flat, and as free as possible
from curl or wave.

MRS. M. INGLE BEPLER'S CH. CLANCARTY RHU
BY ARENTSBURG DUKE NETHERBURY CARRIE.

Feathering. — The feather on the upper portion of
the ears should be long and silky ; on the back
of fore and hind legs long and fine ; a fair amount
of hair on the belly, forming a nice fringe, which
may extend on chest and throat. Feet to be well
feathered between the toes. Tail to have a nice
fringe of moderately long hair, decreasing in
length as it approaches the point. All feathering
to be as straight and as flat as possible.

25°

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

Colour and Markings. — The colour should be a
rich golden chestnut, with no trace whatever of
black ; white on chest, throat, or toes, or a small
star on the forehead, or a narrow streak or blaze
on the nose or face not to disqualify.

III. The Black and Tan Setter.— Origin-
ally this variety was known as the Gordon

MRS. F. C. HIGNETTS CH. DUKE

BY BARTON HAROLD HILDA.

Photograph by F. C, Hignett ami Son, Loslock.

OF EDGWORTH

Setter, but this cognomen was only partly
correct, inasmuch as the particular dogs
first favoured by the Duke of Gordon,
from whom they took the name, were black,
tan, and white, heavily built, and somewhat
clumsy in appearance. But the introduction
of the Irish blood had the effect of making
a racier-looking dog more fashionable. In
order to be on the safe side, some of the
leading shows made their classification to
read " Gordon or Black and Tan Setters."
so as to meet the assertion of a few of the
older judges that if only the old designation
of " Gordon " were used they should feel
constrained to take notice of such com-
petitors as were black, tan and white in
colour. But, as a matter of fact, the time
had arrived when the presence of white
on the chest was looked upon with great
disfavour by the generality of exhibitors as
well as judges. Now, however, the Kennel
Club has settled the matter by abolishing
the term " Gordon " altogether.

Very few of this variety have appeared
at field trials for several years past, but that
cannot be considered a valid reason for
stigmatising them as " old men's dogs," as
some narrow-minded faddists delight in
calling them. On the few occasions when
the opportunity has been presented they
have acquitted them-
selves at least as well
as, and on some occa-
sions better than, their
rivals of other varie-
ties, proving to be as
fast, as staunch, and
as obedient as any of
them. A notable ex-
ample of this occurred
during the season of
1902 and 1903, when
Mr. Isaac Sharpe's
Stylish Ranger was so
remarkably successful
at the trials.

It is very difficult
to account for the lack
of interest which is
taken in the variety
outside Scotland, but
the fact remains that only about four
owners are troubling the officials of shows
regularly at the present time. This state
of affairs was noticeable a dozen years
ago, but not to the same extent as it is
to-day, for at that period Mr. R. Chap-
man, of Glenboig, was almost monopolising
the whole of the prize-money at every show
and in all the classes. Few exhibitors
cared to enter the lists against him, and
the ordeal of winning prizes became all
the easier to him. The opening, however,
was too good to escape attention alto-
gether, .xi it was not surprising to find that
one or two breeders in different parts of
the country set quietly to work to produce
something good enough to win with.
Among others the present writer was at-
tracted to the breed, and, out of the first
litter which he bred, was rewarded by the
production of the famous Ch. Duke of Edg-
worth, who, before his exportation to the
United States, had an exceedingly long

THE SETTER.

251

and brilliant career at the shows, which
extended over eight years, and resulted
in the gathering together of about 400 first
prizes and specials, many of which were
won in competitions with the champions
of other breeds which went the rounds of
the shows. It was generally conceded
that he was one of the best specimens of
a Setter of any variety which had ever
been placed in a ring. Mr. Chapman had
a faithful henchman in Mr. David Baillie,
who in his early days was in attendance
at the big shows, with such noted compe-
titors as Ch. Heather Grouse, Ch. Heather
Nap, and many more of the Heather family.
To-day he is the leading exhibitor of the
variety, and by making good use of his
earlier training has within the last five years
so successfully emulated the deeds of his
former chief that his dogs very easily stand
pre-eminent whenever they are exhibited.

For about five years, ending unfortu-
nately in 1904, Sir
George Bullough created
a livelier aspect of affairs
bv bringing out a team
which he exhibited fear-
lessly and with good
effect under the manage-
ment of a faithful old
servant, Mr. John Ash-
worth. Of this owner's
dogs Ch. Redruth Colonel
was far and away the
best, and to him much
of the improvement
which was noticeable in
the Isle of Rum team
was directly to be traced.
Sir George still holds to
his faith in the variety
for their working capa-
bilities and endurance of
hard weather, but the loss
of such a stalwart supporter has had a very
regrettable effect on the prospects of resusci-
tating the popularity of the breed so far as
the shows are concerned. It seems almost
incredible that with the long rows of benches
occupied by excellent specimens which
appeared at the Manchester Show in 1900

the number at the present time should
have again dwindled down to three or four
in a class, even when challenge prizes are
offered. Surely some enterprising indi-
vidual will be forthcoming when this excep-
tionally good opportunity to take up a
variety, with every prospect of immediate
and very satisfactory results — financial and
otherwise — has been drawn attention to,
for there can be no doubt that, with very
little effort, the popularity of the Gordon
Setter could be resuscitated.

The want of an active organisation which
would foster and encourage the interests of
the Black and Tan Setter is much to be
deplored, and is, without doubt, the chief
cause of its being so much neglected by
show committees, for in these strenuous
days, when almost every breed or variety of
breed is backed up by its own votaries, it
cannot be expected that such as are not
constantly kept in prominence will re-

MR. ISAAC SHARPE'S

BY STYLISH RANGER

STYLISH BILLIE

STYLISH BESS.

ceive anything more than scant considera-
tion.

The Black and Tan Setter is heavier than
the English or Irish varieties, but shows
more of the hound and less of the Spaniel.
The head is stronger than that of the English
Setter, with a deeper and broader muzzle

^52

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

and heavier lips. The ears are also some-
what longer, and the eyes frequently show
the haw. The black should be as jet, and
entirely free from white. The tan on the
cheeks and over the eyes, on the feet and
pasterns, should be bright and clearly
defined, and the feathering on the forelegs
and thighs should also be a rich dark
mahoganv tan.

IV. Other Types.— The old Welsh, or
Llanidloes, Setter is now practically extinct.
It was as curly in the coat as a Cotswold
sheep. The colour was usually white, with
occasionally a lemon-tinted patch or two
about the head and ears. The head was
longer in proportion to its size and less
refined than that of the English variety.
The stern was curly and clubbed, without
feather. Formerly there existed a jet black
Welsh Setter, an excellent worker, now as
extinct as the dodo.

Formerly, also, there was a liver and
white type much favoured in the North of
England, and particularly in the Carlisle
district — -the "pure old Edward Castle
breed."

At Beaudesert, the residence of the
Marquis of Anglesey, there was treasured a
strain known as the Anglesey Setter, a light,
active, very narrow breed of dog, with
sparse chest capacity, though deep in ribs.
These dogs were somewhat leggy, and had
the habit of standing with their forelegs
and feet close together. They were constitu-
tionally delicate, but as long as they were
cultivated they showed great pace in the field.
In colour they were mostly black, white, and
tan, and, though not so smooth and flat in
coat as the modern Setter, they were yet not
so curly as the Welsh breed above referred to.

In the years between 1870 and 1880 the
Laverack and Llewellin strains were highly
popular in England. The first were bred by
Mr. Edward Laverack, of Whitchurch, in
Shropshire. They were ticked with black,
blue, or lemon. It was in 1874 that Mr.
Laverack began to export his dogs to the
United States. " I have a demand from
America for more than I can sell," he
wrote in a letter to his friend Rothwell,
" but they are the best, and I guarantee all I

send bred by me." So many did he send,
indeed, that it seems that at one juncture
he was reduced to the possession of " only
one old brood bitch," which he feared was
" too old to breed." He therefore intro-
duced stock from other kennels. Formerly
he had despised the Cumberland liver and
whites, but now he called them " the pure
old Edward Castle breed," and professed
that they were as good as the blues, which
he infused with their alien blood. Mr.
Llewellin's Setters, of a slightly different
type, were also largely drawn upon by
American owners and breeders.

At the present time in Great Britain we
seldom hear the names referred to in con-
nection with our Setters, but in the United
States what are now known as the American
Laveracks and Llewellins occupy a promi-
nent place at shows and field trials, and it
may be added that for these purposes, as
well as for work with the gun, the American
varieties are by competent judges regarded
as being capable of holding their own with
the best of our British Setters.

Amongst the oldest and most successful
owners of Setters who have consistently
competed at field trials may be mentioned
Colonel Cotes, whose Prince Frederick was
probably the most wonderful backer ever
known. Messrs. Purcell-Llewellyn, W. Ark-
wright, Elias and James Bishop, F. C. Lowe,
J. Shorthose, G. Potter and S. Smale, who
may be considered the oldest Setter judges,
and who have owned dogs whose prowess in
the field has brought them high reputation.
Mr. B. J. Warwick has within recent years
owned probably more winners at field trials
than any other owner, one of his best being
Compton Bounce. Captain Heywood Lons-
dale has on several occasions proved the
Ightfield strain to be staunch and true, as
witness the doughty deeds of Duke of that
ilk, and the splendid success he achieved
at the grouse trials in Scotland, July, 1906,
with his Ightfield Rob Roy, Mack, and Dot,
the first-named winning the all-aged stake,
and the others being first and third in the
puppy stake. Mr. Herbert Mitchell has
been another good patron of the trials, and
has won many important stakes, his latest

THE SETTER.

253

achievements being with the fine English
Setter, Lingneld Beryl, who won both the
all-aged stake at the Kennel Club and that
at the English Setter Club's meetings in the
spring of 1906. Mr. A. T. Williams has also
owned a few noted trial winners, and from
Scotland comes Mr. Isaac Sharpe, whose
Gordon Setter, Stylish Ranger, effectually
put a stop to the silly argument that all this
breed are old men's dogs, by winning a big
stake or two three years ago.

Many of the older field-trial men hold
tenaciously to the opinion that the modern
exhibition Setter is useless for high-class
work, and contend that if field-trial winners
are to be produced they must be bred from
noted working strains. As a fundamental
principle this argument will not hold water,
for the contrary has been proved many times.
Doubtless this prejudice against show dogs
has been engendered by the circumstance
that many owners of celebrated bench win-
ners care nothing about their dogs being
trained, in some cases generation after
generation having been bred simply for
show purposes. Under such conditions it
is not to be wondered at that the capacity
for fine scenting properties and the natural
aptitude for quickly picking up a knowledge

of their proper duties in the field — which in
the case of the progeny of such dogs as have
been constantly worked for generations pre-
viously becomes an hereditary attribute
— is impaired to such an extent as almost to
warrant the assumption. But why should
this state of things exist at all ? The
writer has always contended that there is no
earthly reason why a good show dog should
not also be a good worker.

The probabilities are that sooner or later
means will be found to do away with the
anomaly, and that the system which now
provides classes at championship shows,
in which only dogs that have obtained
a certificate of merit at the trials are
eligible to compete, will be very much
enlarged upon, possibly to the exclusion of
all Setters which have not been broken.
This would not be a very difficult matter
to arrange, as certificates, on an author-
ised form, might as easily be made by
breakers and required from exhibitors
as are those which specialist clubs require
from the owners of brood bitches and stud
dogs to make puppies eligible for produce
stakes and other such competitions. At all
events, this idea should commend itself
to the Kennel Club.

MR. ISAAC SHARPE'S STYLISH DOLLIE

254

-

TEAM OF MR. E. W. H. BLAGG'S RETRIEVERS.
BROKEN TO THE TAME RABBIT.

CHAPTER XXV.

THE RETRIEVERS.

" Man is of kin to the beasts. For take an example of a dog, and mark what a generosity
and courage he will put on when he finds himself maintained by a man, who to him is in stead
of a god, or Melior Natura ; which courage is manifestly such as that creature, without that
confidence of a better nature than his own, could never attain." — Lord Bacon.

I.-THE FLAT-COATED RETRIEVER.

BY L. P. C. ASTLEY.

IT is obviously useless to shoot game
unless you can find it after it has been
wounded or killed, and from the earliest
times it has been the habit of sportsmen to
train their dogs to do the work which they
could not always successfully do for them-
selves. The Pointers, Setters, and Spaniels
of our forefathers were carefully broken not
only to find and stand their game, but also
to fetch the fallen birds. This use of the
setting and pointing dog is still common on
the Continent and in the United States,
and there is no inaccuracy in a French artist
depicting a Pointer with a partridge in its
mouth, or showing a Setter retrieving
waterfowl. In the time of Morland and
Cooper it was equally correct in English art,
and the Setter or Spaniel was considered
quite normal if after the shot had been
fired he found the wounded bird, and laid it
crushed and mangled at his master's feet.

The Springer and the old curly-coated
water-dog were regarded as particularly
adroit in the double work of finding and

retrieving. Pointers and Setters who had
been thus broken were found to deteriorate
in steadiness in the field, and it gradually
came to be realised that even the Spaniel's
capacity for retrieving was limited. A
larger and quicker dog was wanted to
divide the labour, and to be used solely
as a retriever in conjunction with the other
gun dogs. The Poodle was tried for re-
trieving with some success, and he showed
considerable aptitude in finding and fetch-
ing wounded wild duck ; but he, too. was
inclined to maul his birds and deliver them
dead.

Even the Old English Sheepdog was
occasionally engaged in the work, and various
crosses with Spaniel or Setter and Collie
were attempted in the endeavour to produce
a grade breed having the desired qualities
of a good nose, a soft mouth, and an under-
standing brain, together with a coat that
would protect its wearer from the ill effects
of frequent immersion in water.

It was when these efforts were most

THE RETRIEVERS.

255

active — namely about the year 1850 — that
new material was discovered in a black-
coated dog recently introduced into England
from Labrador. He was a natural water-
dog, with a constitution impervious to
chills, and entirely free from the liability
to ear canker, which had always been a
drawback to the use of the Spaniel as a
retriever of waterfowl. Moreover, he was
himself reputed to be a born retriever of
game, and remarkably sagacious. His im-
porters called him a Spaniel — a breed name
which at one time was also applied to his
relative the Newfoundland. Probably there
were not many specimens of the race in
England, and, although there is no record
explicitly saying so, it is conjectured that
these were crossed with the English Setter,
producing what is now familiarly known as
the black, flat-coated Retriever.

One very remarkable attribute of the
Retriever is that notwithstanding the known
fact that the parent stock was mongrel,
and that in the early dogs the Setter type
largely predominated, the ultimate result
has favoured the Labrador cross distinctly
and prominently, proving how potent, even
when grafted upon a stock admittedly
various, is the blood of a pure race, and how
powerful its influence for fixing type and
character over the other less vital elements
with which it is blended.

From the first, sportsmen recognised the
extreme value of the new retrieving dog.
Strengthened and improved by the Labrador
blood, he had lost little if any of the Setter
beauty of form. He was a dignified, sub-
stantial, intelligent, good-tempered, affec-
tionate companion, faithful, talented, highly
cultivated, and esteemed, in the season and
out of it, for his mind as well as his beauty.

" Idstone " described one of the early
Retrievers, and the description is worth
quoting : —

" He was black as a raven — a blue black-
not a very large dog, but wide over the back
and loins, with limbs like a lion, and a thick,
glossy, long, silky coat, which parted down the
back, a long, sagacious head, full of character
and clean as a Setter's in the matter of coat.
His ears were small, and so close to his head

that they were hidden in his feathered neck.
His eye was neither more nor less than a human
eye, and I never saw a bad expression in it.
He was not over twenty-five inches in height,
but he carried a hare with ease ; and if he could
not top a gate with one — which about one dog
in two hundred does twice a year — he could get
through the second or third span, or push it
through a gap before him in his mouth, and
never lose his hold. And then for water. He
would trot into the launching punt, and coil
himself up by the luncheon basket to wait for
his master as soon as he saw the usual prepara-
tions for a cruise. For this work he had too
much coat, and brought a quantity of water
into the boat ; but for retrieving wildfowl he
was excellent ; and in the narrow water-courses
and amongst the reeds and osiers his chase of a
winged mallard was a thing to see. They seemed
both to belong to one element, and he would dive
like an otter for yards, sometimes coming up
for breath, only to go down again for pleasure."

It is only comparatively recently that
we have realised how excellent an all-round
sporting dog the Retriever has become.
In many cases, indeed, where grouse and
partridge are driven or walked-up a well-
broken, soft-mouthed Retriever is unques-
tionably superior to Pointer, Setter, or
Spaniel, and for general work in the field
he is the best companion that a shooting
man can possess.

Doubtless in earlier days, when the art of
training was less thoroughly understood,
the breaking of a dog was a matter of infinite
trouble to breeders. Most of the gun dogs
could be taught by patience and practice to
retrieve fur or feather, but game carefully
and skilfully shot is easily rendered valueless
by being mumbled and mauled by powerful
jaws not schooled to gentleness. And this
question of a tender mouth was certainly
one of the problems that perturbed the
minds of the originators of the breed. The
difficulty was overcome by a process of
selection, and by the exclusion from breeding
operations of all hard-mouthed specimens,
with the happy effect that in the present
time it is exceptional to find a working
Retriever who does not know how to bring
his bird to hand without injuring it. A
better knowledge of what is expected of

2=)6

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

him distinguishes our modern Retriever.
He knows his duty, and is intensely eager
to perform it, but he no longer rushes off
unbidden at the firing of the gun. He
has learned to remain at heel until he is
ordered by word or gesture from his master,
upon whom he relies as his friend and
director, and " who to him is instead of a
god."

It would be idle to expect that the off-
spring of unbroken sire and dam can be as

MR H. REGINALD COOKE'S CH. WORSLEY BESS.

MAUD EARL

easily educated as a Retriever whose parents
before him have been properly trained. In-
herited qualities count for a great deal in
the adaptability of all sporting dogs, and
the reason why one meets with so many
Retrievers that are incapable or disobedient
or gun-shy is simply that their preliminary
education has been neglected — the edu-
cation which should begin when the dog is
very young.

In his earliest youth he should be trained
to prompt obedience to a given word or a
wave of the hand. It is well to teach

him very early to enter water, or he may
be found wanting when you require him
to fetch a bird from river or lake. Lessons
in retrieving ought to be a part of his daily
routine. Equally necessary is it to break
him in to the knowledge that sheep and
lambs are not game to be chased, and that
rabbits and hares are to be discriminated
from feathered game. Mr. Blagg trains his
Retrievers to steadiness with " fur " by
schooling them to harmless companionship
with tame rab-
bits.

Gun - shyness
is often sup-
posed to be
hereditary ; but
it is not so. Any
puppy can be
cured of gun-
shyness in half
a dozen short
lessons. Sir
Henry Smith's
advice is to get
your puppy ac-
customed to the
sound and sight
of a gun being
fired, first at a
distance and
gradually nearer
and nearer, until
he knows that
no harm will
come to him.
Associate the
gun-firing in his
mind with something pleasant — as a sign that
it is feeding time, or time for a free romp in
the paddock. There is no more reason that
a dog should fear a gun than that he should
fear the cracking of a whip. Companionship
and sympathy between dog and master is
the beginning and end of the whole business,
and there is a moral obligation between
them which ought never to be strained.

No breed of sporting dog has gained more
than the Retriever from the institution of
that admirable organisation the Game-
keepers' Association, and from the well-

THE RETRIEVERS.

257

conducted shows for keepers' dogs managed
by Mr. Millard. At the Gamekeepers' Show
held at Carlisle in 1907 visitors were par-
ticularly attracted by the high quality of the
exhibits in the Retriever classes, all owned
and most of them bred by keepers.

As a show dog the flat-coated Retriever
has reached something very near to the
ideal standard of perfection which has
been consistently bred up to. Careful selec-
tion and systematic breeding, backed up by
enthusiasm,
have resulted in
the production
of a dog com-
bining useful
working quali-
ties with the
highest degree
of beauty.

In the early
days of dog
shows the one
name most in-
timately asso-
ciated with the
Retriever was
that of Dr. Bond
Moore, whose
kennels were al-
most invariably
successful in
competition.
Dr. Moore was
somewhat arbi-
trary as a judge
of the breed,

and has been known to fault an otherwise
perfect dog because of the presence of a
few white hairs in its jet black coat ; but
it is interesting to note that in the litters
of his own breeding at Wolverhampton
there occasionally occurred puppies of a
pale golden, almost liver colour. His famous
Midnight, remarkable for the pure blackness
of her coat, more than once threw sandy-
coloured whelps to a black sire. This
occurs in many good strains.

Contemporaneously with the success of
Dr. Moore's kennels in 1870 some admirably
typical Retrievers were shown by other

breeders, notably Mr. Atkinson's Cato, Mr.
Shorthose's Rupert, Mr. Strawbridge's Rose,
Mr. Hazlehurst's Midnight, Mr. G. D. Gorse's
Wyndham, Sailor, and Jet, Mr. R. J. Lloyd
Price's Moliere, and Mr. G. Manson's Morley.
Another very prominent admirer and breeder
was the late Mr. S. E. Shirley, the President
of the Rennel Club, who owned many
Retrievers superlative both as workers and
as show dogs, and who probably did more
for the breed than any other man of his

REGINALD COOKE s CH. WIMPOLE PETER.

MAUD EARL.

generation. A sportsman in every sense,
Mr. Shirley trained his dogs for work with
extreme care, and only bred from those of
the highest character. If only for his im-
provements in this one breed, the shooting
world owes his memory undying gratitude.
Among the best Retrievers of his breeding
were Paris, Moonstone, Zelstone, Dusk,
Lady Evelyn, Trace, and Thorn.

Mr. Shirley's work was carried on by Mr.
Harding Cox, who devoted much time and
energy to the production of good Retrievers,
many of which were of Mr. Shirley's strain.
Mr. Cox's dogs deservedly achieved con-

2S8

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

siderable fame for their levelness of type,
and the improvement in heads so noticeable
at the present time is to be ascribed to his
breeding for this point. Mr. L. Allen Shuter,
the owner of Ch. Darenth and other excellent

MR A H. HORSMAN'S CH. SHOTOVER

BY CH. BLACK QUILT QUEEN OF LLANGOLLEN.

Retrievers of his own breeding, claims also
a large share of credit for the part he has
played in the general improve-
ment of the breed. Mr. C. A.
Phillips, too, owned admirable
specimens in Ch. Taut and other
good workers, and the name of
the late Lieut. -Colonel Cornwall
Legh must be included. Many
of Colonel Legh's bitches were of
Shirley blood, but it is believed
that a breed of Retrievers had
existed at High Legh for several
generations, with which a judicious
cross was made, the result being
not only the formation of a re-
markable kennel, but also a de-
cided influence for good upon the
breed in general.

But since the Shirley days, when
competition was more limited than
it is at present, no kennel of Re-
trievers has ever attained any-
thing like the distinction of that owned
by Mr. H. Reginald Cooke, at Riverside,
Nantwich. By acquiring the best speci-
mens of the breed from all available

sources, Mr. Cooke has gathered together a
stock which has never been equalled. His
ideas of type and conformation are the
outcome of close and attentive study and
consistent practice, and one needs to go to
Riverside if one desires to see the highest
examples of what a modern flat-coated
Retriever can be. Within recent years Mr.
Cooke has owned Ch. Black Quilt (perhaps
the most successful sire of the race), Paul
of Riverside, Worsley Bess, Gipsy of River-
side, Ch. High Legh Blarney, and Ch. Wim-
pole Peter, and at the present moment the
Riverside kennels contain ten champions in
addition to many potential champions.

Since Dr. Bond Moore imparted to the
Retriever a fixity of character, the coats
have become longer and less wavy, and
in conformation of skull, colour of eye,
straightness of legs, and quality of bone,
there has been a perceptible improve-
ment.

As there is no club devoted to the breed,
and consequently no official standard of
points, the following description of the
perfect Retriever is offered.

MR.

'. H. BLAGGS BUSY MITE

BY CH. WIMPOLE PETER STYLISH QUEEN.

Photograph by Lowndes, Cheadle.

1. General Appearance.— That of a well-pro-
portioned bright and active sporting dog, show-
ing power without lumber and raciness without
weediness.

2. Head. — Long, fine, without being weak, the

THE RETRIEVERS.

259

muzzle square, the underjaw strong with an
absence of lippiness or throatiness.

3. Eyes. — Dark as possible, with a very intelli-
gent, mild expression.

4. Neck. — Long and clean.

5. Ears. — Small, well set on, and carried close
to the head.

6. Shoulders. — Oblique, running well into the
back, with plenty of depth of chest.

7. Body. — Short and square, and well ribbed up.

8. Stern. — Short and straight, and carried gaily,
but not curled over the back.

9. Forelegs. — Straight, pasterns strong, feet
small and round.

10. Quarters. — -Strong ; stifles well bent.

11. Coat. — Dense black or liver, of fine quality
and texture. Flat, not wavy.

12. Weight. — From 65 lb. to 80 lb. for dogs ;
bitches rather less.

As a rule the Retriever should be chosen
for the intelligent look of his face, and
particular attention should be paid to the
shape of his head and to his eyes. His
frame is important, of course, but in the
Retriever the mental qualities are of more
significance than bodily points.

There has been a tendency in recent years
among Retriever breeders to fall into the
common error of exaggerating a particular
point, and of breeding dogs with a head far
too fine and narrow — it is what has been

aptly called the alligator head— lacking in
brain capacity and power of jaw. A perfect
head should be long and clean, but ne ther
weak nor snipy. The eye should be placed
just halfway between the occiput and the
tip of the nose.

It is pleasing to add that to this beautiful
breed the phrase " handsome is as handsome
does " applies in full measure. Not only is
the average Retriever of a companionable
disposition, with delightful intelligence that
is always responsive, but he is a good and
faithful guard and a courageous protector
of person and property. It has already
been said that the majority of the best-
looking Retrievers are also good working
dogs, and it may here be added that many
of the most successful working dogs are
sired by prizewinners in the show ring. At
the late Retriever trials at St. Neots
the open stake was won by Mr. Reginald
Cooke's Ch. Grouse of Riverside, a son of
Mr. Allen Shuter's Ch. Horton Rector. Ch.
Royal River and Ch. Shotover were also
successful runners at the Kennel Club
trials at Horsted who helped to prove that
the show dog need not necessarily be de-
ficient in the capacity to excel as a worker.

II— THE CURLY-COATED RETRIEVER.

BY L. P. C. ASTLEY.

The curly-coated Retriever is commonly
believed to be of earlier origin than his
flat-coated relative, and he is of less pure
descent. He probably owes ancestral tribute
to the Poodle, and the writer has had
ocular proof that a mongrel bred for experi-
ment for retrieving purposes from a black
Poodle dog and a weedy Labrador bitch
resembled a poor show specimen of the
curly Retriever. Such a cross may con-
ceivably have been resorted to by the early
Retriever breeders, and there was little to
lose from a merely sporting point of view
from this alien introduction, for the Poodle
is well known to be by nature, if not by

systematic training, an excellent water dog,
capable of being taught anything that the
canine mind can comprehend. During the
early years of the nineteenth century the
Poodle was fairly plentiful in Eng and, and
we had no other curly-coated dog of similar
size and type apart from the Irish water
Spaniel, who may himself lay claim to
Poodle relationship ; while as to the Re-
triever, either curly- or flat-coated, he can
in no sense be assigned to any country out-
side of Great Britain. The presumption is
strong that the " gentleman from France "
was largely instrumental in the manufacture
of the variety, but whatever the origin of

26o

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

the curly-coated Retriever he is a beautiful
dog, and one is gratified to note that the
old prejudice against him, and the old
indictment as to his hard mouth, are fast
giving place to praise of his intelligence
and admiration of his working abilities.

Speaking generally, it seems to be accepted
that he is slightly inferior in nose to his flat-
coated cousin, and not quite so easy to break,
but there are many keepers and handlers

MESSRS MASON AND WOODS
CH. PRESTON SULTAN

BY BERKELEY SULTAN NEGRESS.

who have discovered in individual
specimens extraordinary merit in
the field combined with great en-
durance. It is not certain that
any great improvement has been
effected in the variety during re-
cent years, but there are particular
dogs to - day who are decidedly
better than any that existed a
dozen years or more ago, when
such celebrities as True, Old Sam,
King Koffee, Ben Wonder, Doden

Lad have taken their places in the history
of the breed. Later there have been such
famous specimens as Gomersal Surprise and
Gomersal Tip Top, Good Lad, Naughty Boy,
Tiverton Beauty II. and III., Millington
Princess, Belle Vue Nina, in the writer's
opinion one of the very best, and her im-
mortal conqueror Preston Sultan, a dog
whose quality of coat, bone, substance, head,
eye and perfect make and shape have never
been surpassed. Gomersal May
Fly, Preston Wonder, Belle Vue
Surprise, Miss Wonder, another
beautifully shaped bitch, and Miss
Quality, are later additions to the
scroll of fame. The prefix " Gom-
ersal " belongs to Messrs. Mason
and Wood, " Tiverton " to Mr.
Sam Darby, " Belle Vue " to Mr.
Flowett, and " Berkeley " to Mr.
A. Clarkson. Henry Skip worth,
Lord Melville, Duerdin Dutton,

Ben,

Lad, and Una, were prominent, and there
is no doubt that the curly coats attained
show form in advance of the flat-coated
variety. Among the early specimens in
addition to those just mentioned Tiverton
Lady was a notably beautiful bitch, as were
Barkwith Lady, Black Gipsy, and Gomer-
sal Lady ; and the names of Gomersal
Tipster, Gomersal Beauty, Berkeley Black
Boy, Berkeley Gipsy, and Tiverton Best

R. FISH'S CH. MISS WONDER

PRESTON SULTAN PRESTON LADY.

A. R. Fish, R. Chapman, and J. Donald
are names of breeders and owners which
have frequently appeared in the prize lists
of recent years.

The coat of the curly Retriever plays a
very important part in his value and per-
sonality. There are many kinds of coat,
but the only true and proper one is the
close fitting " nigger curl," of which each
knot is solid and inseparable. A coat
of this quality is not capable of improve-

THE RETRIEVERS.

261

ment by any method of grooming, for the
simple reason that its natural condition is
in itself perfect. The little locks should be
so close together as to be impervious to
water, and all parts of the body should be
evenly covered with them, including the
tail and legs. A bad class of coat, and one
which readily yields to the faker's art is
the thin open curl which by careful manipu-
lation can be greatly improved. Another
bad quality of coat is one in which, upon
the withers and over the loins in particular,
the curls do not tighten up naturally, but
are large, loose, and soft to the feel. Re-
garding the dog as a whole, the following
may be taken as an all-round description : —

1. General Appearance. — That of a smart,
active, clean-cut and alert dog, full of go and
fire — a sportsman from stem to stern.

2. Head. — Long and not weedy in the muzzle,
nor thick and coarse in the skull, but tapering
down and finishing with a stout broad muzzle.

3. Skull. — Should be flat and moderately broad
between the ears, which are rather small, and
well covered with hair.

4. Ears. — Should lie close to the side of the head,
but not dead in their carriage.

5. Face. — The face should be smooth, and any
indication of a forelock should be penalised.

6. Eye. — The eye should in all cases be dark
and not too deeply set.

7. Neck. — Well placed in the shoulders and
nicely arched, of moderate length and yet power-
ful and free from throatiness.

8. Shoulders. — Well laid back and as free from
massiveness as possible, though there is a decided
tendency in this variety to such a fault.

9. Legs. — Straight and well covered with coat.
The bone should show quality and yet be fairly
abundant.

10. Feet. — Compact and hound-like.

11. Body. — Should show great power, with deep,
well-rounded ribs. As little cut-up in the flank
as possible.

12. Tail. — Strong at the base, set on in a line with
the back and tapering to a point, the size of the
curls upon it diminishing gradually to the end.

13. Hind Quarters. — Should show great develop-
ment of muscle, with bent hocks, the lower leg
being strong and the hind feet compact. Any
suspicion of cow hocks should be heavily penalised.

14. Colour. — Mostly a dull black. Some liver-
coloured dogs are seen with very good coats and
bodies, but their heads are generally thick and
coarse and the colour of their eyes does not always
match, as it should do, with the colour of the
coat. A few dogs of this colour have achieved
distinction on the show bench.

III.-THE LABRADOR.

BY F. E. SCHOFIELD.

Among sporting dogs the Labradors are
unique. In the evolution of flat-coated
Retrievers they played a most important
part, yet they themselves remain to-day
very much as they were when the former
were neither defined nor definable. It
was not till the year 1903 that the breed
was recognised by the Kennel Club, and
special attention drawn to them.

Of their common origin with the New-
foundland there is no doubt. It must be
remembered that previous to the foundation
of the Kennel Club in 1873 the classification
of many varieties of dogs was very indefinite.
When the Newfoundland was first intro-
duced into this country I do not know.
It is quite certain, however, that in the

early years of the nineteenth century even
the large dogs were frequently used in
field sports, and equally certain that many
of the references in The Sporting Magazine
and other publications to Newfoundlands
in the field were really meant for Labradors.
In Scott's beautifully illustrated " British
Field Sports," published in 1818, mention
is made of the Newfoundland dog, " so well
known of late years in this country," being
used for the " purpose of fetching and
carrying game." He adds : " This noble
animal . . . appears to be specifically the
same, or a variety of the Great Dog of the
north of Europe, perhaps imported thence
into the island of Newfoundland on its first
colonisation."

262

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

In his article on the Newfoundland (p. 74)
Captain Bailey quotes McGregor (1832) :
"The smooth short-haired dog so much
admired in England as a Newfoundland

RUFUS.

From " The Sporting Magazi.

The philosophic Blaine, in his " Encyclo-
paedia of Rural Sports " (1852), drew a dis-
tinction— the opposite, be it observed, from
what is commonly accepted to-day : " The
Newfoundland dog is a Spaniel
much employed on the southern
coasts of our kingdom, and there
appear to be two distinct breeds
of them — one from Labrador, and
another from St. John's. The Lab-
rador dog is very large, rough-
haired, and carries his tail high.
. . . The St. John's breed is that to
be preferred by the sportsman on
every account, being smaller, more
easily managed, and sagacious in
the extreme. His scenting powers
are also great." Then he goes on
to say : " Some years ago these
dogs ^could be readily procured
at Poole." It is interesting to
find that the principal branch of
business at Poole at that time
dog ... is a cross breed," and, I think, was in connection with the Newfoundland
rightly assumes that the reference was to fisheries.

Labradors. McGregor was not a reliable I have an old sporting paper with a

authority on such a subject, and sufficient report of the Crystal Palace Show of 1872.
of him is quoted to show it.
Much more to the point is
the extract from Youatt (1845)
which immediately follows it.

In The Sporting Magazine of
July, 1832, appeared a picture
of " Rufus, a celebrated Re-
triever," reproduced in this
column. Of him it is said,
" Rufus is a mixed breed be-
tween the Pointer and New-
foundland dog. His portrait
has the character of the latter
very visible, small eye, visage
rather long, small ear, and stern
well flocked ; but his legs have
that of the first, clean and well
formed. His name is a mis-
nomer, being decidedly a black
dog." It requires small effort
of the imagination to picture
the type of Newfoundland

dog which played such a prominent part This is an extract from it : " The Retrievers
in the production of "Rufus." . . . were most extensively represented;

THE HON

BY SIXTY SCOTTIE.

Photograph by C. Reid, Wisha

HOLLAND HIBBERTS MUNDEN SENTRY

THE RETRIEVERS.

263

and there were good specimens of almost
every description, game and Newfoundland,
curly coated and wavy coated ! " In the
champion class the late Mr. S. E. Shirley's
well-known Paris (k.c.s.b., 1839) got a
special prize. Paris was by Lion [alias
Hercules) out of Bess — both imported
Labradors.

Even in " Cassell's Illustrated Book of
the Dog " (1881), Mr. Vero Shaw, in dealing

had rare facilities for importing Labradors,
and through him many others were supplied.
I am not aware of any dog of consequence
to the breed having been imported in recent
years. Without the assistance of shows
or imported blood, however, they have sur-
vived marvellously, thanks especially to
the kennels of such breeders as the Dukes of
Buccleuch and Hamilton, the Earl of Veru-
lam, Lords Wimborne, Home, and Malmes-

mmmm^mmm^mmmsmm

GROUP OF LABRADORS.

THE PROPERTY OF THE HON.

Photograph by C. Keid, Wishaw.

A. HOLLAND HIBBERT

with Retrievers on p. 419, speaks of Lab-
rador and Newfoundland in convertible
terms !

As Poole — the south — so Shields on the
" coaly Tyne " supplied the north, and
Labradors were certainly well known as
sporting dogs in Northumberland in the
' fifties — probably earlier. Mr. Joseph Job-
ling, of Morpeth, a well-known authority in
his day, who not only owned the winning
Setter at the first dog show in 1859, but
who was one of the judges for Pointers, was
much interested in shipping at Shields. He

bury, the Hon. A. Holland Hibbert, Sir
Savile Crossley, Mr. F. P. Barnett, Mr. C.
Liddell, Mr. 0. L. Mansel, and others
equally enthusiastic.

To the Duke of Buccleuch's kennel, under
the able management of Mr. John Bell,
we are probably more indebted in the
last twenty years than to any other. Its
foundation was laid in two bitches by a
dog of the Duke of Hamilton's from a bitch
of Lord Malmesbury's. At Drumlanrig, as
well as on the Duke's other estates, they
have been most particular in preserving the

264

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

purity and working qualities of their strain.
And the same may be said of the Hon. A.
Holland Hibbert, whose principal dogs are
not only typical in appearance, but broken
to perfection.

It is perhaps not within my province
to show the part played by Labradors
in making the flat - coated Retrievers.
A sentence or two will suffice. Blaine,
already quoted, says in 1852 : " The Re-
triever is rather an indefinite dog, i.e. he
owns no fixed parentage, but may be
generated by any congenial varieties as
the Spaniel and Newfoundlander." Later
on he says, for certain shootings : " The
Retriever employed should be a cross breed
between a Setter and Newfoundlander."
Idstone, twenty years later, says : " The
Black Retriever was a Setter originally. . . .
He was thickened, strengthened, and im-
proved by the Labrador blood." It would
be easy enough to trace through Wyndham,
Paris, and several other of the early
Retrievers the permanent influence of the
Labradors upon the breed. While, chiefly
owing to the influence of shows, these
" indefinite dogs of no fixed parentage "
have been evolved into the magnificent
fixed breed as we now know it, we have
the Labradors now just as we had them fifty
years ago — just as we had, in fact, nearly all
sporting dogs fifty years ago. That is to
say, we have a distinct breed, maintained
by a comparatively few enthusiastic indi-
viduals, primarily for its sporting qualities,
according to a recognised, unwritten type,
and modified in a few non-essential points
to individual taste.

That the Labrador will ever be appreciated
by the rank and file, and become a popular
show dog, I very much doubt. He somehow
does not lend himself to it, and if aristocrat
he be, he represents much more appropriately
the garb and " get-up " of the sportsman
than the dandy in the drawing-room.

Hexham, some seven or eight years ago,
was the first show to give classes for them.
Now half a dozen — including the Crystal
Palace, Cruft's, and Southampton — cater
for them, and the classes are generally well
filled.

Colour of eye is the most important
point yet raised by their appearance in
the show ring. On this feature let me
quote from my review of the breed for
1906, in The Kennel Gazette of February.
" Brayton Swift, the winning dog at the
Crystal Palace, has a dark eye, which in my
opinion improves him greatly. This is pre-
cisely one of the points where opinions differ.
Several devoted breeders look upon a dark
eye as almost a disqualification. No doubt
from the time of their earliest introduction
the majority of them have been light in eye.
Their intimate relations, the Newfoundlands,
despite all endeavours to eradicate it, and
with no difference of opinion upon the sub-
ject, in many of the best bred specimens show
the light eye to this day. If breeders were
unanimous to-morrow, therefore, as to the
desirability of the dark eye, it would take
years of careful selection before anything
like uniformity could be obtained in this
respect. On the other hand, one has seen
occasionally dark-eyed specimens all along
the line, and will continue to see them. On
one point let there be no mistake : we want
no Retriever crossing to darken eyes ! In
judging I would not for a moment consider
colour of eyes if I felt the Retriever coat in a
Labrador. Therein lies the real danger of
attaching too much importance to a dark eye.
It is largely a matter of individual taste, of
education, if you like to put it so, and I am
willing to admit that mine has been sadly
neglected. But according to my light,! have
a right to say while I like a dark eye in a
dark dog, you must give me a pure, dis-
tinctive Labrador first, and afterwards pre-
ferably that one with a dark eye."

It is through their merit as field dogs that
the Labradors have been so carefully and
persistently maintained. While, as far as
possible, using only dogs typical in appear-
ance, breeders have unanimously considered
work the sine qw'< 11011 in the selection of a
sire. In this county of Northumberland
one has been accustomed from boyhood to
hear occasionally wonderful tales of their
sagacity in the field. Midge, a famous
bitch of Mr. Jobling's over forty years ago,
has long been a saint in my memory,

THE RETRIEVERS.

265

recalling as she does many a rollicking, youth-
ful day over her master's farms with the
younger Joseph, when she invariably con-
tributed largely to the bag.

In recent years Mr. F. P. Barnett's
Stag has often surprised a shooting party
by his wonderful finds where all the other
dogs had failed. The Hon. A. Holland
Hibbert was, I think, the first to run pure
Labradors at the field trials,
and with success ; Munden Sen-
try, M. Single, M. Sandfly, and
M. Something all having done
well. But the most conspicu-
ous performer hitherto is Mr.
J. M. Portal's Flapper, a
worthy son of Stag, who in a
stake of twenty competitors at
the Kennel Club trials of 1907 got
second, and shortly afterwards
second in a stake of seventeen
at the International. The suc-
cess of these dogs will, no
doubt, induce other owners to
patronise the trials.

In his " Book of the Dog "
Mr. Vero Shaw mentions that
in 1876 or '77, Dr. Bond Moore
showed him a pair of Retriever MR ■ J M

puppies of pale golden colour. BY MR-

In " British Dogs " Hugh Dal-
ziel confirms the statement, adding that
they were out of Midnight, a black bitch of
Labrador breed. It is abundantly evident
that the early Retrievers were by no means
fixed in colour, and this is attributed by many
writers more .or less to the Labrador blood.
Black has always been the prevailing colour
of Labradors. It is interesting, therefore,
to find in this connection that there is a
breed of yellow Labradors at the present
day in the possession of Captain Radcliffe,
at Wareham. They are not to be confused
with the yellow Retrievers we have had for

long enough on the borders, but are pure
Labradors, bred and selected with great care.
I am told that their working qualities are
also of the best.

How can I better finish this short article
than by quoting Scott's beautiful " Eloge "
on the sporting Newfoundland, in " British
Field Sports" ? "One of the most blameless
and good-natured of animals, neither the

PORTALS FLAPPER
B BARNETT'S STAG BETSAY.

natural nor intentional enemy of any other.
On the contrary, instinctively and volun-
tarily the friend of all, seeking every occa-
sion to assist and oblige, and in his attach-
ment to human nature equal even to the
Spaniel and inferior to him only in the
qualifications of a courtier. To finish the
strictly well-merited eloge of this wonderful
brute, where are we, whether among bipeds
or quadrupeds, to find his superior for kind-
ness of heart, susceptibility of attachment,
voluntary industry, and proffers of service,
courage, fortitude and perseverance ? "

THE CHESAPEAKE BAY DOG
May be conveniently noticed at this coast, where wild duck abound. It is one
point, since it is essentially a Retriever of the few breeds " invented " by our
bred and developed for work with the American cousins. There is a tradition
gun, and mainly used on the Atlantic that it originated from a dog or dogs rescued

266

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

from a vessel bound from Newfoundland to
England and wrecked on the shores of
Chesapeake Bay, and that a cross with a
common yellow and tan coloured hound
or coon dog produced the liver or " sedge "
colour of the true Chesapeake Bay Retriever.
It is not a particularly handsome dog, but
for its purpose it is an excellent worker. The
chief characteristic which distinguishes it
from a very ordinary wavy-coated English
Retriever is that of colour. There is a
Chesapeake Bay Dog Club with head-
quarters in Baltimore, whose official stan-
dard of points is as follows : —

i. General Appearance. — A symmetrical and
well-built dog, fit for duck-shooting.

2. Head. — Broad, running to nose only a trifle
pointed, but not at all sharp ; face covered with
very short hair.

3. Eyes. — Of a yellow colour; lively and intelli-
gent in expression.

4. Ears. — Small, placed well on the head.

5. Neck. — Should be only moderately long,
and with a firm, strong appearance.

6. Shoulders. — Should have full liberty, with
plenty of show for power and no tendency to
restriction of movement.

7. Chest. — Strong and deep.

8. Hind Quarters. — Should show fully as much,
if not more power than the fore quarters. Any
tendency to weakness must be avoided.

9. Legs. — Rather short, showing both bone
and muscle ; fore-legs rather straight and sym.
metrical ; elbows well let down and set straight.

10. Feet. — Of good size and well webbed.

11. Tail. — Stout, somewhat long, the straighter
the better, and showing only moderate feather.

12. Coat. — Short and thick, somewhat coarse,

with tendency to wave over shoulders, back and
loins, where it is longest, nowhere over ij inches
to i£ inches long; that on flanks, legs and belly
shorter, tapering to quite short near the feet.
Under all this is a short woolly fur, which should
well cover the skin, and can be readily observed
by pressing aside the outer coat. This coat pre-
serves the dog from the effects of the wet and
cold, and enables him to stand severe exposure
and is conducive to speed in swimming.

13. Colour. — Nearly resembling wet sedge grass
or discoloured coat of a buffalo, though toward
spring it becomes lighter by exposure to weather.
A small white spot or frill on the breast is admis-
sible.

14. Height at Shoulder. — About 24 inches.

15. Weight. — Dogs from 60 lb. to 70 lb. ;
bitches from 45 lb. to 55 lb.

The Norfolk Retriever. — There is a
coarse, liver - coloured dog, sometimes to
be seen in the marshy districts of East
Anglia, which some people claim as a dis-
tinct breed, meriting the name of the
Norfolk Retriever. The coat is curly,
the neck long, the legs are muscular, and
the feet webbed. The ears are large,
with a considerable amount of feather.
Some specimens almost resemble the Irish
Water Spaniel, or a cross between that
breed and the curly-coated Retriever. They
are often used for fowling on the Broads,
and are good water dogs. It is perha] s
necessary to mention him, but he may
nevertheless be dismissed as a decided
mongrel.

Photograph by C Kcul, II is) 101,

267

CHAPTER XXVI.

THE SPORTING SPANIEL.

BY COLONEL R. CLAUDE CANE.

" Or were I sprung from Spaniel line,
Was his sagacious nostril mine.
By me, their never-erring guide,
From wood and plain their feasts supplied,
Knights, squires, attendant on my pace,
Had shared the pleasures of the chase."

—John Gay (1727).

I. The Spaniel Family. — The Spaniel
family is without any doubt one of the
most important of the many groups which
are included in the canine race, not only
on account of its undoubted antiquity,
and, compared with other families, its
well authenticated lineage, but also because
of its many branches and subdivisions,
ranging in size from the majestic and
massive Clumbers to the diminutive toys
which we are accustomed to associate with
fair ladies' laps and gaily decked pens at
our big dog shows.

Moreover, the different varieties of Setters
undoubtedly derive their origin from the
same parent stock, since we find them
described by the earlier sporting writers
as " setting " or " crouching " Spaniels,
in contradistinction to the " finding " or
" springing " Spaniel, who flushed the
game he found without setting or pointing
it. As time went on, the setting variety
was, no doubt, bred larger and longer in
the leg, with a view to increased pace ;
but the Spaniel-like head and coat still
remain to prove the near connection be-
tween the two breeds.

Baron Cuvier, the eminent naturalist,
speaks also of a breed known as the Alpine
Spaniel, which does not, in spite of its
name, to my mind, seem to bear any relation
to what we know as Spaniels, but rather
to have been the ancestor of the modern
St. Bernard, probably by means of a cross
with some breed of Molossian origin.

Mr. C. A. Phillips, however, is inclined
to believe that this Alpine Spaniel is re-
sponsible for a part, at least, of the blood
flowing in the veins of our modern Clumbers,
whose origin has always been more or less
like that of " Jeames," " wropt in mys-
tery." He bases this theory on certain
similarities in the head and colouring of
the St. Bernard and the Clumber, and as
no one has gone more deeply into the
matter than Mr. Phillips, who was my col-
laborator in writing " The Sporting
Spaniel," it is worthy of a considerable
amount of respect, though doubtless it
would at the present time be very difficult
either to prove or disprove.

All the different varieties of Spaniels,
both sporting and toy, have, with the ex-
ception of the Clumber and the Irish Water
Spaniel (who is not, despite his name, a
true Spaniel at all), a common origin,
though at a very early date we find them
divided into two groups — viz. Land and
Water Spaniels, and these two were kept
distinct, and bred to develop those points
which were most essential for their dif-
ferent spheres of work. The earliest men-
tion of Spaniels to be found in English
literature is contained in the celebrated
" Master of Game," the work of Edward
Plantagenet, second Duke of York, and
Master of Game to his uncle, Henry IV., to
whom the work is dedicated. It was
written between the years 1406 and 1413,
and although none of the MSS., of which

268

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

some sixteen are in existence, is dated,
this date can be fairly accurately fixed, as
the author was appointed Master of Game
in the former and killed at Agincourt in
the latter year. His chapter on Spaniels,
however, is mainly a translation from the
equally celebrated " Livre de Chasse " of

THE SLEEPING SPORTSMAN.
From the Picture by GABRIEL METZU (1630-67L
Showing a typical Springer of the Seventeenth Century.
Photogiupk by J. Caswell-Smith, Oxford Street, W.

Gaston Comte de Foix, generally known as
Gaston Phoebus, which was written in
1387, so that we may safely assume that
Spaniels were well known, and habitually
used as aids to the chase both in France
and England, as early as the middle of the
fourteenth century. Chaucer, too, who was
born in or about 1328, mentions Spaniels
in " The Wif of Bathes Prologue," " For as
a Spaniel, she wol on him lepe," and of

the many other old writers who refer to
them the most important are Dame Juliana
Berners, in the " Book of St. Albans,"
George Turberville in the " Book of Faul-
conrie," Nicholas Cox in the " Gentleman's
Recreation," Gervase Markham in " Hun-
ger's Prevention," and Arcussia, all before
the end of the seven-
teenth century.

In the eighteenth and
early part of the nine-
teenth century the
Spaniel was described
by many writers on
sporting subjects ; but
there is a great simi-
larity in most of these
accounts, each author
apparently having been
content to repeat in
almost identical lan-
guage what had been
said upon the subject
by his predecessors,
without importing any
originality or opinions
of his own. Many of
these works, notwith ■
standing this defect,
are very interesting to
the student of Spaniel
lore, and I can recom-
mend the perusal of
Blaine's "Rural
Sports," Taplin's
" Sporting Dictionary
and Rural Repository,"
Scott's " Sportsman's
Cabinet" and "Sports-
man's Repository,"
and Needham's " Com-
plete Sportsman," to all who wish to study
the history of the development of the
various modern breeds. The works of the
French writers, De Cominck, De Chenille,
Blaze, and Megnin, are well worth reading,
while of late years the subject has been
treated very fully by such British writers
as the late J. H. Walsh (" Stonehenge "),
Mr. Vero Shaw, Mr. Rawdon Lee, and
others.

THE SPORTING SPANIEL.

269

Some of the writers of about a hundred
years ago speak of the " small or carpet
Spaniels," and of Blenheim Spaniels being
used in their day for sporting purposes, and
as being " excellent and indefatigable in
their work," while Needham remarks that
" the kind which has attained the great-
est distinction is that denominated King
Charles's Spaniel." No one going round
the toy dog benches at the Crystal Palace
Show nowadays could picture the goggle-
eyed, pug-nosed, pampered little peculiarities
he would see there lolling on satin cushions
and decked out with many-coloured ribbons,
taking such violent exercise as would be
entailed by even half an hour's hunting in
the easiest of coverts ; but there is no doubt
that these effete little monsters have the
same ultimate origin as most of our modern
sporting varieties, and not longer ago than
thirty years the writer has had many a
good day's sport shooting rabbits in gorse
over a team of King Charles's Spaniels be-
longing to a cousin in the South of Ireland,
which were, however, rather bigger and
stronger than those which seem nowadays
to catch the judge's eye.

Nearly all of the early writers, both
French and English, are agreed that the
breed came originally from Spain, as its
name seems to imply, the only dissentients
I can remember being Needham, who says
it is " indisputable " that it is indigenous,
and De Cherville, who puts forward the
ingenious theory that it must have come
from Russia, since it is a long-haired breed,
and that all long-haired animals come from
the frigid zone. On the whole, I think we
may dismiss such fanciful theories as these,
and assume that such early authorities as
Gaston Phcebus, Edward Plantagenet, and
Dr. Caius had good enough reasons for tell-
ing us that these dogs were called Spaniels
because they came from Spain.

Having touched lightly upon the con-
nection between the toy breeds of Spaniels
and their sporting cousins, I will leave the
former to be dealt with by those who are
no doubt better qualified to speak of their
good qualities and fitness for their present
role, and confine myself to those varieties

which are used in aid of the gun, either in
teams or braces or singly, treating each
breed both from the showgoer's and the
sportsman's point of view, the latter of
which, I am sorry to say, is too often lost
sight of nowadays by those who breed and
exhibit this most eminently sporting of all
dogs.

The following distinct breeds or varieties
are recognised by the Kennel Club : (1) Irish
Water Spaniels ; (2) Water Spaniels other
than Irish ; (3) Clumber Spaniels ; (4) Sussex
Spaniels ; (5) Field Spaniels ; (6) English
Springers ; (7) Welsh Springers ; (8) Cocker
Spaniels. Each of these varieties differs
considerably from the others, and each has
its own special advocates and admirers, as
well as its own particular sphere of work
for which it is best fitted, though almost any
Spaniel can be made into a general utility
dog, which is, perhaps, one of the main
reasons for the universal popularity of the
breed. How popular it is is demonstrated
by the enormous entry obtained at our
leading shows, the entry at the Kennel
Club's Jubilee Show of 1905 amounting to
no fewer than 349, while that of 1906 was
only twenty less — totals not even ap-
proached by any other breed except Fox-
terriers, who were, however, a long way
behind.

II. The Irish Water Spaniel. — There
is only one breed of dog known in these
days by the name of Irish Water Spaniel,
but if we are to trust the writers of no
longer ago than half a century there were
at one time two, if not three, breeds of
Water Spaniels peculiar to the Emerald
Isle. These were the Tweed Water Spaniel,
the Northern Water Spaniel, and the
Southern Water Spaniel, the last of these
being the progenitors of our modern strains.
Of the two first-named varieties, the Tweed
Spaniel is almost certainly extinct, if it
ever existed at all as a distinct and separate
breed. Mr. Skidmore, who, forty or fifty
years ago, was one of the most enthu-
siastic supporters of Irish Water Spaniels
and one of the greatest authorities on them,
describes them as looking as if they had

270

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

" a dash of Bloodhound in their veins,"
which is certainly borne out by the details
he gives of their various points, and, al-
though he gives no particulars as to size
or general appearance, he says quite enough
to make it tolerably certain that they did
not resemble the modern dog in any way.

The Northern Irish Water Spaniel cer-
tainly did exist, and many old sportsmen in
Ireland still speak of them, sometimes call-
ing them " the old brown Irish Retriever";
but for many years past they have fallen
into disfavour, and it is extremely doubtful
whether a single individual specimen with
an authentic pedigree could be found nowa-
days anywhere within the whole length
and breadth of the island. Mr. Skidmore
describes them also, and says they were
about 20 inches high and " like bad speci-
mens of liver-coloured Retrievers."

The history of the third, and to us most
important breed is in many ways a very
extraordinary one. According to the claim
of Mr. Justin McCarthy, it originated
entirely in his kennels, and, as far as I
know, this claim has never been seriously
disputed by the subsequent owners and
breeders of these dogs. It seems to me
most improbable that Mr. Justin McCarthy
can actually have originated or manufac-
tured a breed possessing so many extremely
marked differences and divergences of type
as the Irish Water Spaniel ; what he most
probably did was to rescue an old and mori-
bund breed from impending extinction, and
so improve it by judicious breeding and
cross-breeding as to give it a new lease of
life, and permanently fix its salient points
and characteristics. However that may be,
little seems to have been known of the
breed before he took it in hand, and it is
very certain that nearly every Irish Water
Spaniel seen on the bench for the last half-
century owes its descent to his old dog
Boatswain, who was born in 1834 and lived
for eighteen years. He must have been a
grand old dog, since Mr. McCarthy gave
him to Mr. Joliffe Tuffnell in 1849, when he
was fifteen years old; and his new owner
subsequently bred by him Jack, a dog
whose name appears in many pedigrees.

It was not until 1862 that the breed seems
to have attracted much notice in England,
but in that year the Birmingham Com-
mittee gave two classes for them, at which,
however, several of the prizes were with-
held for want of merit, a proceeding on the
part of the judge which provoked much
indignant comment in the Press from
breeders and exhibitors, who asserted that
it was he who was in fault, and not the dogs.
The next few years saw these dogs making
great strides in popularity, and, classes
being provided at most of the important
shows, many good specimens were exhibited,
the most prominent owners being Captain
Lindoe, Captain Montresor. Mr. X. Morton,
of Ballymena, Captain O'Grady, Mr. J. S.
Skidmore, Mr. R. W. Boyle, and Mr. J. T.
Robson, who may be described as the
fathers of the breed in its present form.

Of the many good dogs exhibited during
the first decade of dog showing, none had
so successful a career as Doctor (k.c.s.b.
2,061), who won no fewer than five first
prizes at Birmingham, two at the Crystal
Palace, and one each at Islington, Dublin,
Edinburgh, and Glasgow, besides several
seconds. This record would not be a very
wonderful one in these days when dog
shows are held somewhere on nearly every
week-day in the year, and many success-
ful prize winners spend nearly their whole
lives either in their travelling boxes or on
the bench ; but it must be remembered
that in the 'sixties and 'seventies shows
were few and far between, and that Doctor
was being continually exhibited for over
seven years, during which time he was
practically unbeaten. He was by Rob-
son's Jock out of Robson and Willett's
Duck, and was a great-grandson of old
Boatswain. He was owned at one time
or other during his lengthy career by Mr.
Robson. Mr. X. Morton. Mr. Sims, the
Rev. Mr. Mellor, and Mr. J. S. Skidmore.
His son Shamrock (k.c.s.b. 4,386), out of
Beaver, has transmitted his blood to many
latter-day winners, of whom the most
notable are Barney, Mickey Free, The
O'Donoghue, Kate Kearney, and Free
O'Donoghue. Mr. Skidmore, who is, I

THE SPORTING SPANIEL.

271

believe, still alive, continued breeding and
exhibiting till nearly the end of the 'eighties,
his best dog after Doctor being probably
Mickey Free (k.c.s.b. 10,393).

Another old-time breeder and exhibitor,
Mr. N. Morton, only died as recently as
1906, though he had long ago given up
showing dogs, and devoted himself almost
entirely to horses, with which he was very
successful at the great Ball's Bridge Show
in Dublin and elsewhere. He had, how-

characteristic energy, and for several years
carried all before him, showing such good
specimens as Harp (k.c.s.b. 22,518), Spal-
peen, Belshrah, Shann, Erin, Shamus, and
Eileen II., nearly all of whom attained
championship honours. It was a great
loss to the breed and to everyone con-
nected with it when the Colonel gave up
showing about the middle of the next decade,
and someone of his energy and personality
is badly wanted at the present day to re-

MR. C E. WRIGHTS IRISH WATER SPANIELS.

PATRICK O'CONNOR. HEMPIE, RODERIC O'CONNOR, and KATHLEEN O'CONNOR.
Photogtaph by T. Fall.

ever, at the beginning rendered the great-
est service to the breed, and his kennels
produced some very notable specimens,
including Larry Doolin (k.c.s.b. 4,384),
the ancestor of many dogs destined to win
fame for themselves in later days.

Between 1880 and 1890 many good Irish
Water Spaniels were exhibited, and the
breed increased greatly in popularity. In
this period the names of the brothers R. B.
and T. S. Carey, and of Colonel the Hon.
W. le Poer Trench first appear as breeders
and exhibitors, names which are still house-
hold words to all Irish Water Spaniel men.
•Colonel Trench took up the breed with

vive the waning interest in this quaint-
looking and useful dog.

Other successful owners of this period
were Captain J. H. Dwyer with Blair,
Mr. T. K. Penson with The Shaughraun,
Mr. J. S. Nisbet with Kate Kearney and
Free O'Donoghue (the latter a very hand-
some and typical dog), Mr. G. W. Thomp-
son with Barry Sullivan, and Mr. G. J.
Doherty with Madame Blair, a bitch not
only good herself, but phenomenally success-
ful as a breeder of the highest class of Water
Spaniels. The Messrs. Carey's greatest suc-
cesses were scored a little later, after 1890,
and probably the best animal owned by

272

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

them was Dymphna (k.c.s.b. 33, 901), who
had a most successful career, winning the
title of Champion, in my opinion one
of the soundest and most typical bitches
ever shown, though to please some critics

mr. J. J. holgate's CH. SOUTHBORO' JEWEL

BY PORTH PADDY SOUTHBORO' FINOLA.

Photograph by Chancellor, Dublin.

she might have been just a size bigger.
Otherwise it was hard to pick a fault in her.
She was bred by Mr. Doherty, and was by
The Shaughraun out of Madame Blair.
Mr. J. C. Cockburn's Dunraven, born 1888,
and Mr. A. E. Daintree's Rock Diver, by
Barry Sullivan out of Madame Blair, both
did a lot of winning, but undoubtedly the
two most successful Irish Water Spaniels of
this period were Dermot Asthore (k.c.s.b.
38,557), and Duck O'Donoghue (k.c.s.b.
40,594), both owned during the greater part
of their show career by Mr. T. Camac
Tisdall. The dog was bred by Mr. T. S.
Carey, and was beaten the first time he
was shown by Killaneal, a dog belonging
also to Mr. Camac Tisdall, and a son of
Madame Blair, who did a lot of winning at
the best shows of that year, 1894. Dermot
Asthore, who was a very good and typical
dog, despite a defective jaw, was practic-

ally unbeaten by his own sex for the next
four years.

Duck O'Donoghue, by Free O'Donoghue
out of Madame Blair, was a very beautiful
bitch who was not shown until she was five
years old, when she came out
at Dublin under Mr. S. E.
Shirley, and created a great
sensation, winning all before
her. She quickly attained the
rank of Champion, winning
championship after champion-
ship at all the leading shows,
and only, as far as I can re-
member, being beaten twice
in classes confined to her own
breed — once at Armagh, by
her kennel mate Dermot
Asthore, and once at Bir-
mingham, by Kempston Tessa.
Her show career lasted but a
short time, and she made her
last appearance in 1897 at the
same show, Dublin, where she
had made her sensational debut
two years before. She ex-
celled in make and shape, and,
above all, in type ; but she
must have been a difficult
bitch to keep in condition, and
I never saw her in perfect coat. Unfor-
tunately, she was not a success as a brood
bitch.

During the last few years, I am sorry to
say that the breed seems to have been
progressing the wrong way, and classes at
shows have not been nearly so strong, either
in numbers or in quality, as they used to
be. Yet there have been, and are still,
quite a large number of good dogs and
bitches to be seen, and it only needs en-
thusiasm and co-operation among breeders
to bring back the palmiest days of the Irish
Water Spaniel.

A few years ago there was, to the great
regret of everyone who had the interests
of the breed at heart, a certain amount of
friction between the Spaniel Club and the
Irish Water Spaniel Club, which may have
done, and probably did, a great deal of
harm ; but the exercise of common-sense

THE SPORTING SPANIEL.

273

on both sides, and a more liberal spirit.
has removed these differences, or at least
smoothed them down, so that one may-
entertain hopes of a happier future, and
the advent of a new Club, the Sporting
Irish Water Spaniel Club, if it will only
work in harmony with, and not antagonistic-
ally to, the existing organisations, may be
hailed as a good omen.

Within recent years the most success-
ful owners have been Mr. Trench O'Rorke,
Mrs. F. Carter Michell, Mr. J. Conley, Sir
Hugo FitzHerbert, Mr. Jelly Dudley, and
Mr. J. J. Holgate. The last named gentle-
man possesses probably the best brace being
shown at present, Ch. Young Patsey Boyle
and Ch. Southboro' Jewel ; while Mr.
Trench O'Rorke has shown successfully
Clonburn Aileen, Clonburn Molly, Clonburn
Biddy, Clonburn Chieftain, Clonburn Peggy,
and Our Chance, all good typical Irish Water
Spaniels, and most of them of his own breed-
ing. Mrs. Mitchell's list includes the fol-
lowing names, all very well
known as prize-winners : Kate
O'Shane, Kempston Tessa,
Kempston Connaught, Kemps-
ton Shannon, Kempston Kath-
leen Mavourneen, and Kemps-
ton Eileen II. ; while Mr.
Conley has made history with
his Poor Pat ; and Sir Hugo
FitzHerbert's Tissington, and
Mr. Jelly Dudley's Meshacke,
Donna, and Shamus O'Flynn
have done quite their share
in keeping up the reputation
of the breed.

There is no member of the
whole canine family which has
a more distinctive personal ap-
pearance than the Irish Water
Spaniel. With him it is a case
of once seen never forgotten,
and no one who has ever seen
one could possibly mistake him
for anything else than what he
is. His best friends probably would not
claim beauty, in the aesthetic sense, for
him ; but I know no dog more attractive
in a quaint way peculiarly his own, or

more intelligent-looking. In this particular
his looks do not bewray him ; he is, in
fact, one of the most intelligent of all
the dogs used in aid of the gun, and in
his own sphere one of the most useful.
That sphere, there is no doubt, is that
indicated by his name, and it is in a
country of bogs and marshes, like the south
and west of Ireland, of which he was origin-
ally a native, where snipe and wildfowl
provide the staple sport of the gunner, that
he is in his element and seen at his best,
though, no doubt, he can do excellent work
as an ordinary retriever, and is often used
as such.

But Nature (or Mr. McCarthy's art) has
specially formed and endowed him for the
amphibious sport indicated above, and has
provided him with an excellent nose, an
almost waterproof coat, the sporting in-
stincts of a true son of Erin, and, above all,
a disposition full of good sense ; he is high-
couraged, and at the same time adapt-

ive. J. J. holgates CH. YOUNG PATSEY BOYLE

BY CH. PATSEY BOYLE IRISH DOLLY.

Photograph by Chancellor, Dublin

able to the highest degree of perfection in
training. His detractors often accuse him
of being hard-mouthed, but, so far as my
opinion goes, I do not consider this charge

2/4

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

well founded. Many a dog which is used
to hunt or find game as well as to retrieve
it, will often kill a wounded bird or rabbit
rather than allow it to escape. This may
not be the perfection or ne phis ultra of re-
trieving pure and simple, and would cer-
tainly be out of place in a high-class covert
shoot ; but, although many of my readers
may think me a rank heretic, I have often

WATER DOG.
From " The Sportsn

Cabinet " (1803), By P. Reinaglc, R.A.

on a rough shoot where game is scarce and
takes a lot of work to find, considered such
conduct a proof of common-sense and
sagacity in my dog, and felt thankful that
I had a companion who could use his brains
as well as his mouth. I believe that this
charge of hard-mouthedness is not a just
one, and I have' seen many Irish Water
Spaniels who, under normal circumstances,
were just as tender-mouthed as the must
fashionable of black Retrievers, and I have
seen not a few of the latter dogs with as
hard mouths as could be found anywhere.
Besides his virtues in the field, the Irish
Water Spaniel has the reputation — I be-
lieve a very well-founded one — of being the
best of pals.

Most of my readers are, I presume, well
acquainted with the personal appearance of
this quaint-looking dog ; but, as all may

not be so familiar with the points regarded
as essential in a show dog, I will briefly
go through those which are of most im-
portance :

i. Colour. — The colour should always be a rich
dark liver or puce without any white at all. Any
white except the slightest of " shirt fronts " should
disqualify. The nose of course should conform
to the coat in colour, and be dark brown.

2. Head . — T he head
should have a capacious
skull, fairly but not ex-
cessively domed, with plenty
of brain room. It should
be surmounted with a regu-
lar topknot of curly hair,
a most important and dis-
tinctive point. This topknot
should never be square cut
or like a poodle's wig, but
should grow down to a well
defined point between the
eyes.

3. Eyes. — The eyes should
be small, dark, and set ob-
liquely, like a Chinaman's.

4. Ears. — The ears should
be long, strong in leather,
low set, heavily ringleted,
and from 18 to 24 inches
long, according to size.

5. Muzzle and Jaw. — The
muzzle and jaw should be
long and strong. There
should be a decided "stop,"

but not so pronounced as to .make the brows or
forehead prominent.

6. Neck. — The neck should be airly long and
very muscular.

7. Shoulders. — The shoulders should be sloping.
Most Irish Water Spaniels have bad, straight
shoulders, but I think it is a defect and should be
bred out.

8. Chest. — The chest is deep, and usually
rather narrow, but should not be so narrow as
to constrict the heart and lungs.

9. Back and Loins. — The back and loins strong
and arched.

io. Forelegs. — The forelegs straight and well
boned. Heavily feathered or ringleted all over.

11. Hind Legs. — The hind legs with hocks set
very low, stifles rather straight, feathered all over,
except inside from the hocks down, which part
should be covered with short hair (a most dis-
tinctive point).

12. Feet. — The feet large and rather spreading
as is proper for a water dog, well clothed with
hair.

13. Stern. — The stern covered with the shortest

THE SPORTING SPANIEL.

275

of hair, except for the first couple of inches next
the buttocks, whiplike or stinglike (a most im-
portant point), and carried low, not like a hound's.

14. Coat. — The coat composed entirely of short
crisp curls, not woolly like a Poodle's, and very
dense. If left to itself, this coat mats or cords,
but this is not permissible in show dogs. The
hair on the muzzle, and forehead below the top-
knot is quite short and smooth, as well as that on
the stern.

15. General Appearance. — Is not remarkable for
symmetry, but is quaint and intelligent looking.

16. Height. — The height
should be between 21 and
23 inches.

good picture ot this dog, after P. Reinagle,
appears both in " The Sportsman's Cabinet "
and " The Sportsman's Repository."

Mr. Rawdon Lee, in his valuable " Modern
Dogs," assumes the identity of the old
" Water-Dogge " and the English Water
Spaniel, but in so doing his opinion con-
flicts with that expressed by most other
writers. In the two works mentioned above
another illustration, also after Reinagle,

The Sportsn

III. The English
Water Spaniel. — In the

Kennel Club's Register of
Breeds no place is allot-
ted to this variety, all
Water Spaniels other
than Irish being classed
together. Despite this
absence of official recog-
nition, which I think
is a mistake, there is
abundant evidence that
a breed of Spaniels legit-
imately entitled to the
designation of English
Water Spaniels has been
in existence for many
years. Its precise origin
is not definitely known, and even "Stone-
henge " has admitted his inability to trace
it back to the fountain head ; but the
writings of the earliest authorities leave
no room for doubt that there have ex-
isted for centuries one or more breeds of
dogs used for working in water and wild-
fowling in those parts of England which
abound in fens and marshes. In all prob-
ability the earliest breed used for this pur-
pose was not a Spaniel at all, but what
Markham describes as the " Water-Dogge,"
an animal closely resembling the French
" Barbet," the ancestor of the modern
Poodle. They were even trimmed at times
much in the same way as a Poodle is nowa-
days, as Markham gives precise directions
for " the cutting or shearing him from the
nauill downeward or backeward." A very

ENGLISH WATER SPANIEL.

Zabinet " (,1803). By P. Reinagle, R. A.

of the Water Spaniel is given, and the differ-
ence between the two animals portrayed
is very striking, the Water Spaniel in the
engraving differing but little from the
Springer of the day except in his curly
coat. The opinion expressed by the writer
of " The Sportsman's Cabinet " is that the
breed originated from a cross between the
large water dog and the Springing Spaniel,
and this is probably correct, though Youatt,
a notable authority, thinks that the cross
was with an English Setter. Possibly some
strains may have been established in this
way, and not differ very much in make and
shape from those obtained from the cross
with the Spaniel, as it is well known that
Setters and Spaniels have a common origin.
Considering the good character given to
these dogs by the writers of a century ago,

276

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

it is rather hard to understand how they
came to fall into such disfavour as to be

MR. HARRY JONES

DIVING BELL

BY SAILOR NELL.

MR. F. WINTON SMITH !

BEECHGROVE WILD
FLOWER

BY BEECHGROVE MIL-
LARD BEECHGROVE

LASS.

allowed to become
almost extinct until
a small and select
band of enthusiasts
set to work a few
years ago to try to
resuscitate the
breed. At the com-
mencement of the

dog-showing epoch it is true that a few
specimens were shown annually, the best
of these being probably Mr. Phineas Bul-
lock's Rover (k.c.s.b. 2,264), born in 1863.
This dog had a wonderful show career, win-
ning first prize at Birmingham in 1866,
1870, 1873 ; at the Crystal Palace
in 1871 and 1872 ; at Manchester in 1865 ;
c.nd the Gold Medal at Paris the same year.
Mr. James Farrow, probably the ablest
authority on show Spaniels of the present
day, declares that Rover was the best
Spaniel of this variety he ever saw, but his
daughter, Flo (k.c.s.b. 2,256) can have been

but little, if any, inferior. She was bred by
Mr. Bullock, but passed into the posses-
sion of Captain Arbuthnot, and won
first prize at the Crystal Palace in
1870 ; at Birmingham in 1869, 1870,
1871, 1872 ; and at Nottingham in
1873 — a record almost as good as that
of her sire.

After the first few years, however,
exhibitors seemed to lose all interest
in the breed, and entries became fewer
and fewer, until at last they reached
vanishing point, and shows ceased to
provide special classes for English
Water Spaniels. The entries in the
Stud Book fell off in the same man-
they disappeared
altogether ; and
although in the
following year
two were en-
tered, the sec-
tion devoted to
"Water Spaniels
other than
Irish" remained
blank till 1903.
For a year or
two previously a
few gentlemen.

MR. HARRY JONES
THE CHORISTER
BY WYCLIFFE COUNT SONGSTRESS.

THE SPORTING SPANIEL.

277

notably Mr. J. H. Stansfeld, Mr. Harry
Jones, and Mr. Winton Smith, had been
making heroic efforts to revive the in-
terest in the breed, I am afraid without
much success, since up to the present
date most of the entries at shows have
been provided by these three gentlemen

picture by Reinagle on page 275 seems
to me to be as good a standard as any to
go by, and the dog should in general ap-
pearance resemble somewhat closely the
Springer, except that he may be somewhat
higher on the leg, and that his coat should
consist of crisp, tight curls, almost like

THE SECOND DUKE OF NEWCASTLE AND HIS CLUMBER SPANIELS
FROM the Painting by FRANCIS WHEATLEY, R.A.. EXECUTED IN 1788.

themselves. The best seen so far have
been Mr. Winton Smith's Beechgrove Mal-
lard, Mr. H. Jones' Chorister and Diving
Bell, and Mr. Stansfeld's Lucky Shot. The
latter dog, despite his name, was unlucky
in not being eligible for entry in the Stud
Book on account of an unknown pedigree,
though he won at the Kennel Club Shows of
1901 and 1902, and also at the Field Trials.
The type of this breed is not very well fixed
at present, being more or less in a transition
stage, and, although both the Spaniel Club
and the Sporting Spaniel Society publish
descriptions, it is rather hard to find a
specimen which quite " fills the bill." The

Astrakhan fur, everywhere except on his
face, where it should be short. There should
be no topknot like that of the Irish Water
Spaniel.

Those who own this breed speak very
highly of its intelligence, fidelity, and adapt-
ability to sporting purposes ; but person-
ally I have had very little opportunity of
seeing those dogs at work, and must take
their many alleged good qualities more or
less for granted.

IV. The Clumber Spaniel. — At the

time of writing, Clumbers are in high favour

278

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

in the Spaniel world, both with shooting
men and exhibitors, and the breed, in my
opinion, well deserves from both points
of view the position which it occupies in
the public esteem. No other variety with
which I am acquainted is better equipped
mentally and physically for the work it is
called upon to do in aid of the gun ; and
few, certainly none of the Spaniels, surpass
or even equal it in appearance.

As a sporting dog, the Clumber is pos-
sessed of the very best of noses, a natural
inclination both to hunt his game and re-
trieve it when killed, great keenness and
perseverance, wonderful endurance and ac-
tivity considering his massive build, and as
a rule is very easy to train, being highly in-
telligent and most docile and " biddable."
Of course, some Clumbers among the
many that exist are fools, just as there are
imbeciles and weaklings among all races,
human as well as canine ; but they are the
exceptions, and, as a rule, the man who
owns a good dog of this breed, whether he
uses it as a retriever for driven birds,
works it in a team, or uses it as his
sole companion when he goes gunning,
possesses a treasure. The great success
of these Spaniels in the Field Trials
promoted by both the societies which foster
those most useful institutions is enough to
prove this, and more convincing still is the
tenacity with which the fortunate pos-
sessors of old strains, mostly residents in
the immediate neighbourhood of the original
home of the breed, have held on to them
and continued to breed and use them year
after year for many generations.

As a show dog, his massive frame, power-
ful limbs, pure white coat, with its pale
lemon markings and frecklings, and, above
all, his solemn and majestic aspect, mark
him out as a true aristocrat, with all the
beauty of refinement which comes from a
long line of cultured ancestors.

I have already alluded to the theory that
these dogs owe their origin to Baron Cuvier's
Alpine Spaniel, and have therefore some
affinity with the modern St. Bernard, an
idea that is to a great extent borne out
by a certain amount of resemblance (though

with several points of difference) between
these breeds in the shape of the head and
ears, and the general colouring. This, how-
ever, is pure speculation, and quite impos-
sible of being proved, since all research so
far has failed to carry their history back
any farther than the last quarter of the
eighteenth century. About that time the
Due de Noailles presented some Spaniels,
probably his whole kennel, which he brought
from France, to the second Duke of New-
castle, from whose place, Clumber Park,
the breed has taken its name. Beyond
this it seems impossible to go, and although
Mr. Phillips and I, when we were writing
" The Sporting Spaniel," were able to avail
ourselves of the help of several French
Spaniel experts, no trace of their origin
could be discovered in that country, where,
indeed, the Clumber seems to be generally
looked upon as a purely English breed.

There is a most interesting picture by
Francis Wheatley, R.A., in the hall at
Clumber Park representing the second Duke
seated on a shooting pony, Colonel Litch-
field, and Mansell, the head keeper, with
three Spaniels, believed to be three of the
original draft. This picture was painted
in 1788, and is thus nearly half a century
older than the picture by C. Hancock,
painted in 1834, of Lord Middleton and his
Clumbers, which is now in the possession of
Lord Wenlock at Escrick Park ; but it is
interesting to note how little the type of
the present-day Clumber has varied from
that depicted by both these famous artists.
The same can hardly be said of any other
breed of dog which has passed through
the crucible heated by the fiery furnace of
the " fancier's " imagination, and probably
few have been less altered and spoilt by
show bench fads and exaggerations.

From Clumber Park specimens found
their way to most of the other great houses
in the neighbourhood, notably to Althorp
Park, Welbeck Abbey, Birdsall House,
Thoresby Hall, and Osberton Hall. It is
from the kennels at the last-named place,
owned by Mr. Foljambe, that most of the
progenitors of the Clumbers which have
earned notoriety on the show bench de-

THE SPORTING SPANIEL.

279

rived their origin, and apparently we are
destined to owe them another debt of grati-
tude, on their recent dispersal, for setting
free a lot of valuable old blood of a care-
fully bred strain which has not been for
many years past available to outside breed-
ers. Nearly all the most famous show
winners of early days were descended from
Mr. Foljambe's dogs, and his Beau may
perhaps be considered one of the most im-
portant " pillars of the stud," as he was
the sire of Nabob, a great prize-winner, and
considered one of the best of his
day, who belonged at various times
during his career to such famous
showmen as Messrs. Phineas Bullock,
Mr. Fletcher, Mr. Rawdon Lee, and
Mr. G. Oliver. Other notable dogs
of this period were Duke, Trimbush,
Belle, Lapis, Psycho, Looby, and
Baron, besides Bruce, who won no
end of prizes, and was selected by
"Stonehenge " to illustrate the breed
in his "Dogs of the British Islands."
To the modern generation of Clum-
ber fanciers the name of Mr. H. H.
Holmes is well known, and probably
no owner has ever possessed so many MR
first-rate specimens. The dog which BY
first brought his name into promi-
nence was not bred by him, but by Mr.
Foljambe. I allude to his John o' Gaunt
(k.c.s.b. 11,610), a dog who must have
been an almost absolute model of perfection
if we are to believe all that has been recently
written about him. A reference, however,
to the contemporary stud books and other
records shows that the judges of the day
were not unanimous in this opinion, as he
suffered defeat on more than one occasion,
though there can be no question that he
was possessed of exceptional merit. Other
giants of the show ring owned by Mr.
Holmes were Tower, Hotpot, and Holmes's
Hermit, the latter of whom was shown in
Mr. McKenna's name as late as 1895.
This gentleman was also the possessor of
many fine specimens, with whom he won
many prizes, the best being Moston Beau,
Moston Duke, Pomfret Mac, and the beau-
tiful bitch, Wycombe Rattle. He also

owned for some time Holmes's Hermit,
Friar Bob, and Nora Friar. The distin-
guishing affix or prefix of " Friar," so well
known in the late 'eighties and early 'nine-
ties, belonged to Mr. Thorpe Hincks, a
great devotee of the breed, who was the
breeder and owner of many celebrated
animals, including, besides those mentioned
above, Friar John, Friar Boss, and Di
Friar.

There has been a great deal of lamenta-
tion lately among old breeders and ex-

w. M. MANGIN'S CH. PRESTON SHOT

BEECHGROVE TOMMY TRIGGER

hibitors about the decadence of the breed
and the loss of the true old type possessed
by these dogs which I have mentioned above.
But, despite all they can say to the con-
trary, the breed is now in a more flourish-
ing state than it ever has been ; and al-
though perhaps we have not now, nor have
had for the last decade, a John o' Gaunt or
a Tower, there have been a large number
of dogs shown during that time who pos-
sessed considerable merit and would prob-
ably have held their own even in the days of
these bygone heroes. Some of the most
notable have been Baillie Friar, Beechgrove
Donally, Goring of Auchentorlie, Hempsted
Toby, and Preston Shot, who all earned the
coveted title of Champion. The best of
this quintette, to my mind, was Goring of
Auchentorlie, who was picked up for a
small sum at a provincial show in Scotland
by Mr. C. A. Phillips and subsequently sold

28o

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

by him to Mr. Winton Smith. He was a
very massive and typical dog, with a grand
head, and during a short career hardly ever
suffered defeat.

The bitches of late years certainly have
not been very remarkable, and I cannot

h.m. the king's SANDRINGHAM LUCY

BY BRAE OF HARDWICK SANDRINGHAM BLOSSOM.

Photograph by Russell.

think of a single one with whom I could
honestly say I was satisfied since the retire-
ment of Mr. McKenna's Wycombe Rattle.
The best, I think, was Winsford Briar, of
whom I thought so highly that, after award-
ing her several first prizes and a champion-
ship or two, I purchased her from her then
owner, Mr. Oswald Burgess, in the hope that
I might breed something good. She was
very typical, but not nearly big enough, and
disappointed me by proving an obstinate
non-breeder.

Mr. Phillips brought out at the Crystal
Palace Show of 1906 a young dog who, if all
goes well, is probably destined to earn great
fame — Rivington Rolfe. He is a very big
dog, full of Clumber type, with a massive
head, already at sixteen months old as
well broken up as most dogs are at four
years, with sound and straight limbs, being
particularly straight and true behind, when'
so many Clumbers fail. He won in every

class he competed in, and was awarded the
Championship, a verdict endorsed by, I
believe, every one of the spectators round
the ring. His sire is Welbeck Reaper, a
dog bred by Mr. Foljambe, and now in the
possession of the Duke of Portland, who
bought the former gen-
tleman's kennel en bloc
in 1905.

A year previously
this dog was shown
under me at the same
show, just after he had
passed into the Duke's
possession, and, al-
though I was unable to
give him any better
than a V.H.C. card, I
told the keeper that I
expected him to prove
a most valuable sire, an
opinion I expressed also
in my report of the
show which appeared
in The Kennel Gazette,
so that I naturally felt
rather pleased when
Rivington Rolfe by
his successes proved
within such a short time that I was a
true prophet.

The Field Trials have, no doubt, had a
great deal to do with the largely augmented
popularity of the breed and the great in-
crease in the number of those who own Clum-
bers. For the first two or three years after
these were truly established no other breed
seemed to have a chance with them ; and
even now, though both English and Welsh
Springers have done remarkably well, they
more than hold their own. The most dis-
tinguished performer by far was Mr. Winton
Smith's Beechgrove Bee, a bitch whose
work was practically faultless, and the first
Field Trial Champion among Spaniels. Other
good Clumbers who earned distinction in
the field were Beechgrove Minette, Beech-
grove Maud (who subsequently passed into
my possession), the Duke of Portland's
Welbeck Sambo, and Mr. Phillips' Rivington
Honey, Rivington Pearl, and Rivington Reel.

THE SPORTING SPANIEL.

A good many have, I am pleased to say,
won prizes both at Field Trials and in the
show ring — notably Ch. Hempsted Toby,
Rivington Reel and Pearl, and Beechgrove
Bertha and Mand. This is as it should be,
and proves that there is no reason for the
assertion so commonly made about all
sporting breeds, that show strains are no
use for work.

In the year 1905 there was an animated
controversy carried on, principally in the
columns of The Field, about the desirability
or otherwise of a Clumber Spaniel's eye
" showing haw." These two words had
been included in the Spaniel Club's de-
scription ever since it was first drawn up
some twenty years previously, but a good
many members of the newly formed Clumber
Spaniel Club thought that they should be
deleted, as they considered the point an
undesirable one, on the grounds that an ex-
posed haw in a working dog rendered the
eye liable to injury or inflammation from
cold or from the pre-
sence of dust or other
foreign bodies. A joint
committee of the two
clubs was held at the
Field Trial meeting of
1904, and this amend-
ment was passed, but
upon its coming before
the Spaniel Club in the
spring of the following
year it was strongly
opposed by several
members, including Mr.
James Farrow, Mr.
Haylock, and others of
long experience in the
breed, who declared
that the exposed haw
had always been one
of the most typical
features of a Clum-
ber's head, and that
without it the true expression would be
entirely lost. Notwithstanding this oppo-
sition, the reformers won the day, and
these words no longer exist in the de-
scription published by either Club. But

36

the dispute did not rest here, and was re-
opened in The Field by Messrs. Holmes,
Rawdon Lee, and Bryden, who adduced
many arguments in favour of the " haw,"
and no doubt made out a very good case for
its antiquity, at least as far back as the
days of Tower and John o' Gaunt. They,
however, failed to convince their oppo-
nents, and as they were outnumbered in
both Clubs, and numbers are what count
when it comes to voting, they failed to get
the words " showing haw " reinstated.

My own opinion is that they failed ut-
terly to establish their case that this pecu-
liarity was an original characteristic. No
doubt it was present in Mr. Holmes' dogs,
but was it in the original strain ? I doubt
it, as it is not shown in Wheatley's picture,
nor is it mentioned in any of the descrip-
tions published by old writers, even in
that given by " Stonehenge," who was
such a close observer that one may safely
assume he would have had something to

MR. R. PRATTS CH.
BY WORSALL JUDGE"

COLWYN CLOWN

—DAPHNE.

say about such a point if he had considered
it an essential one. Anyhow, the matter
being in doubt, and the point being a use-
less, if not an absolutely harmful one in a
sporting dog, I see no use in retaining the

282

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

words, particularly as by their omission
judges are free to exercise their own dis-
cretion in the matter, and treat an exposed
haw as a point in a dog's favour or not, just
as they think fit.

The points and general description of
the breed as published by both the Spaniel
Club and the Clumber Spaniel Club are
identical. They are as follows :

i. Head. — Large, square and massive, of medium
length, broad on top) with a decided occiput ;
heavy brows with a deep stop ; heavy freckled
muzzle, with well developed flew.

2. Eyes. — Dark amber ; slightly sunk. A light
or prominent eye objectionable.

3. Ears. — Large, vine leaf shaped, and well
covered with straight hair and hanging slightly
forward, the feather not to extend below the
leather.

4. Neck. — Very thick and powerful, and well
feathered underneath.

5. Body (including size and symmetry). — Long
and heavy, and near the ground. Weight of dogs
about 55 lb. to 65 lb. ; bitches about 45 lb. to
55 lb.

6. Nose. — Square and flesh coloured.

7. Shoulders and Chest. — Wide and deep ;
shoulders strong and muscular.

8. Back and Loin. — Back straight, broad and
long ; loin powerful, well let down in flank.

9. Hind Quarters. — Very powerful and well
developed.

10. Stern. — Set low, well feathered, and carried
about level with the back.

ii. Feet and Legs. — Feet large and round, well
covered with hair ; legs short, thick and strong ;
hocks low.

12. Coat. — Long, abundant, soft and straight.

13. Colour. — Plain white with lemon markings ;
orange permissible but not desirable ; slight head
markings with white body preferred.

14. General Appearance. — Should be that of a
long, low, heavy , very massive dog, with a thought-
ful expression.

To these remarks I would add that
in my opinion it is a great mistake to
think, as many do, that a Clumber's head
should be short. It can hardly be too
long, since the dog is expected to retrieve,
but should be so square and massive and
deeply flewed as to appear to be only of
medium length.

The coat should be very thick and dense,
and of a silky texture. This is the most
weatherproof coat of all.

The pads should be very thick and
strong.

The hocks should be set straight. Main'
Clumbers are cow-hocked, which is a great
fault.

The forelegs should be straight, not
crooked like a Basset-hound's or Dachs-
hund's. Many otherwise good dogs fail in
this particular, owing to their great weight
when they are growing puppies forcing the
joints out of position.

The facial appearance should denote a
very high order of intelligence.

V. The Sussex Spaniel. — This is one
of the oldest of the distinct breeds of Land
Spaniels now existing in the British Islands,
and probably also the purest in point of
descent, since it has for many years past
been confined to a comparatively small
number of kennels, the owners of which
have always been at considerable pains to
keep their strains free from any admix-
ture of foreign blood.

More than a century ago Youatt, and
the authors of " The Sportsman's Cabinet "
and " Sportsman's Repository," wrote in
commendatory terms of the Spaniels found
in the county of Sussex, and even in France
the antiquity of the breed has found recog-
nition, as M. H. de la Blanchere, in his
work entitled " Les Chiens de Chasse,"
says : " Cette race du Sussex etait une des
plus anciennes, et probable -merit la premiere
qui ait ete asservi a la chasse au filet ou au
fusil dans les ties."

The modern race of Sussex Spaniels, as we
know it, and as it has existed since the be-
ginning of the dog show era, owes its origin
in the main to the kennel kept by Mr.
Fuller at Rosehill Park, Brightling, near
Hastings. This gentleman, who died in
1847, is said to have kept his strain for fifty
years or more, and to have shot over them
almost daily during the season, but at his
death they were dispersed by auction, and
none of them can be traced with any accu-
racy except a dog and a bitch which were
given at the time to Relf, the head keeper.
Relf survived his master for forty years,

THE SPORTING SPANIEL.

283

and kept up his interest in the breed to the
last. He used to say that the golden tinge
peculiar to the Rosehill breed came from a
bitch which had been mated with a dog be-
longing to Dr. Watts, of Battle, and that
every now and then what he termed a
" sandy " pup would turn up in her litters.
Owing to an outbreak of dumb madness in
the Rosehill kennels, a very large number
of its occupants either died or had to be
destroyed, and this no doubt accounted
for the extreme scarcity of the breed when
several enthusiasts began to revive it
about the year 1870. Mr. Saxby and Mr.
Marchant are said to have had the same
strain as that at Rosehill, and certainly one
of the most famous sires who is to be found
in most Sussex pedigrees was Buckingham,
by Marchant's Rover out of Saxby's Fan.

In the early days of dog showing the most
successful owners and breeders of these
Spaniels, besides those already mentioned,
were : Mr. Farner, Mr. A. W. Langdale,
Mr. T. Burgess, Mr. J. Fletcher, Mr. T. B.
Bowers, Dr. J. H. Salter, and Dr. J. H.
Spurgin, who all owned and exhibited several
very meritorious specimens.

Mr. Phineas Bullock, too, who owned at
the time the strongest show kennel of Field
Spaniels, was very successful, particularly
with his dog George, who was not, however,
by any means a pure Sussex, as both his
sire, Bob, and his dam, Nellie, were blacks,
and in consequence of a protest from Mr,
Bowers he was withdrawn from the show
ring, and his name appears in hardly any
Sussex pedigrees. Another dog, Bebb,
whose name occurs in many pedigrees, both
of Sussex and Black Field Spaniels, was also
of doubtful origin. He is certainly entered
in the Stud Book as a Sussex, but he was
got by Old Bob, who was either altogether
or half a Water Spaniel, and came from Lord
Derby's kennel. However that may be,
it was from the union of Buckingham, men-
tioned above, and claimed to be pure Rose-
hill, with Bebb's daughter Peggie that the
great Bachelor resulted — a dog whose name
is to be found in almost every latter-day
pedigree, though Mr. Campbell Newington's
strain, to which has descended the historic

prefix " Rosehill," contains less of this
blood than any other.

About 1879 Mr. T. Jacobs, of Newton
Abbot, up to then, with perhaps the excep-
tion of Mr. Phineas Bullock, the most suc-
cessful breeder and exhibitor of Field
Spaniels, took up this breed ; and, as was
his custom with any breed he touched,
took it up with great success, owning,
amongst other good specimens, Russett,
Dolly, Brunette, and Bachelor III., the
latter a dog whose services at the stud can-
not be estimated too highly. When this
kennel was broken up in 1891, the best of
the Sussex Spaniels, as well as of the Blacks,
were acquired by Mr. Woolland, who had
been an exhibitor of the breed for some five
or six years previously, and from that date
this gentleman's kennel carried all before
it until it in turn was broken up and dis-
persed in 1905.

So successful was Mr. Woolland that one
may almost say that he beat all other com-
petitors off the field, though one of them,
Mr. Campbell Newington, of whose kennel I
shall speak presently, stuck most gallantly
to him all through. The name of Mr.
Woolland's famous dogs is legion, but the
best of those owning his celebrated prefix,
" Bridford," were : Dalhon, Maubert,
Battle, Victor, Maud, Naomi, Brida II.,
Minnie, Giddie, Dolly, Leopold, Queenie,
Pierrette, Bredaboy, Mocky, and Daisy.
Of these I consider the dog Bridford
Giddie (k.c.s.b. 26,957) and the bitch
Bridford Dolly to have been the two best
Sussex Spaniels I have ever seen, with
scarcely a fault which the most hypercritical
judge could find, either on the score of
type or make and shape.

Mr. Campbell Newington, who has been
breeding Sussex Spaniels for over a quarter
of a century with an enthusiasm and
tenacity worthy of the warmest admiration,
began by buying Laurie and a bitch named
D'Arcy from Dr. Williams, of Hayward's
Heath. Laurie was considered by Dr.
Williams, one of the best authorities of
his day, to be the best Sussex he had ever
had, and very typical. His next purchase
was Lady Rosehill, a very blue-blooded

284

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

bitch indeed, being directly descended from
the dogs carried off from Rosehill by old
Relf ; and he subsequently became pos-
sessed of two other pure Rosehill bitches,
named Cyprus and Bustle, so that his
strain is probably the purest, and more full
of the original blood than any other. Al-
though Mr. Newington's kennel has been
somewhat overshadowed by the phenomenal
success of the " Bridford " Spaniels, it has

MRS. F. WOOLLAND'S CH. BRIDFORD MOCKY

BY BRIDFORD PRINCE BRIDFORD MINNIE.

BRED BY MR. M. WOOLLAND.

always maintained a very high standard
of excellence, and many famous show
specimens have come from it, notably
Rosehill Ruler II. (a splendid Sussex,
scarcely inferior to Bridford Giddie), Romu-
lus, Reine, Rita, Rush, Rock, Rag, and
Ranji, and many others of almost equal
merit.

Although the lion's share of the prizes has
been divided between these two kennels,
a good many useful Spaniels of this breed
have been shown from time to time by other
exhibitors. Mr. Robert Chapman's Heather
Glen, Heather Ann, and Heather May were
all of more than average merit, and Mr.
F. C. Wade and Mr. E. Boniface have both
achieved a certain measure of success.

My own kennel of Sussex, started from
a " Woolland-bred " foundation, has been
going for some fifteen years, the best I have
shown being Jonathan Swift, Celbridge
Eldorado, and Celbridge Chrysolite. I have
not found them very easy to breed, the

bitches being very uncertain, and the pup-
pies delicate and hard to rear when one does
get a good litter ; but in spite of this I still
retain enough enthusiasm to stick to it,
especially as at the present time, owing to
Mr. Woolland's retirement, the breed seems
to be left almost entirely to Mr. Newington
and myself, we having furnished between
us eighteen out of the twenty entries at
the last Kennel Club Show. This delicacy
I attribute mainly to excessive inbreeding,
which is, I fear, almost unavoidable, as there
are so few pure-bred specimens left.

The breed has always had a good charac-
ter for work, and most of the older writers
who mention them speak of Sussex Spaniels
in very eulogistic terms. They are rather
slow workers, but thoroughly conscientious
and painstaking, and are not afraid of any
amount of thick covert, through which they
will force their way, and seldom leave any-
thing behind them.

All Sussex Spaniels give tongue when on
a scent ; at least, there are very few ex-
ceptions to this rule, and it used to be
said that one could tell by the difference of
the note whether one of these dogs was
hunting fur or feather.

In these days mute Spaniels are fashion-
able, and it has been the custom among
Field Trial judges to penalise a Spaniel who
gives tongue. This is, I think, a mistake,
as it is natural for some breeds to do so ;
and I must say that to my ears the deep
melodious note of a Sussex Spaniel is a
most pleasant sound, and not without its
uses, as one often brings off a shot, particu-
larly at rabbits in thick covert, which one
would not have a chance of without that
warning from one's four-footed companion.
Several of Mr. Newington's Sussex have
competed, with considerable credit to them-
selves, at the Field Trials, though the more
attractive work of the Clumbers and Spring-
ers has prevented them attaining the high-
est honours.

A well-bred Sussex Spaniel is a very
handsome dog. Indeed, his beautiful colour
alone is enough to make his appearance an
attractive one, even if he were unsym-
metrical and ungainly in his proportions.

THE SPORTING SPANIEL.

285

This colour, known as golden liver, is
peculiar to the breed, and is the great touch-
stone and hall-mark of purity of blood. No
other dog has exactly the same shade of
coat, which I do not think the word " liver "
describes very exactly, as it is totally dif-
ferent from the ordinary liver colour of an
Irishman, a Pointer, or even a liver Field
Spaniel. It is rather a golden chestnut
with a regular metallic sheen as of bur-
nished metal, showing more especially on the
head and face and everywhere where the
hair is short. This is very apparent when
a dog gets his new coat. In time, of course,
it is liable to get somewhat bleached by
sun and weather, when it turns almost yel-
low. Every expert knows this colour well,
and looks for it at once when judging a class
of Sussex.

The description of the breed given by
the Spaniel Club is as follows :

1. Head. — The skull should be moderately long,
and also wide, with an indentation in the middle,
and a full stop, brows fairly heavy ; occiput full,
but not pointed, the whole giving an appearance
of heaviness without dulness.

2. Eyes. — Hazel colour, fairly large, soft and
languishing, not showing the haw overmuch.

3. Nose. — The muzzle should be about three
inches long, square, and the lips somewhat
pendulous. The nostrils well developed and liver
colour.

4. Ears. — Thick, fairly large, and lobe shaped ;
set moderately low, but relatively not so low as
in the Black Field Spaniel ; carried close to the
head, and furnished with soft wavy hair.

5. Neck. — Is rather short, strong, and slightly
arched, but not carrying the head much above
the level of the back. There should not be much
throatiness in the skin, but well marked frill in
the coat.

6. Chest and Shoulders. — The chest is round,
especially behind the shoulders, deep and wide,
giving a good girth. The shoulders should be
oblique.

7. Back and Back Ribs. — The back and loin are
long, and should be very muscular, both in width
and depth ; for this development the back ribs
must be deep. The whole body is characterised
as low, long, level, and strong.

8. Legs and Feet. — The arms and thighs must
be bony, as well as muscular, knees and hocks
large and strong, pasterns very short and bony,
feet large and round, and with short hair between
the toes. The legs should be very short and
strong, with great bone, and may show a slight

bend in the forearm, and be moderately well
feathered. The hind legs should not be apparently
shorter than the fore legs, or be too much bent at
the hocks, so as to give a Settery appearance which
is so objectionable. The hind legs should be well
feathered above the hocks, but should not have
much hair below that point. The hocks should
be short and wide apart.

9. Tail. — Should be docked from five to seven
inches, set low, and not carried above the level
of the back, thickly clothed with moderately long
feather.

10. Coat. — Body coat abundant, flat or slightly
waved, with no tendency to curl, moderately well
feathered on legs and stern, but clean below the
hocks.

11. Colour. — Rich golden liver ; this is a certain
sign of the purity of the breed, dark liver or puce
denoting unmistakably a recent cross with the
black or other variety of Field Spaniel.

12. General Appearance. — Rather massive and
muscular, but with free movements and nice tail
action denoting a tractable and cheerful disposition.
Weight from 35 lb. to 45 lb.

I can add nothing to this excellent de-
scription, but should like to eliminate the
words allowing a "slight bend in the fore-
arm." This appears to me to open the
door to crooked fore-legs, which I consider
a great defect in any Spaniel, and one that
is unhappily only too prevalent.

VI. The Field Spaniel. — The modern
Field Spaniel may be divided into two
classes. Indeed, we may almost say at
this stage of canine history, two breeds,
as for several years past there has not
been very much intermingling of blood
between the Blacks and those known by
the awkward designation of " Any Other
Variety," though, of course, all came origin-
ally from the same parent stock.

The black members of the family have
always been given the pride of place, and
accounted of most importance, though
latterly their parti-coloured brethren seem
to have rather overtaken them, so, as it is
difficult to treat both together, I will deal
with them first.

Among the really old writers there is one
mention, and one only, of Spaniels of a
black colour. Arcussia speaks of them,
and of their being used in connection with

286

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

the sport of hawking, but from his time up
to the middle of the nineteenth century,
though many colours are spoken of as being
appropriate to the various breeds of Spaniels,
no author mentions black.

There appears to be no doubt that
" Stonehenge " — than whom no one is more
accurate — was right when he asserted that
the modern dog was " bred from a cross of
the Sussex with the old-fashioned Cocker

MR. F. E. SCHOFIELD'S CH. SOLUS
BY CH. BACHELOR SALUS (JULY, 1880).

of Devon or Wales, selecting the
blacks, so as to become almost in-
variably of that colour." Anyone
who will take the trouble to trace
back Sussex, Cocker, and Field Spaniel
pedigrees, even as far as the first
volume of the Kennel Club's Stud
Book, will find abundant confirma-

q

tion of this statement, and will be
forced to the conviction that this
variety owes its size and the greater por-
tion of its conformation to the Sussex, and
its colour to the old-fashioned Cocker.

The first strain of blacks of which we
know much belonged to Mr. F. Burdett, and
was obtained from a Mr. Footman, of Lut-
terworth, Leicestershire, who was supposed
to have owned them for some time. Mr. Bur-
dett's Bob and Frank may be found at the
head of very many of the best pedigrees.
At his death most of his Spaniels became
the property of Mr. Jones, of Oscott, and
Mr. Phineas Bullock, of Bilston, the latter

of whom was most extraordinarily success-
ful, and owned a kennel of Field Spaniels
which was practically unbeatable between
the dates of the first Birmingham Show in
i86r and the publication of the first volume
of the Kennel Club's Stud Book in 1874,
many, if not most, of the dogs which won
for other owners having been bred by him.
His Nellie and Bob, who won the chief

prizes

year after year at all the. leading
shows, were probably the two best
specimens of their day, and Mr.
Rawdon Lee has selected Nellie as
his ideal Black Spaniel.

Another most successful breeder
was Mr. W W. Boulton, of Bc\ r-
ley, who also bred a Nellie, who
with her son, Brush, was selected
by " Stonehenge " for especial
commendation and illustration in
his Dogs of the British Islands."

. H. TRIMBLES CH. MATFORD DAISY

CH MAGELLAN EXMINSTER MATFORD FLO.

Mr. Boulton 's kennel produced many cele-
brated dogs, including Beverlac, said to be
the largest Field Spaniel ever exhibited, and
Rolf, whose union with Belle produced four
bitches who were destined, when mated
with Nigger, a dog of Mr. Bullock's breed-
ing, to form the foundation of the equally
if not more famous kennel belonging to Mr.
T. Jacobs, of Newton Abbot.

It was Mr. Jacobs who. by judiciously
mating his Sussex sires Bachelor, Bachelor
III., and others with these black-bred
bitches, established the strain which in his

THE SPORTING SPANIEL.

287

hands and in those of his successors, Captain
S. M. Thomas and Mr. Moses Woolland,
carried all before it for many years, and is
still easily at the top of the tree, being the
most sought for and highly prized of all on
account of its " quality." The list of dogs
which, while in this gentleman's possession,
made history, is a very formidable one, and
far too long to quote in extenso, but the
following names are among the best known,
and their bearers have, through their
descendants, exercised a great influence
on the breed : — Nigger, Kaffir, Squaw,
Newton Abbot Blossom, Newton Ab-
bot Victor, Newton Abbot Lassie,
and Newton Abbot Shah, subsequently
acquired by Mr. Woolland and re-
christened Bridford Shah. Probably
the best Black Spaniel ever bred by
Mr. Jacobs was also bought by Mr.
Woolland, the bitch Bridford Per-
fection, by Newton Abbot King out
of Newton Abbot Duchess. This
beautiful bitch, who was fully worthy
of her name, cost her plucky pur-
chaser nearly £400 — viz. £380 in cash
and a further consideration ; and after
an all too short career, during which
she never had to put up with defeat,
died childless. Such are the disappointments
which breeders have to endure. In 1891
Mr. Jacobs decided to disperse his kennel,
and the pick of the Spaniels were divided
between Captain S. Moreton Thomas and
Mr. Woolland. The former gentleman ac-
quired some beautiful specimens, including
such well-known animals as Newton Abbot
King, Barnum, Ripper, Lassie, and Glory,
but he does not seem to have met with
much success in carrying on the strain,
and we meet with very few dogs nowadays
descended from the Spaniels he showed
so successfully for several years.

On the other hand, Mr. Jacobs' mantle
as a breeder seems to have fallen upon
Mr. Woolland's shoulders, and up to the
time in 1906 when he in turn gave up
breeding and disposed of his kennel, he
had easily outdistanced all his competitors.

Although Mr. Jacobs was undoubtedly
the most prominent figure among the ex-

hibitors of blacks of his day, many of his
contemporaries were breeding and showing
specimens of very great merit, notably
Mr. W. W. Boulton, Mr. J. Smith, of Coles-
hill, Mr. Theo. Marples, Dr. J. H. Spurgin,
Mr. C. C. Lawrence, Colonel Cornwall Legh
Mr. James Farrow, Mr. H. Bird, Messrs.
Mortlock and Prance, Mr. J. H. Hussey,
and Mr. P. E. Le Gros.

A very great number of winning black
Spaniels came during the 'nineties from
these kennels, the following names being

MR R PRATT s ACE OF TRUMPS

BY CH. KEN TWILIGHT ROTHERWOOD PRINCESS

those of perhaps the greatest distinction : —
Mr. Farrow's Gipping Sam (afterwards
Buckle), Mr. J. Smith's Beverley Comet,
Mr. Marples' Moonstone and Maxim, Mr.
Lawrence's Cloisonne, Colonel Cornwall
Legh's Mimic, Music, and Maize, the latter
subsequently owned by me, and Mr. J.
Smith's Coleshill Chloe, whom I also bought
and renamed Celbridge Chloe. Another
very beautiful bitch was Colonel Gostwyck
Gard's Rona, whose head and ears were
admitted by everyone to be little short
of ideal.

All this time, however, Mr. Woolland
seemed able to defy competition, and to
win with the greatest ease whenever he
chose to exhibit, which, to his credit be
it said, was very seldom, and only at the
principal shows. No one could ever accuse
him of going round the small shows with
his champion dogs and mopping up all
the small prizes, as I am sorry to say is

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

not infrequently done by the owners of
strong kennels. I will only quote the
names of those dogs of his which have
attained the rank of full champion, though
there have been a good many others of
almost equal merit : Bridford Perfection,
Shah, Brilliant, Tommy, Gipsy, Jappy,
Duke, and Boy. Of these I consider
Brilliant to have been the best dog of the
breed I have ever seen, and Gipsy the best
bitch. Both were full of quality and free
from all exaggerations, being each beau-

r vy

MRS. E. C ROUSE'S BLUE ROAN

TRUMPINGTON ROGER

BY WELSH ROGER LAMBTON LASS.

tifully proportioned and very symmetrical.
Jappy was very little inferior to Gipsy all
round, and, indeed, beat her in legs and
feet. Mr. Woolland's blood was also re-
sponsible for the success of many other
kennels, among them my own, and in a
large measure Mr. H. E. Gray's, which
now seems to hold the premier position.
His best dogs have been Lord Dunnohoo
(who was decidedly unlucky not to have
been numbered among the champions),
Magellan, Magician, Druid, and Juanita.
The blacks from this kennel have also
competed with a fair amount of credit
to themselves at the Field Trials.

If Black Spaniels are not quite so popular
at present as they were some years ago,
the fault lies with those breeders, exhibitors,
and judges (the latter being most to blame)
who encouraged the absurd craze for ex-
cessive length of body and shortness of
leg which not very long ago threatened
to transform the whole breed into a race
of cripples, and to bring it into contempt
and derision among all practical men. No
breed or variety of dog has suffered more
from the injudicious fads and crazes of
those showmen who are not sportsmen
also. At one time among a certain class
of judges at, I am glad to say, principally
minor shows, length and lowness was every-
thing, and soundness, activity and sym-
metry simply did not count. As happens
to all absurd crazes of this kind when
carried to exaggeration, public opinion has
proved too much for it, but not before a
great deal of harm has been done to a
breed which is certainly ornamental, and
can be, in my experience, most useful as
well. Most of the prize-winners of the pre-
sent day are sound, useful dogs capable of
work, and it is to be hoped that judges
will combine to keep them so.

The coloured Field Spaniel has now
almost invariably at the principal shows
special classes allotted to him, and does
not have to compete against his black
brother, as used to be the case in former
years.

The systematic attempt to breed Spaniels
of various colours, with a groundwork of
white, does not date back much more
than a quarter of a century, and the greater
part of the credit for producing this variety
may be given to three gentlemen, Mr. F. E.
Schofield, Dr. J. H. Spurgin, and Mr. J. W.
Robinson, although the following breeders
may be said to have contributed not a
little towards establishing it : Major Willett,
Messrs. Hopcroft, H. P. Green, T. Harring-
ton, C. C. Lawrence, P. E. Le Gros, and
J. Smith. In the early days of breeding
blacks, when the bitches were mated either
with Sussex or liver and white Springers
or Norfolk Spaniels, many parti-coloured
puppies necessarily occurred, which most

THE SPORTING SPANIEL.

289

breeders destroyed ; but it occurred to
some of these gentlemen that a handsome
and distinct variety might be obtained by
careful selection, and they have certainly
succeeded to a very great extent. The
most famous names among the early sires
are Dr. Spurgin's Alonzo and his son Fop,
and Mr. Robinson's Alva Dash, from one

MRS. E. C. ROWSE S

CH. TRUMPINGTON DORA

BY COLESHILL CLIMAX TRUMPINGTON

DONNA.

or other of whom nearly all the
modern celebrities derive their
descent. A granddaughter of
Alva Dash named Coleshill Mag-
pie, the property of Mr. J. Smith,
has probably been the most suc-
cessful brood bitch ever known
in this variety, as the following
winners at important shows
during the last decade are all descended
from her : Coleshill Red Girl, Coleshill
Span, Coleshill Constance, Coleshill Climax,
Kempston Clytemnestra, Kempston Cameo,
Welsh Joseph, Briton Still, Trumpington
Dax, Trumpington Dora, Chesterton Gay
Bess, and Shillington Rona.

Those who have been, and are, interested
in promoting and breeding these variety
Spaniels no doubt deserve a large amount
of credit for their perseverance, which has

there is, as I have often been told, a very
great fascination in breeding for colour,
and in doing so there is no royal road to
success, which can only be attained by
the exercise of the greatest skill and the
nicest discrimination in the selection of
breeding stock. At the same time colour
is not everything, and type and working
qualities should never be
sacrificed to it.

I am bound to state as
my deliberate opinion, that
this has been done in the
case of coloured Field
Spaniels. There are plenty
of beautiful blue roans, red
roans, and tricolours,
whether blue roan and tan
or liver roan and tan, but
nearly all of them are either

MR. ROBERT PRATT'S TRUMPINGTON DAX
BY COLESHILL CLIMAX TRUMPINGTON DONNA.

cocktailed, weak in hindquarters, crooked-
fronted, or houndy-headed, and showing
far too much haw. In fact, in head and
front the greater number of the tricolours
remind one of the Basset-hound almost as
much as they do in colour. I hope that
colour-breeders will endeavour to get back
the true Spaniel type before it is too
late. I am not alone in this dislike of
the present type of coloured Field Spaniel.

Only a very short time ago one of the
been attended with the greatest success oldest breeders and judges of Spaniels,
so far as producing colour goes. No doubt and one of the pioneers of this particular

2go

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

variety, said to me : " They have had
the colour for ten years. Don't you think
it is time they paid some attention to type
and to sound limbs ? " The truest Spaniels,
and therefore, in my opinion, the best
of this variety I have judged, have been
Coleshill Constance, Shillington Rona, and
Trumpington Dora. The last-named bitch
I consider the best variety Spaniel I have
ever seen in the show ring, and I think it
a great pity that she should have been
sold to go to America. Trumpington Donna
was in many respects a beautiful bitch,
but her forelegs were as crooked as a Dachs-
hund's.

The points of both black and coloured
Field Spaniels are identical, bar colour,
and here let me say that black and tan,
liver and tan, and liver are not considered
true variety colours, though of course they
have to compete in those classes, but
rather sports from black. The colours
aimed at by variety breeders have all a
ground colour of white, and are black
and white, blue roan, liver and white,
red roan, liver white and tan, and tri-
colours or quadri-colours — i.e. blue or red-
roan and tan, or both combined, with
tan. The Spaniel Club furnishes the fol-
lowing description of the Black Field
Spaniel : — ■

1. Head. — Should be quite characteristic of this
grand sporting dog, as that of the Bloodhound
or the Bulldog ; its very stamp and countenance
should at once convey the conviction of high breed-
ing, character and nobility ; skull well developed,
with a distinctly elevated occipital tuberosity,
which, above all, gives the character alluded to ;
not too wide across muzzle, long and lean, never
snipy nor squarely cut, and in profile curving
gradually from nose to throat ; lean beneath eyes,
a thickness here gives coarseness to the whole head.
The great length of muzzle gives surface for the
free deve'opment of the olfactory nerve, and thus
secures the highest possible scenting powers.

2. Eyes. — Not too full, but not small, receding or
overhung ; colour dark hazel or dark brown, or
nearly black ; grave in expression, and bespeaking
unusual docility and instinct.

3. Ears. — Set low down as possible, which
greatly adds to the refinement and beauty of the
head, moderately long and wide, and sufficiently
clad with nice Setter-like feather.

4. Neck. — Very strong and muscular, so as to

enable the dog to retrieve his game without
undue fatigue ; not too short, however.

5. Body (including Size and Symmetry . — Long
and very low, well ribbed up to a good strong loin,
straight or slightly arched, never slack ; weight
from about 35 pounds to 45 pounds.

6. Nose. — Well developed, with good open
nostrils, and always black.

7. Shoulders and Chest. — Former sloping and
free, latter deep and well developed, but not too
round and wide.

8. Back and Loin. — -Very strong and mus-
cular ; level and long in proportion to the height
of the dog.

9. Hindquarters. — Very powerful and mus-
cular, wide, and fully developed.

10. Stern. — Well set on, and carried low, if
possible below the level of the back, in a perfectly
straight line, or with a slight downward inclina-
tion, never elevated above the back, and in action
always kept low, nicely fringed, with wavy feather
of silky texture.

11. Feet and Legs. — Feet not too small,
and well protected between the toes with soft
feather ; good strong pads. Legs straight and
immensely boned, strong and short, and nicely
feathered with straight or waved Setter-like
feather, overmuch feathering below the hocks
objectionable.

12. Coat.- Flat or slightly waved, and never
curled. Sufficiently dense to resist the weather,
and not too short. Silky in texture, glossy, and
refined in nature, with neither duffelness on the
one hand nor curl or wiriness on the other. On
chest under belly, and behind the legs, there
should be abundant feather, but never too much,
and that of the right sort, viz. Setter-like. The
tail and hindquarters should be similarly adorned.

13. Colour. — Jet black throughout, glossy and
true. A little white on chest, though a drawback,
not a disqualification.

14. General Appearance. — That of a sporting
dog, capable of learning and doing anything pos-
sible for his inches and conformation. A grand
combination of beauty and utility.

An excellent description of an excellent
dog. I should like to substitute the words
" moderately long and low," or simply
" long and low," for " long and very low "
in paragraph five, otherwise I have no
amendments to make. This description-
with, of course, the exception of the last
paragraph but one — applies equally to the
coloured variety.

VII. The English Springer.— It is only
quite recently that the Kennel Club has

THE SPORTING SPANIEL.

291

officially recognised the variety known by
the name at the head of this section.
For a long time the old-fashioned liver and
white or black and white Spaniels, longer
in the leg than either Sussex or Field
Spaniels, had been known as Norfolk
Spaniels, and under this title the Spaniel
Club had published a description of them.
There had, however, been a considerable
amount of discussion about the propriety
of this name of " Norfolk," and the weight
of the evidence adduced went to show
that as far as any territorial connection
with the county of that name went, it was
a misnomer, and that it probably arose
from the breed having been kept by one
of the Dukes of Norfolk, most likely that
one quoted by Blaine in his " Rural Sports,"
who was so jealous of his strain that it
was only on the expressly stipulated con-
dition tnat they were not to be allowed
to breed in the direct line that he would
allow one to leave his kennels.

Accordingly, when this old breed was
taken up by the Sporting Spaniel Society,
they decided to drop the name of " Nor-
folk," and to revert to the old title of
" Springer," not, in my opinion, a very
happy choice, as all Spaniels are, properly
speaking, Springers in contradistinction to
Setters. The complete official designation
on the Kennel Club's register is " English
Springers other than Clumbers, Sussex,
and Field," a very clumsy name for a
breed. There is no doubt that this variety
of Spaniel retains more resemblance to the
old strains which belonged to our fore-
fathers, before the long and low idea found
favour in the eyes of exhibitors, and it
was certainly well worth preserving. The
only way nowadays by which uniformitv
of type can be obtained is by somebody
having authority drawing up a standard
and scale of points for breeders to go by,
and the Sporting Spaniel Society are to
be commended for having done this for
the breed under notice, the fruit of their
action being already apparent in the larger
and more uniform classes to be seen at
shows. At first no doubt it was a spirit
of protest against the exaggerated

" fanciers' " specimens of Field Spaniels,
which were only too common, which led
them to establish what they styled " Work-
ing Type Classes " ; but these classes
proved anything but a success, as, besides
Norfolk Spaniels or Springers, they were
filled with all sorts of nondescripts, the
only apparent qualification being the posses-
sion of sufficiently long legs. Many, if not
most, of them were misfit Field Spaniels,
who would have had a short shrift but for
the new field of industry opened to them
by these novel classes. Indeed, five or
six years ago I have several times seen
litter brothers at a show, one in the orthodox
Field Spaniel classes and the other in the
" Working Type."

For the last three years, however, matters
have been improving, and, although one
can hardly say that the type has ever yet
been properly fixed, things are tending
that way, and before long we may hope
to see as uniform classes of Springers as
of any other breed of Spaniels.

As the officially recognised life of the
breed has been such a short one, there
are naturally not very many names of
note among the prize-winners. The princi-
pal breeders and owners have so far been
Mr. W. Arkwright, Mr. Harry Jones, Sir
Hugo FitzHerbert, Mr. C. C. Bethune
Eversfield, and Mr. Winton Smith ; the
dogs which have most distinguished them-
selves in the show ring being Ark, Fan-
some, Tissington Fan, Tissington Bounce,
and Beechgrove Will. These dogs have
done very well indeed at the field trials,
notably those owned by Mr. C. C. Bethune
Eversfield, Nimrod, Velox Powder, Cas-
monite Powder, Amberite Powder, Nitro
Powder, and Schwab Powder, and Mr.
Gardner's Tring, who was the first Spaniel
to lower the colours of the redoubtable
Clumber bitch Beechgrove Bee.

They are undoubtedly the right dogs
for those who want Spaniels to travel
faster and cover more ground than the
more ponderous and short-legged Clumbers,
Sussex, or Field Spaniels do, but I do not
think their work is equal in finish and
precision to that of either of the two former

292

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

breeds, though certainly the best working
Spaniel I have ever owned myself was one
of this type about seventeen or eighteen
years ago, before it became fashionable,
and before Spaniel trials were thought of.
The description of the breed is as follows : —

i. Head. — Skull long and rather narrow ; a
stop ; the muzzle broad and long to the end.
2. Eyes. — Rather small, bright, intelligent.

MR. HARRY JONES' CH. FANSOME
BY PUNCH BEECHGROVE CHRISSY.

3. Ears. — Long, low-set, lobular.

4. Neck. — Lean, long, and slightly arched.

5. Body (including Size and Symmetry). —
Fairly heavy body ; legs rather longer than the
other Field Spaniels, but not so long as in Irish ;
medium size.

6. Nose. — Large and soft.

7. Shoulder and Chest. — Shoulders long and
sloping ; chest deep and fairly broad.

8. Back and Loin. — Back flat and strong ;
loin rather long, flat and strong.

9. Hindquarters. — Long ; hocks well let down ;
stifles moderately bent, not twisted inward or
outward.

10. Stern. — Low carried, i.e. not above the
level of the back.

11. Feet and Legs. — Strong boned, inclining to
shortness ; feet large and rather flat.

12. Coat. — Not woolly, not curly, but may be
broken.

13. Colour. — Liver and white, black and white.

14. General Appearance. — An active, useful,
and medium-sized dog.

1 think it would have been as well to
have fixed some approximate standard of
size or weight. " Medium sized " is rather
vague, and to have used the word " waved "
in place of " broken," in referring to the

coat ; and I cannot see the object of flat
feet.

Since the above was written, the following
revised description of the English Springer
has been issued by the Sporting Spaniel
Society :—

1. Skull. — Long and slightly arched on top,
fairly broad, with a stop, and well-developed
temples.

2. Jaws. — Long and broad, not snipy, with
plenty of thin lip.

3. Eyes. — Medium size, not too full, but bright
and intelligent, of a rich brown.

4. Ears. — Of fair length, low set, and lobular
in shape.

5. Neck. — Long, strong, and slightly arched.

6. Shoulders. — Long and sloping.

7. Forelegs. — Of a moderate length, straight,
with flat strong bone.

8. Body. — Strong, with well-sprung ribs, good
girth, and chest deep and fairly broad.

9. Loin. — Rather long, strong, and slightly
arched.

10. Hindquarters and Hindlegs. — Very mus-
cular, hocks well let down, stifles moderately
bent, and not twisted inwards or outwards.

11. Feet. — Strong and compact.

12. Stern. — Low carried, not above the level
of the back, and with a vibratory motion.

13. Coat. — Thick and smooth or very slightly
wavy, it must not be too long. The feathering
must be only moderate on the ears, and scanty
on the legs, but continued down to the heels.

14. Colour. — Liver and white and black and
white (with or without tan), fawn and white,
yellow and white, also roans and self colours of
all these tints. The pied colours are preferable,
however, as more easily seen in cover.

15. General Appearance. — An active compact
dog, upstanding, but by no means stilty. His
height at shoulder should about equal his length
from the top of the withers to the root of the
tail.

VIII. The Welsh Springer.— Like the

English Springer, the Welsh Springer has
only very recently
come into exist-
ence — officially,
that is to say ; '
but his admirers
claim for him
that he has ex-
isted as a sepa-
rate breed f< >r
a long t i in e .
though 11 o t

CH. LONGMYND MYFANWY.

THE SPORTING SPANIEL.

293

beyond the bounds of the Principality,
where he is referred to as the Starter.

When his claims were first put forward
they were vigorously contested by many
who could claim to speak and write with
authority upon the various breeds of Spaniels
existing in these islands, and it was freely
asserted that they were nothing but cross-
breds between the ordinary Springer and
probably a Clumber in order to account
for the red or orange markings and the
vine-leaf-shaped ears. I must confess that
at first I was inclined to take this view,
but the many excellent classes I have seen
during the last few years, filled with Spaniels
all of the same type, have quite converted
me, and I think that a case has been fairly
made out for them. Even if they are a
new breed, which I do not suggest for a
moment in face of all the evidence pro-
duced in their favour, they are a most
meritorious one, both in their ap-
pearance, which is eminently sport-
ing and workmanlike, and for the
excellence of their work in the field,
which has been amply demonstrated
by the record earned at the field
trials by Mr. A. T. Williams and
others. I have never seen this breed
at work myself, so cannot speak
from personal experience, but those
who have, have nothing but good
to say of them, and for working
large rough tracts of country in
teams their admirers say they are
unequalled.

In appearance they are decidedly
attractive, rather more lightly built
than most Spaniels, small in size, in-
deed very little larger than Cockers,
invariably white in colour, with red
or orange markings, and possessing
rather fine heads with small Clumber-
shaped ears. Their general appear-
ance is that of extremely smart and
active little dogs. Mr. A. T. Williams,
Mr. Harry Jones, Mr. H. D. Greene, Mr.
B. C. Ransome, and several others have
shown good specimens, the most famous
prize-winners of the breed so far having
been Kimla Dash, Corrin, Tramp of Gerwn,

Rover of Gerwn, Gypsy of Gerwn, Cardinal,
Rock, and Longmynd Myfanwy.

The Welsh Springer is described by the
Sporting Spaniel Society as follows :

1. Skull. — Fairly long and fairly broad, slightly
rounded with a stop at the eyes.

2. Jaws. — Medium length, straight, fairly square.
the nostrils well developed, and flesh coloured or
dark. A short, chubby head is objectionable.

3. Eyes. — Hazel or dark, medium size, not
prominent, not sunken, nor showing haw.

4. Ears. — Comparatively small and gradually
narrowing towards the tip, covered with feather
not longer than the ear, set moderately low and
hanging close to the cheeks.

5. Neck. — Strong, muscular, clean in throat.

6. Shoulders. — Long and sloping.

7. Forelegs. — Medium length, straight, good
bone, moderately feathered.

8. Body. — Strong, fairly deep, not long, well-
sprung ribs. Length of body should be pro-
portionate to length of leg.

9. Loin. — Muscular and strong, slightly arched,
well coupled up and knit together.

MRS. H. D.
BY CORRIN-

Photogmpli by

GREENE'S UH. KOU
—GLORY OF GERWN.

". Fall.

10. Hindquarters and Hindlegs. — Strong ; hocks
well let down ; stifles moderately bent (not twisted
in or out), not feathered below the hock on the
leg.

11. Feet. — Round, with thick pads.

12. Stern. — Low, never carried above the level
of the back, feathered, and with a lively motion.

294

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

13. Coat. — Straight or flat, and thick.

14. Colour. — Red or orange and white.

15. General Appearance. — Symmetrical, com-
pact, strong, merry, active, not stilty, built for
endurance and activity, and about 28 lb. and
upwards in weight, but not exceeding 45 lb.

mrs h. d. Greene's LONGMYND MEGAN

BY KIMLA DASH LONGMYND RUTH.

Photograph by T. Fall.

IX. The Cocker Spaniel.- For the last
few years the popularity of this smaller
sized branch of the Spaniel tribe has been
steadily increasing, and at the time of
writing the Cocker classes at most of the
best shows are remarkable both for the
number of entries and the very high
standard of excellence to which they at-
tain. I have latterly often judged large
classes containing a dozen or more dogs,
every one of which fully deserved a card
of commendation — a mark of apprecia-
tion which I never bestow out of empty
compliment, or to any animal I do not
consider possesses a considerable amount
of merit.

A short time ago black Cockers were
di cidedly more fashionable than their parti-
coloured relatives, but now the reverse is
the case, and the various roans and tricolours
have overtaken and passed the others,
both in general quality and in the public
esteem. The reason for this popularity
of the breed as a whole is not far to seek.
Ih affectionate and m^rry disposition of

the Cocker and his small size compared
with that of the other breeds pre-eminently
fit him for a companion in the house as
well as in the field, and he ranks among
his admirers quite as many of the fairer
sex as he does men — a fact which
is not without a certain element
of danger, since it should never be
lost sight of that the breed is a
sporting one, which should on no
account be allowed to degenerate into
a race of mere house companions
or toys.

Small-sized Spaniels, usually called
Cockers, from their being more espe-
cially used in woodcock shooting, have
been indigenous to Wales and Devon-
shire for many years, and it is most
likely from one or both of these
sources that the modern type has
been evolved. It is probable too
that the type in favour to-day, of a
short coupled, rather " cobby dog,"
fairly high on the leg, is more like
that of these old - fashioned Cockers
than that which obtained a decade or
two ago, when they were scarcely re-
cognised as a separate breed, and the
Spaniel classes were usually divided into
" Field Spaniels over 25 lb." and " Field
Spaniels under 25 lb." In those days a large
proportion of the prizes fell to miniature
Field Spaniels. The breed was not given
official recognition on the Kennel Club's
register till 1893, nor a section to itself
in the Stud Book ; and up to that date
the only real qualification a dog required
to be enabled to compete as a Cocker was
that he should be under the weight of 25 lb.,
a limit arbitrarily and somewhat irration-
ally fixed, since in the case of an animal
just on the border-line he might very well
have been a Cocker before and a Field
Spaniel after breakfast. I was instru-
mental in 1901 in getting the Spaniel Club
to abolish this hard and fast weight limit
in their description, and the Kennel Club
accepted the amendment, so that, as is the
case with almost all other breeds, the matter
is now entirely a question for the judge,
who, if he knows his business, will probably

THE SPORTING SPANIEL.

295

penalise any animal professing to be a
Cocker Spaniel who looks as if he would
turn the scale at much more than 25 lb.

It is not easy to find authentic pedigrees
going back further than a quarter of a
century, but Mr. C. A. Phillips can trace
his own strain back to i860, and Mr. James
Farrow was exhibiting successfully nearly
thirty-five years ago. The former gentle-
man published the pedigree of his bitch
Rivington Dora for eighteen generations
in extcnso in " The Sporting Spaniel " ;
while the famous Obo strain of the latter
may be said to have exercised more influ-
ence than any other on the black variety
both in this country and in the United
States.

Going back to the earliest show days,
we come across two names which will be

Spaniels with the old-fashioned Cockers —
a fact I have dwelt upon in the section
devoted to that variety. Consequently,
many of the smaller dogs and bitches of
the litters were shown in the light-weight
classes, as, for instance, Captain Arbuth-
not's Chloe and Alice, who were by Mr.
Phineas Bullock's Bob out of his Nellie,
who won at Manchester and Nottingham
in 1873, and much of this blood is to be
found in the Cocker pedigrees of to-day.

Another example of how the Field Spaniel
and Cocker blood comes from this source
is shown by the bitch Runic, who was
bred and exhibited as under 25 lb. by
Mr. W. W. Boulton, of Beverley. This
bitch was the dam of Rolf, one of the prin-
cipal progenitors, as I have already shown,
of the modern race of Field Spaniels. In

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MR. O. W. H. ELLIS'S COLOURED COCKER NURSCOMBE DEBORAH
BY LOSTOCK LOZENGE GROVESIDE DOWAGER.

found in many, if not in most, of the pedi-
grees of those Cockers which have been
included in the later stud books, those of
Mr. Burdett's black and tan dog Frank,
and Mr. Mousley's black and white bitch
Venus. It must be borne in mind that
about this time the modern Field Spaniel
was being evolved by Mr. Burdett, Mr.
Bullock, and others by crossing Sussex

1904 Mr. Phillips took the trouble to trace
back the pedigrees of some of the principal
winning Spaniels at Cruft's show, and
found that the champion Cocker, the
champion Black Spaniel dog, and the
champion coloured Field Spaniel bitch,
were all lineal descendants of Frank and
Venus. This portion of the history of the
breed is most interesting, but unfortunately

296

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

in an article of this kind space is wanting
to deal with it as fully as it deserves, and
any reader who desires to enter more deeply
into it must either delve for himself among
old stud books and pedigrees, or consult
a monograph .

It was in 1880 that the most famous
of all the " pillars " of the Cocker stud,
Mr. James Farrow's Obo, made his first
bow to the public, he and his litter sister
Sally having been born the year before.
He won the highest honours that the show
bench can give, and the importance of
his service to the breed both in his owner's

MR. FARROW S COLOURED COCKER

CH. SANDY OBO

BY ODDFELLOW SANDY.

kennel and outside it, can scarcely be over-
estimated. Nearly all of the best blacks,
and many of the best coloured Cockers,
are descended from him. At this period
the type mostly favoured was that of a
dog rather longer in the body and lower
on the leg than it is at present, but the
Obo family marked a progressive step,
and very rightly kept on winning under
all the best judges for many years, their
owner being far too good a judge himself
ever to exhibit anything but first-class
specimens. The best of this notable family
were Obo himself, Sally Obo, Miss Obo,

Lily Obo, Tim Obo, Mollie Obo, Betty
Obo, Frank Obo, and Ted Obo. Sandy
Obo, a very beautiful coloured bitch, can
hardly be considered as belonging to the
family, though bearing the same surname,
as she was by Oddfellow, out of Sandy,
both unregistered. The Obo blood has
found its way to America, where it is very
highly prized.

Meanwhile, although the blacks were
far the most fashionable — and it was said
that it was hopeless to try to get the same
quality in coloured specimens — several en-
thusiastic breeders for colour were quietly
at work, quite undismayed by the pre-
dilection shown by most exhibitors and
judges for the former colour. Among them
was Mr. C. A. Phillips, who, having bought
two bitches from Mr. James Freme, of
Wepre Hall, Flintshire, succeeded in breed-
ing from one of them, whom he named
Rivington Sloe, the celebrated dog Rivington
Signal, who, mated with Rivington Blossom,
produced Rivington Bloom, who was in
turn the dam of Rivington Redcoat. These
dogs proved almost, if not quite, as valuable
to the coloured variety as Obo did to the
blacks, and formed the foundation of the
celebrated Braeside strain which afterwards
became so famous, Braeside Beauty, the
first registered by Mr. Porter under that
prefix, being by Rivington Signal out of
Grove Rose. The latter bitch, a liver and
white, whose pedigree is given in the stud
book as unknown, had a very successful
career, winning first and cup at Manchester
on her first appearance, and eventually
attaining championship honours. Riving-
ton Redcoat, after doing good service at
home, was sold to go to France, where he
gained a great reputation as a sire, and
was subsequently brought back to England
by Mr. Lloyd, of Ware, and only died com-
paratively recently. Mr. Phillips considered
that his son Rivington Bluegown was the
best-coloured Cocker he ever bred, and has
never ceased to regret that he sold him to
go to Canada. However, he exacted a
certain measure of compensation from the
Dominion, when he imported Toronto, a
black dog, whose services at the stud have

THE SPORTING SPANIEL.

297

been extremely useful, principally in im-
proving and strengthening the heads of the
breed, which at one time were getting rather
weak and inclined to snipiness. Mr. J. M.
Porter's dog Braeside Bustle, whose name
is to be found in the Stud Book for 1896,
was a very notable dog, as, besides winning

beautiful bitch whose union with Braeside
Bustle produced Blue Peter, a most success-
ful sire of late years, and Braeside Judy,
the dam of some of the best of our modern
Cockers. During the last few years Mr.
R. de Courcy Peele's kennel has easily
held the pride of place in this variety.

THREE GENERATIONS OF MR. R. DE C. PEELE S BLUE ROAN COCKERS.

CH. BEN BOWDLER (father). CH. BOB BOWDLER (son), and
CH. DIXON BOWDLER (grandson).

a number of prizes himself, he is responsible
in one way or another for most of the
best coloured Cockers of the present day.
His blood was of the very best, since his
sire Toots went back in a direct line to
Champion Obo, and his dam Braeside Bizz
was a great-granddaughter of Champion
Fop.

Some of the best dogs owned or bred
by Mr. Porter were Braeside Bob, a lemon
roan sold to America, whom I saw at the
Westminster Kennel Club's show in New
York as lately as 1904, Braeside Betty, a

Most of my readers are no doubt familiar
with the many beautiful Cockers which
have appeared in the show ring and carried
off so many prizes under the distinguishing
affix Bowdler. His kennel was built up
on a Braeside foundation, so that Mr.
Porter can fairly lay claim to a certain
amount of credit for its success, and has
contained at one time or other such flyers
as Ben Bowdler, Bob Bowdler, Rufus
Bowdler, Dixon Bowdler, Eva Bowdler,
Mary Bowdler, Bluecoat Bowdler, Susan
Bowdler, and others, and Ben and Bob

298

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

have also been, as sires, responsible for
the success of a good many dogs hailing
from other kennels. He has also been
fairly successful with blacks, which, how-
ever, have usually been purchased and
not bred by him, the two best being Master
Reuben, bred by Miss Joan Godfrey, and
Jetsam Bowdler, a bitch who has dis-
tinguished herself both in the ring and in
the field. At the present moment I am
inclined to think that one of the best, if
not the very best, coloured sire is John
Bull, bred by Mr. J. Coleman, by Blue
Peter out of Coaley. He only met with
moderate success as a show dog owing to
an undershot mouth, but he has not trans-
mitted this defect to any of his progeny
whom I have seen ; on the contrary, they
are remarkable for the excellence of their
heads and their true Spaniel type and ex-
pression. He is responsible, among others,
for Mr. Phillips's Rivington Ruth — who,
if she only had a little more bone, I should
consider about the best coloured bitch I
have seen — Susan Bowdler, and Clara
Bowdler, a trio whose heads, for bitches,
I consider almost perfect.

Coloured Cockers are certainly " boom-
ing " just now, and as a consequence I
fear that the blacks, who are equally worthy
of support, are being rather neglected.
Certainly it is the case that whereas one
sees at most shows big classes of the former
filled with a good level lot with hardly a
bad specimen amongst them, the classes
devoted to the latter, besides not being
so well filled, are much more uneven, and
always contain a large proportion of weeds
and toys. A few years ago the black classes
were immeasurably superior to the coloured,
and it is to be hoped that in the near future
they will regain at least a position of equality
with them.

I have not been able, owing to want of
space, to mention nearly all the successful
Cocker owners and breeders, nor all the
dogs which have made names for them-
selves in the show ring, but no article on
the breed would be complete without
quoting the following names, in addition
to those already mentioned : Mr. \V.

Caless, O. Burgess, E. C. Spencer, O. H.
Ellis, R. Lloyd, J. H. Hickin, F. C. Hignett,
J. Smith, J. H. Campbell, J. Chiles,
Mrs. Crosfield, Miss Joan Godfrey and
Mr. Harding Cox, Miss Vera Canute, Mrs.
Greening, and Miss Bessie McCartie ; while
the following dogs are also deserving of
mention : Blacks — Bruton Floss, Bruton
Peter, Bruton Cora, Master Gilbert, Master
Clarence, Master Mathew, Westbury Madge,
Regalia, Mistress Rita, Kim of Machen,
Rivington Reine, and Little Jill. Coloured
— Dooney Belle, Doony Swell, Braeside
Rival, Nurscombe Joan, Nurscombe De-
borah, Truth, Byford Bluebell, Wilton
Sweetheart, Trafalgar Ben, Trafalgar
Beauty, Coleshill Claudian, St. Foy of
Monte Carlo, and many others.

At the last few Field Trial meetings the
Spaniel Club has provided classes confined
to Cockers, which have filled fairly well,
and enabled the small breed to demon-
strate that it can in its way be quite as
useful as its larger cousins. Indeed, it
is a question whether at the trials of
1904 Mr. F. M. Brown's Beechgrove
Midget was not the best performer of the
whole number competing, as she showed
more dash and go than any of them, and,
despite her size, her retrieving was abso-
lutely perfect. A Cocker can very often
go and work as well where a larger Spaniel
cannot even creep, and for working really
thick hedgerows or gorse has no superior.
There seems to be every prospect of a
brilliant future, and increased popularity
for this charming breed, which, in my
opinion at least, it thoroughly deserves.

Its interests are looked after both by
the Spaniel Club and the comparatively
newly formed Cocker Spaniel Club, and it
is also quite as much in favour on the
other side of the Atlantic as it is in the
United Kingdom. Indeed, the classes in
America and Canada compare very favour-
ably with our own, and I was particularly
struck with the great number of excellent
specimens to be seen benched in Madison
Square on the occasion of my visit to the
New York show. Red is a much more
common colour over there than it is with

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THE SPORTING SPANIEL.

299

us, and most of the Cockers other than
black were of that colour.

The descriptive particulars of the breed
are : —

1. Head. — Not so heavy in proportion and
not so high in occiput as in the modern Field
Spaniel, with a nicely developed muzzle or jaw ;
lean, but not snipy, and yet not so square as in
the Clumber or Sussex varieties, but always
exhibiting a sufficiently wide and well-developed
nose. Forehead perfectly smooth, rising without
a too decided stop from muzzle into a compara-
tively wide and rounded, well-developed skull,
with plenty of room for brain power.

2. Eyes. — Full, but not prominent, hazel or
brown coloured, with a general expression of
intelligence and gentleness, though decidedly
wideawake, bright and merry, never goggled nor
weak as in the King Charles and Blenheim
kinds.

3. Ears. — Lobular, set on low, leather fine and
not exceeding beyond the nose, well clothed with
long silky hair, which must be straight or wavy —
no positive curls or ringlets.

4. Neck. — Strong and muscular, and neatly
set on to fine sloping shoulders.

5. Body (including size and symmetry). —
Not quite so long ai d low as in the other breeds
of Spaniels, more compact and firmly knit together,
giving the impression of a concentration of power
and untiring act vity.

6. Weight. — The weight of a Cocker Spaniel
of either sex should not exceed 25 lb., or be less
than 20 lb. Any variation either way should be
penalised.

7. Nose. — Sufficiently wide and well developed
to ensure the exquisite scenting powers of this
breed.

8. Shoulders and Chest. — The former sloping
and fine, chest deep and well developed, but not
too wide and round to interfere with the free
action of the forelegs.

9. Back and Loin. — Immensely strong and
compact in proportion to the size and weight
of the dog ; slightly sloping towards the tail.

10. Hindquarters. — Wide, well rounded, and
very muscular, so as to ensure untiring action
and propelling power under the most trying
circumstances of a long day, bad weather, rough
ground, and dense covert.

11. Stern. — That most characteristic of blue
blood in all the Spaniel family, may, in the lighter
and more active Cocker, although set low down,
be allowed a slightly higher carriage than in the
other breeds, but never cocked up over, but
rather in a line with the back, though the lower its
carriage and action the better, and when at work
its action should be incessant in this, the brightest
and merriest of the whole Spaniel family.

12. Feet and Legs. — The legs should be well
boned, feathered and straight, for the tremendous
exertions expected from this grand little sporting
dog, and should be sufficiently short for concen-
trated power, but not too short as to interfere with
its full activity. Feet firm, round, and cat-like,
not too large, spreading, and loose jointed. This
distinct breed of Spaniel does not follow exactly
on the lines of the larger Field Spaniel, either in
lengthiness, lowness, or otherwise, but is shorter
in the back, and rather higher on the legs.

13. Coat. — Flat or waved, and silky in texture,
never wiry, woolly, nor curly, with sufficient
feather of the right sort, viz. waved or Setter-
like, but not too profuse and never curly.

14. General Appearance. — Confirmatory of all
indicated above, viz. a concentration of pure
blood and type, sagacity, docility, good temper,
affection, and activity.

DOWN CHARGE !

TEAM OF MR. A. T. WILLIAMS' WELSH SPRINGERS.

3°o

CHAPTER XXVII.

THE BASSET-HOUND

BY MRS. C. C. ELLIS.

" Dost thou in hounds aspire to deathless fame ?
Learn well their lineage and their ancient stem.
Each tribe with joy old rustic heralds trace,
And sing the chosen worthies of their race."

— Tickell.

THE Basset was not familiarly known
to British sportsmen before 1863, in
which year specimens of the breed
were seen at the first exhibition of dogs
held in Paris, and caused general curiosity
and admiration among English visitors.
In France, however, this hound has been
used for generations, much as we use
our Spaniel, as a finder of game in
covert, and it has long been a popular
sporting dog in Russia and Germany. In
early times it was chiefly to be found
in Artois and Flanders, where it is sup-
posed to have had its origin ; but the
home of the better type of Basset is now
chiefly in La Vendee, in which department
some remarkably fine strains have been
produced. Sir John Everett Millais, an
admiring student of the breed, pointed out
the interesting fact that the finest type
of Basset exists in the western districts of
France — that is, in the districts where the
larger French hounds are to be found — and
that as you go east the breed diminishes to
a smaller variety, gradually merging into
the Dachshund. It is from the Basset of
La Vendee that most of our English speci-
mens are derived.

There are three main strains of the French
Basset — the Lane, the Couteulx, and the
Griffon. The Griffon Basset is a hound
with a hard bristly coat, and short, crooked
legs. It has never found great favour here.
The Lane hounds are derived from the
kennels of M. Lane, of Franqueville, Baos,
Seine-Inferieur, and are also very little
appreciated in this country. They are a
lemon and white variety, with torse or bent

legs. The Couteulx hounds were a type
bred up into a strain by Comte le Couteulx
de Canteleu — one of the most noted cynolo-
gists and sportsmen France has ever pro-
duced. They were tricolour, with straight,
short legs, of sounder constitution than
other strains, with the make generally of a
more agile hound, and in the pedigree of
the best Bassets owned in this country
fifteen years ago, when the breed was in
considerable demand, Comte de Couteulx's
strain was prominent and always sought
for.

The Lane hound is decidedly of a plainer
type, weak in colour, lighter in bone, and
noticeably longer on the leg, the head broader
and somewhat flat, with shorter ears. The
Couteulx strain is generally a fine rich tri-
colour, sometimes flecked with black or
brown, with good legs and splendid feet,
soft and supple in coat and skin, the head
long and lean, with magnificent pendulous
ears finely folded and velvety ; the muzzle
square, with heavy flews, and the dark eye
not prominent but showing a good deal of
haw.

The true type is carefully preserved in
La Vendee, but much variety of colour and
character is met with in other departments
of France. Some, closely resembling the
Dachshund, are black and tan — natives of
the Vosges — while many are grey, and some
white, with grey and yellow markings.
These are rejected by English admirers of
the Basset-hound, who are consistent in
their preference for the white with black
and tan.

With careful selection and judicious breed-

THE BASSET-HOUND.

301

ing we have now produced a beautiful hound
of fine smooth coat, and a rich admixture
of markings, with a head of noble character
and the best of legs and feet. Their short,
twinkling legs make our Bassets more suit-
able for covert hunting than for hunting

THE LATE SIR JOHN EVERETT MILLAIS' MODEL

hares in the open, to which latter purpose
they have frequently been adapted with
some success. Their note is resonant, with
wonderful power for so small a dog, and in
tone it resembles the voice of the Blood-
hound.

The Basset-hound is usually very good
tempered and not inclined to be quarrel-
some with his kennel mates ; but he is wilful,
and loves to roam apart in search of game,
and is not very amenable to discipline
when alone. On the other hand, he works
admirably with his companions in the pack,
when he is most painstaking and indefatig-
able. Endowed with remarkable powers
of scent, he will hunt a drag with keen in-
telligence.

During the years of his naturalisation
with us his calling has undergone various
changes, and it is to be feared that if he is
bred only for pace the old distinguishing
characteristics will be lost, and his quaint
and patrician appearance will suffer deteri-
oration. His peculiar formation prevents
him from being a very speedy or an especially
active hound, and, indeed, when it is a
question of negotiating a stiff fence or a steep
bank he has often to be helped. It is ex-
tremely doubtful whether an alteration in

this direction would tend to any improve-
ment in the breed.

There are now several packs of Bassets
kept in England, and they show very fair
sport after the hares ; but it is not their
natural vocation, and their massive build is
against the possibility of their becoming
popular as harriers. The general custom is
to follow them on foot, although occasionally
some sportsmen use ponies. Their pace, how-
ever, hardly warrants the latter expedient.
On the Continent, where big game is more
common than with us, the employment of
the Basset is varied. He is a valuable help
in the tracking of boar, wolf, and deer,
and he is also frequently engaged in the
lighter pastimes of pheasant and partridge
shooting.

The Earl of Onslow and the late Sir John
Everett Millais were among the earliest im-
porters of the breed into England. They
both had recourse to the kennels of Count
Couteulx. Sir John Millais' Model was the
first Basset-hound exhibited at an English
dog show, his debut taking place at Wol-
verhampton in 1875. Later owners and
breeders of prominence were Mr. G. Krehl.
Mrs. Stokes and Mrs. Mabel Tottie. At one

-s-sssr

THE SMOOTH BITCH SAN DRINGH AM DIDO

BY COL. ANNANDS TARQUIN VIOLA.

PROPERTY OF HER MAJESTY QUEEN ALEXANDRA.

time Mrs. Tottie owned the finest kennel
of both rough and smooth Bassets in the
British Isles. She considered the rough
variety more delicate than the smooth — an
opinion which is not commonly shared.
As with most imported breeds, the Basset-

3°:

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

hound when first exhibited was required to
undergo a probationary period as a foreign
dog in the variety class at the principal
shows. It was not until 1880 that a class
was provided for it by the Kennel Club.

MRS TOTTIE'S SMOOTH BASSET-HOUND DOG

CH. LOUIS LE BEAU.

Photograph by A. Homey, Settle.

The hounds originally imported were some-
what smaller than those of to-day. Sir John
Millais' historic couple, Model and Garenne,
were considered the best of their time.
Their measurements and weights were as
follows : —

Model.

Garenne

7\

46

yrs.
lbs.

2j
28

yrs.
lbs.

Height at shoulder .

12

ins.

9*

ins.

Length of nose to set

on

of tail . . .

32

ins.

29

ins.

Length of tail

n|

ins.

9

ins.

Girth of chest

25

ins.

20

ins.

Girth of loin .

21

ins.

16

ins.

Girth of head

17

ins.

13

ins.

Girth of forearm

6J-

ins.

5

ins.

Length from occiput

to

tip of nose .

9

ins.

8

ins.

Girth of muzzle midway

between eyes and

tip

of nose .

9i

ins.

7

ins.

Length of ears from tip

to tip ...

>9

ins.

17

ins.

Height from ground, fore

feet ....

2j

ins.

2*

ins.

the girth of chest, 24 inches to 25 inches,
height at the shoulder, 12 inches, the ears
from tip to tip 22 inches, and the length
from the point of the nose to the tip of
the tail from 44 inches to 50 inches.

In referring to some of the early
examples of the Basset - hound in
France, Sir John Millais wrote that
" it might be interesting to note from
a breeder's point of view the gradual
development of this hound to modern
times from the mating of Fino de
Paris and Trouvette, over a quarter
of a century ago." Sir John's care-
fully compiled pedigrees of his dogs
are too long for quotation, but Fino
de Paris was taken as the principal
factor in the line of descent, and by
inbreeding to this type the Champions
Forester, Psyche, Paris, Xena, Xitta,
Isola, Bowman, and many other spe-
cimens of high quality were produced.
It is to be regretted that owners of this
beautiful hound are not more numerous.
Admirable specimens are still to be seen at
the leading exhibitions, but the breed is
greatly in need of encouragement. When
the pioneers who had done so much to

MR. J. W. PROCTORS SMOOTH BASSET-HOUND BITCH

CH. QUEEN OF THE GEISHA.

Photograph by T. Fall.

These measurements are all smaller than
would apply to a typical hound at the present
time, but it may be stated that the forelegs
of the smooth Basset should not be longer
than five to six inches from elbow to foot,

establish the Basset retired the present
writer endeavoured to continue their work.
I bred my hounds from the purest strain only,
and was successful in those which I brought
out, striving always towards improvement.

THE BASSET-HOUND.

303

I was most careful in selecting those of the
best type, with sound straight legs and good
feet, eliminating all that did not possess
distinct qualifications for sport and exhi-
bition, and with most satisfactory results,
the Champions Paris and Xena never having
been beaten in competition. Xena, indeed,
was the winner outright of the twenty-five
guinea challenge bowl three times in suc-
cession, winning one each for the three
successive owners, myself, Mrs. Walsh, and
Mr. Stark, representing eighteen consecutive
wins without a set back — a feat rarely sur-
passed.

To these followed many good dogs, in-
cluding Queen of the Geisha (bred by Mr.
Stark), who rose to premier honours on the
death of Ch. Xena. Queen was almost as
good as Xena, but failed somewhat in hind
quarters, which were too stilty, but her
head and ears were the most perfect yet
produced. At the present time the smooth
dog hound taking the foremost place in the
estimation of our most capable judges is
Mr. W. W. M. White's Ch. Loo-Loo-Loo,
bred by Mrs. Tottie, by Ch. Louis le Beau
out of Sibella. Mr. Croxton Smith's Waverer
is also a dog of remarkably fine type.
Among bitch hounds Sandringham Dido,
the favourite of Her Majesty the Queen,
ranks as the most perfect of her kind.

The rough or Griffon-Basset, introduced
into England at a later date than the smooth,
has failed for some reason to receive great
attention. In type it resembles the shaggy
Otterhound, and as at present favoured
it is larger and higher on the leg than the
smooth variety. I have myself imported
several from France, but have found them
less hardy than their velvety relatives, and
not so staunch or painstaking in their work,
and for packs they do not appear to be
generally liked. Their colouring is less dis-
tinct, and they seem generally to be lemon
and white, grey and sandy red. Their
note is not so rich as that of the smooth
variety. In France the rough and the
smooth Bassets are not regarded as of the
same race, but here some breeders have
crossed the two varieties, with indifferent
consequences.

Some beautiful specimens of the rough
Basset have from time to time been sent
to exhibition from the Sandringham kennels.
His Majesty the King has always given
affectionate attention to this breed, and has
taken several first prizes at the leading
shows, latterly with Sandringham Bobs,
bred in the home kennels by Sandringham
Babil ex Saracenesca.

Perhaps the most explicit description of
the perfect Basset-hound is still that com-
piled twenty-five years ago by Sir John

MRS. TOTTIE'S ROUGH-COATED BASSET-HOUND DOG

CH. PURITAN

Pliotograph by A. Horner, Settle.

Millais. It is at least sufficiently compre-
hensive and exact to serve as a guide : —

" The Basset, for its size, has more bone,
perhaps, than nearly any other dog.

" The skull should be peaked like that of
the Bloodhound, with the same dignity and
expression, the nose black (although some
of my own have white about theirs), and
well flewed. For the size of the hound, I
think the teeth are extremely small. How-
ever, as they are not intended to destroy
life, this is probably the reason.

" The ears should hang like the Blood-
hound's, and are like the softest velvet
drapery.

" The eyes are a deep brown, and are
brimful of affection and intelligence. They
are pretty deeply set, and should show a
considerable haw. A Basset is one of
those hounds incapable of having a wicked
eye.

3°4

THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG.

" The neck is long, but of great power ;
and in the Basset d jambes torses the flews
extend very nearly down to the chest.
The chest is more expansive than even in
the Bulldog, and should in the Bassets d
jambes torses be not more than two inches
from the ground. In the case of the Bassets
d jambes demi-torses and jambes droites, being
generally lighter, their chests do not, of
course, come so low.

" The shoulders are of great power, and
terminate in the crooked feet of the Basset,
which appear to be a mass of joints. The
back and ribs are strong, and the former
of great length.

" The stern is carried gaily, like that of
hounds in general, and when the hound

is on the scent of game this portion of
his body gets extremely animated, and
tells me, in my own hounds, when they
have struck a fresh or a cold scent, and I
even know when the foremost hound will
give tongue.

" The hindquarters are very strong and
muscular, the muscles standing rigidly out
down to the hocks.

" The skin is soft in the smooth haired
dogs, and like that of any other hound,
but in the rough variety it is like that of
the Otterhound's.

" Colour, of course, is a matter of fancy,
although I infinitely prefer the tricolour,
which has a tan head and a black and
white body."

COUNTY GIRL, PRINCE ZERO, and CH. LOO-LOO-LOO

PROPERTY OF MR. W. W. M. WHITE.

'of Veterinary Medicine

iy Medicine at