O'Bryen's Melton (Fig. 84). Dalmatians are not often very high priced, the largest sums paid for them being 120 for Champion Acrobat, and £40 for Champion Doncaster Beauty, but the generality do not exceed £25. The writer had about £50 for his Lurth and Lizette when they were exported to India some years since.

The Dalmatian has been accused of concentrating all his affection on the horse, and showing none to his master. This is, however, an unjust charge. Dalmatians, like all other dogs, are very much what they are made, and if the owner forgets that the

Dalmatian is an animal appreciative of caresses and kindness, and treats him merely as an ornament to his establishment, he cannot reasonably complain if the dog bestows his affections on his fellowoccupant of the stable; and strong are the friendships sometimes seen to exist between this dog and the horse.

The Dalmatian, when made a companion, is faithful and affectionate, if less demonstrative than some breeds, and therefore may be recommended to the cyclist. As to whether Dalmatians show the same pleasure in accompanying a cycle as a carriage, the writer is unable to speak; but if they did not at once take to the iron steed, they could very soon be brought to do so, and the cycling

tourist would, in this dog, have a highly ornamental adjunct to his travelling equipage, a pleasant companion, and a good guard of his property. The word cyclist has been purposely used, as no breed of dog should be expected to keep pace with the "scorchers" often seen tearing along; but for those on bicycles, travelling at a moderate rate of speed, or those, on tricycles, Dalmatians would make useful and agreeable companions, and that they are very keen as watchdogs has been proved by long experience.

The Dalmatian is still used in some Continental countries as a Pointer, and of his innate capacity to fill that position if his powers were developed by training there can be no doubt; but as he is seldom so used here, has been treated in this chapter merely as an ornamental and companion dog.

The illustrations to this article are Moujik, black spotted, a sire of Champion Acrobat and winner of many prizes all over the country, and Dr. Wheeler O'Bryen's Melton, liver spotted, a wellmarked young dog of much promise, but who has not yet been often seen at the shows.

The following is the description of the Dalmatian as laid down by the Dalmatian Club. It may be observed that thirty points are allowed for markings and colour. Evidently the Club intend that Dalmatians shall be fairly well marked and typical.

The Dalmatian in many respects much resembles the Pointer, more especially in size, build, and outline, though the markings peculiar to this breed are a very important feature and very highly valued.

In General Appearance the Dalmatian should represent a strong, muscular, and active dog, symmetrical in outline, free from coarseness and lumber, capable cf great endurance, combined with a fair amount of speed.

The Head should be of fair length, the skull flat, rather broad between the ears and moderately well defined 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.

The Muzzle should be long and powerful, the lips clean, fitting the jaws moderately close.

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 brown); in the liver-spotted variety they should be light (yellow or light brown). The rim round the eyes in the black-spotted variety should be black; brown in the liver-spotted variety; never flesh-coloured in either. The Ears should be set on rather high, of moderate size, rather wide at the base, tapering to a rounded point. They should be carried close to the head, be thin and fine in texture, and always spotted, the more profusely the better.

The Nose in the black-spotted variety should always be black; in the liverspotted variety always brown.

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 muscular, denoting speed.

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.

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, and well arched; toes cat-footed, and round, tough, elastic pads. In the hind legs the muscles should be clean, though well defined, the hocks well let down.

Nails. In the black-spotted variety, black and white; in the liver-spotted variety, brown and white.

The Tail should not be too long, but should be strong at the insertion, gradually tapering towards the end, and 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.

The Coat should be short, hard, dense, and fine, sleek and glossy in appearance, but neither woolly nor silky.

Colour and Markings.-These are most important points. The ground-colour in both varieties should be pure white, very decided and not intermixed. The colour of the spots in 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 vary from that of a sixpence to that of a florin. The spots on the head, face, ears, legs, tail, and extremities should be smaller than those on the body.

CHAPTER XXXIV

THE BULLDOG

ALTHOUGH in many respects the Bulldog and the Mastiff of to-day are so widely different, there are many who believe that both breeds are from the same common stock. The late Mr. Hugh Dalziel was one of these. He said the very name Bulldog is comparatively modern, and its application to ancient breeds seems rather to jump with the desires and predilections of those who do so, than to be warranted by historic facts, or sound deduction from such facts. Neither de Langley, Juliana Berners, nor Dr. Caius, mentions a breed of dog by the name of Bulldogs; and we have to come to quite recent times for the name. The fact appears to be that this small Mastiff came to be known as the Bulldog because of his vocation; just as we find Spaniels named Cockers from their use in woodcock shooting, and as Caius describes other Spaniels as dogs for the partridge, dogs for the duck, etc., entirely because of their adaptability, from size and other features, for the special work.

The Bulldog was, doubtless, a draft from the Mastiff, and, being selected for special work and bred for special requirements, gradually assumed characteristics so well defined as to make a clear distinction between him and the parent stock. This difference would be the more marked and rapid, seeing that his congeners were also undergoing modification in a divergent, if not an absolutely different, direction; and hence we have, at the present day, two varieties, of common parentage, so widely different as the modern Bulldog and Mastiff are.

Another theory put forward with regard to the origin of the variety is that it was descended from the Spanish Bulldog-a dog that Mr. Adcock familiarised us with some years ago. Somehow the Bulldog has got so indissolubly linked with this country that the very close association may in itself have been sufficient to lend a certain amount of colour to the purely British origin of the Bulldog.

Anyhow, the Bulldog of to-day is an entirely different animal, both physically and mentally, from the Bulldog of fifty years ago. Then he was a leggy, terrier-like, active brute, in whom the fighting instinct was a chief and carefully fostered characteristic.

Now

he is a low-fronted, cloddy, and compact dog, with nothing of the Terrier in his appearance, quiet, gentle, and docile in his demeanour, very slow to anger, yet when aroused not a whit the inferior of his ancestors, in courage and endurance.

Mr. Crafer thus wrote of bull-baiting in the First Edition of this work:

"Baiting the bear and the bull was undoubtedly a very ancient pastime, and was patronised by persons of both sexes of the highest rank, as recorded in cases where King Henry II., Queen Mary, Princess Elizabeth, etc., were interested spectators.

The bull being very different in its mode of combat from other animals, caused bull-baiting to become a distinct sport, for which a distinct class of dog was exclusively kept. One author says: The Bulldog exhibits that adaptation to the uses to which he is rendered subservient which we see in every race of dogs; and we have only to suppose the peculiar characters of the animal, called forth from generation to generation by selection, to be assured that a true breed would be formed. This has been so in a remarkable degree in the case of the Bulldog. After the wild oxen of the woods were destroyed, the practice was introduced, so early as the reign of King John, of baiting the domesticated bull and other animals, and thus the breed of dogs suited to this end was preserved, nay, cultivated, with increased care, up to our own times,' centuries after his larger and coarser brother Allan vautre, kept only to bait the bear and wild boar,' had become extinct on account of the cessation of its employment. The introduction of the sport referred to is thus given in the 'Survey of Stamford': 'William, Earl Warren, lord of this town in the time of King John (A.D. 1199 to 1216), standing upon the castle walls of Stamford, saw two bulls fighting for a cow in the meadow till all the butchers' dogs, great and small, pursued one of the bulls (being maddened with noise and multitude) clean through the town. This sight so pleased the said earl that he gave all those meadows (called the Castle Meadows) where first the bull-duel began for a common to the butchers of the town, after the first grass was eaten, on condition they find a mad bull the day six weeks before Christmas Day for the continuance of that sport every year.'

A yet ignobler band is guarded round

With dogs of war-the bull their prize;

And now he bellows, humbled to the ground,
And now they sprawl in howlings to the skies.

Now bull! now dogge! 'loo, Paris, loo!

The bull has the game: 'ware horns, ho!

In bull-baiting the object the dog was required to effect was