had died, which he did about 1081, and so of course the artist had to draw on his imagination as to what the original St. Bernard dog was like. In those days, and for long after, the Hospice dogs were merely watch dogs, used to protect the monks from the incursions of robbers, from which they suffered to a great extent in the early times of their existence. I am sorry to say the monks keep no register containing pedigrees of their dogs. I saw a photograph of a very fine St. Bernard dog named Hospice Pluto. This dog is now dead, but his portrait proved him to have an enormous head, with very heavy lips and dewlap. The monks considered this dog by far the best they have had for some years.

"I was happily successful in bringing back the photograph of this dog, also of another, a dog that had been sold by the monks for about £130 in English money. The St. Bernards are still used in winter and bad weather in the duties which have made them historical. They are sent out to search the passes, on one side to the Cantin de Proz (Swiss side) and back to the Hospice, and, on the other side, from the Hospice to St. Remy (the Italian side) and back. After every fresh fall of snow the paths become obliterated, and many serious and fatal accidents are prevented by the intelligence and sense of the dogs, who by smell distinguish the

proper roads. Here the monks told me that they found the long-coated dogs quite useless for work of this kind. Their jackets become matted with the snow, but worst of all it affects their feet, 'balling' and freezing between the toes to such an extent as to cause lameness so severe as to quite incapacitate them from walking. Indeed, the sores arising therefrom are sometimes so serious as to cause death.

"The following morning we were awakened at 4 a.m. by the ringing of the Hospice bell. Snow and rain mingled together came down in torrents, and the air was very cold; but we had breakfast at 6 o'clock, and then went to see the morgue. One of the monks took down a wooden shutter, and we looked through an open grated window, saw the bodies of travellers who had been found in the snow. We were told that the bodies were still quite fresh, though most of them had been there for years. About 8 o'clock the rain and snow abated, so we commenced our return journey to Martigny. omitted to say that in my bedroom at the Hospice was a very good coloured drawing of a group of five St. Bernards. All these dogs were of the type of Hospice Pluto, before mentioned. At Chamounix we saw no St. Bernards, but the proprietor of the Hotel Tête Noir said he had once kept some, but

I

he had found them so expensive that he had given them up.

"At Brieg we went to see M. Seiler Muller, who is a large breeder of St. Bernards. He disposes of,

Here I was

they say, one hundred dogs each year. first introduced to three smooth puppies, three-and-ahalf months old, of very fair type; then came a dog and a bitch, fourteen months old, they were on the small side, the dog had just a fair head, the bitch was poor in that respect. Then came another bitch, with three nicely-marked young puppies; the dam was of rather nice type. The next to appear was a big-headed dog, middling in size and bone, he had an enormous skull, wide muzzle, which was deficient in depth, he was full in the cheeks, his ears were set a little too high; still this was a fair all-round dog. I saw several others, but there was nothing extraordinary neither here nor at Zermatt, where M. Muller keeps some of his dogs. Still, there was plenty of fair breeding stock.

"I was much disappointed in not finding any St. Bernard dogs at the Simplon Hospice, and continued our journey to Domo d'Ossola, Italy, and then forward to Lake Maggiore, where we stayed at the Grand Hotel Palanza, by the banks of the water. Here we saw a handsome, rough-coated St. Bernard. He is fourteen years old, terribly fat and wheezy; rather

short on the leg, but quite a handsome old fellow. He belonged to the proprietor of the hotel, who was very proud of him.

"I did not come across any more dogs worth taking note of until reaching Lucerne, on the 2nd of July. From here I went to Arth, to see M. Carl Steiner, who is a noted breeder of my favourite dog, and the owner of the famous Pluto von Arth, whose stuffed remains form an object of interest in the museum at Zurich. I regret to say this dog was poisoned. M. Steiner was very pleased to see me, and showed me Bergman and Young Pluto. They are both sired by Pluto von Arth. Bergman was exhibited in England at the St. Bernard Club Show, held at Kingston in 1893. I must say he looked a different creature here to what he did there when he obtained the reserve. He is a big dog, was in splendid condition, and good all round, if we except his head, which is plain. His brother, Young Pluto, was far and away the best smooth dog I saw in Switzerland. He is an orange and white dog, of the type of our champion Keeper, but he is not so good in muzzle ; he is also rather straight in stifles. However, Young Pluto is an excellent dog, and one that any man might be proud to own. I next saw a magnificent. bitch pup Gemmi d'Arth, by Bergman. This youngster was already a giantess, though only six

months old; in colour, orange and white patched, with a lovely head and expression. Alas, I heard from M. Steiner, on my return, of her death, and I sympathise with him in the loss of such a grand specimen.

"A good many St. Bernards are to be seen in Lucerne and neighbourhood, some of them quite fair, but, as a rule, they are a poor, narrow-muzzled lot. After a short stay at Lucerne I went to Lauterbrunnen to see M. Gurtner (the brothers Gurtner are old breeders of St. Bernards), who is proprietor of the Hotel Steinbock there. I asked to see the St. Bernards, and arranged to stay the night with him, which I enjoyed very much, as M. Gurtner and I had a good long chat on the subject so congenial to both of us. Here I first saw a very fair bitch with six puppies. This bitch, I learned, had been given to M. Gurtner by Mr. W. O. Hughes-Hughes. I next saw a grand old rough bitch, own sister to champion Guide. She is very typical, like all the rest of her illustrious relatives. Then came a very good rough dog, Gyr. Gyr. He shows age, but is a capital stamp, with an excellent head of the

Bayard type. Another good sort of dog is Max, but his perfections were almost lost by the poor condition he was in. Pollux, the dog I particularly wished to see, was at Murren, but M.