680 THE AMERICAN FARMER. 



sion is very benevolent. Across the eyes the skull is very broad, and he has a large brain. 

 The forehead is frequently wrinkled; the eyes are small, but bright and intelligent; they are 

 generally deeply set, but should not have a blood-shot appearance. The ears must be small, 

 smooth, set low, and hanging close; they are very seldom set up, even when the animal is 

 excited. Nose and nostrils large; muzzle long and quite smooth; mouth capacious; teeth 

 level. The neck is naturally short. It is well clothed with muscle, as are the arms, legs, 

 and forehand; but there is a slackness about the loin, which accounts for his slouching and 

 somewhat slovenly carriage. 



He is frequently short in his back ribs, and some of the largest dogs have a tendency to 

 weakness in the back. The feet are long and strong, but the sole is not so thick as that of a 

 well-bred pointer, nor are the toes so much arched as in the average of hunting dogs. This 

 peculiar structure of the foot is adapted for his sledge work on snow, and accounts for his 

 power in the water, and has given rise to the vulgar error that he is semipalmated. . The 

 shaggy-coated Newfoundland has a smooth face, but within two inches of the skull the coat 

 suddenly elongates, and, except that he is very clean to the angle of his neck, he is thoroughly 

 feathered in his outline. His coat generally parts down the back, and this parting is continued 

 to the end of the tail, which is bushy and carried very gaily. His hind legs are closely 

 coated from the hock, and his feet all round are nearly as free of feathers as a cat s. The 

 color is generally black; and a brown or brindled tinge is a valued characteristic of the true 

 breed. The black and white is not considered as good.&quot; The neck has a ruff of hair, which 

 also adds to its short appearance. There are many long-haired dogs improperly called 

 Newfoundlands by persons not acquainted with the true characteristics of this breed, such 

 dogs being only a mongrel race. 



The Large Labrador has not so compact a frame as the true Newfoundland, being more 

 loosely built, and the coat, which is never wholly black, but more or less mixed with white, 

 is longer, more woolly, and curly. 



The St. John s Newfoundland or Smaller Labrador is rarely more than twenty-five inches 

 in height, and usually considerably less. The head is larger in proportion to the size of the 

 body than the Large Labrador; the ear somewhat fuller; neck longer, the body much more 

 compact, and the hair shorter, glossy, and devoid of woolly texture; the tail is similar, but 

 the hair is less woolly ; the legs and feet are strong, and well adapted for work. The color 

 is usually jet black, reddish brown being rarely seen. 



The St Bernard. This breed of dogs have long been world-wide famous for their 

 intelligence and sagacity in tracking and aiding benumbed travelers in the snow, they being 

 trained to carry provisions, wine, and clothing on these expeditions of search for those who 

 may be lost or overtaken in the violent storms so common in the region of the Alpine hos 

 pice, kept by the monks of St. Bernard. The dog of this breed, known as the &quot;Good Dog 

 Barry,&quot; is said to have saved the lives of over forty persons. There are two varieties of the 

 St. Bernard dog, one long-haired or rough-coated, and the other smooth, the two varieties 

 being similar in all respects except the hair. Of the rough-coated varieties those of a deep 

 tawny brindle, relieved by some white, are most preferred. The smooth-haired variety are red 

 and white in color, or brindle and white, with frequently a peculiar broad white collar about the 

 neck, the latter marking being regarded by many as characteristic of the purity of the breed. 



Jt is said that about seventy years ago the number of St. Bernard dogs was greatly 

 reduced .at the Hospice, owing to several casualties, and the monks were obliged to employ 

 the .female dogs for the hard service of rescuing travelers, and in consequence came near 

 losing the .breed. They introduced at that time a cross of a large, rough-haired breed, sup 

 posed to be Newfoundland, and thus originated the rough-coated variety. The marks pre 

 ferred by the .monks are a black or dark head, a white muzzle, the white marking running 

 tip over the head, white breast and collar, white feet or &quot;stockings,&quot; and the tail tipped with 



