542 THE CARNIVORES 



white, and black, white, and tan varieties ; a dog with much white being preferred^ 

 in order that he may readily be seen among turnips. There has been much rivalry 

 as to the merits of the lemon and white, and liver and white pointers ; the one strain 

 being in the ascendant at one time and the other at another. In the best-bred 

 pointers the head should be carried high when at work ; animals which have too 

 much of the foxhound in their blood carrying the head down, and seeking after a 

 "foot scent," instead of trusting entirely to the " body scent," while their tails are 

 not carried in the orthodox rigid position. 



The Dalmatian, coach, spotted, or "plum-pudding dog," is prob- 

 Dalmatian ^^ allied to the pointer and hounds, although there have been 



suggestions of its affinity to the great Dane. It is distinguished by 

 its dark spots which are by preference jet black on a white ground. In the 

 modern breed these spots are large and evenly distributed, but in the older breed 

 they are much smaller, and more like the " ticks" or flecks of the pointer. As- 

 being in England essentially a carriage-dog, next to the regularity of its spots- 

 attention is directed to the perfect development of the limbs. In its native 

 country the Dalmatian dog is employed as a pointer, and is said to stand well 

 to game. 



With the mastiff we arrive at the fifth division of domestic dogs, 



characterized by the more of less shortened muzzle, in which tke lower 

 jaw frequently projects beyond the upper, while the skull is greatly elevated above , 

 the eyes by the enlargement of the air cells in the frontal bones. The typical forms 

 are of large size and powerful build, with either pendent or erect ears, pendulous 

 lips, and generally short coats and thin tails. They are used chiefly as watch-dogs, 

 or for fighting. Of the true mastiffs there are two breeds, the English and the 

 Cuban. The modern English mastiff is a powerful dog of large size, which, 

 when pure bred, is distinguished by its fully pendent ears. The head is relatively 

 larger, and the body less massive than in the bull-dog; the head showing a 

 slight furrow down the middle, and the body having a slight bend. In height 

 the male should not fall below twenty-nine inches, while the female should 

 reach at least twenty-seven inches. The coat is fine and soft, but may become 

 rather rough on the tail. The color most esteemed is either a stone fawn with 

 black " points," or a brindle, without any admixture of white ; but red mastiffs are 

 not unknown. 



This dog is distinguished by its hideous appearance, its ferocity,. 



and its low degree of intelligence. Its head should be square in shape, 

 and as wide as possible, while the skin on the forehead should be well wrinkled. 

 The indentation between the eyes, technically known as the ' ' stop, ' ' should be of 

 great depth and size ; while the eyes should be dark, rather prominent, far apart, 

 and set horizontally. The ears, which vary somewhat in shape, are required to be 

 small, and placed high on the head, although not at its summit. Breeders also at- 

 tach importance to the shortness of the upper as compared with the lower jaw, this 

 being an essential feature when the dog has to seize large animals. Needless to say, 

 the tusks should be large and powerful, and the incisor teeth ought to form a regular 

 series. The shape of the body and limbs is admirably adapted for the attain- 



