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form a fairly accurate idea of the general appearance of a 

 classic Airedale, and by careful comparison to distinguish 

 the more obvious " outs " of a bad one, but only actual 

 experience can teach him the great lesson of differentia- 

 tion in the closer shades of the plausible and the merely 

 moderate, and of the real top notcher and the flat catcher. 

 Then, as his keen powers of analysis mature, so will he find 

 it a fascinating study to reason out for himself the why 

 and the wherefore of the different placings by the various 

 " Solons " who adjudicate upon the breed. Only by this 

 means will the novice attain the idea of the general con- 

 formation and type to breed to, and during his novitiate 

 he will store up an enormous variety of information and, 

 perhaps, appraise at something near a proper valuation 

 the many widely divergent opinions and theories of 

 canine experts, who, like other members of the 

 community, are not invariably unanimous. 



A certain class of breeder, who prefer undue measure 

 for money, will go for size above every other point; others 

 go ' ' potty ' ' over colour and bone ; and I am bound to state 

 that the majority judge the dog by its head alone most 

 fatal of all blunders. It is useless for anyone to keep 011 

 breeding unless they have or can carefully cultivate 

 the sense of proportion. Keen and thorough study of the 

 points laid down here, and their relative values, together 

 with a carefully cultivated eye for the " altogether," is 

 the surest way to build up and maintain a strain which 

 is the eternal ambition of every budding fancier. 



