THE MALTESE TERRIER. 503 



The body is rather long, deep- chested, level in back, mus- 

 cular, and well knit. 



The legs are shortish, straight, strong, and barefooted. 



The tail, an exquisite little white plume, is carried grace- 

 fully curving over the side and back. 



The coat, the all-important, must be long the longer the 

 better from seven to eleven inches on a dog standing no 

 more than seven inches high at shoulder, and as soft and 

 silky as nature and art can make it; dazzlingly brilliant and 

 snowy white. Lemon markings sometimes occur upon the 

 ears, but they are a disqualification, even on the best speci- 

 mens, and even worse than any tendency to curl in the 

 coat. 



The weight should not exceed seven pounds, and many 

 prize-winners are under five. 



It may interest our readers to study the accompanying 

 group of the creme de la creme of Maltese prize-winners, 

 owned by the late Lady Gifford, of England. The illustra- 

 tion is taken from a photograph from life. 



Tiny little Brendoline was a wonder, as frisky and strong 

 at nineteen years of age as most dogs are at four. She was 

 the dam and grandam of many prize-winners. Lord 

 Clyde and Sir Roger are exquisite specimens, and well 

 known on the show bench. Sir Roger is rather the better 

 in head and coat, and strongly resembles the famous Cham- 

 pion Hugh. Queenie is a tiny, charming atom of three 

 pounds weight, the sister of Hugh, and probably the small- 

 est of her breed yet exhibited. Champion Hugh was 

 whelped in 1875, and first shown in 1877, at the Royal 

 Aquarium, where he won second prize. His career was a 

 series of triumphs from that time on until his death. He 

 took his twenty-third and last prize at the Crystal Palace, 

 July, 1885, and died in that year, after a very brief illness. 

 He was devotedly attached to his mistress, and never happy 

 in her absence. 



His proportions and measurements are worth knowing. 

 We quote them from Cassell' s ' * Book of the Dog: ' ' ' ' From 

 nose to stop, one inch; stop to top of skull, two and one- 



