550 THE AMERICAN BOOK OF THE DOG. 



acknowledging my obligations to Mr. Shaw and his pub- 

 lishers, Messrs. Cassell & Co., for the use of same. The 

 letter is as follows: 



According to the tradition of the holy fathers of the great St. Bernard, 

 their race descends from the crossing of a bitch (a Bulldog species) of Den- 

 mark and a Mastiff (Shepherd's dog) of the Pyrenees. The descendants of this 

 crossing, who have inherited from the Danish dog its extraordinary size and 

 bodily strength of the one part, and from the Pyrenean Mastiff the intelligence, 

 the exquisite sense of smell, and at the same time the faithfulness and sagacity, 

 of the other part, have acquired in the space of five centuries so glorious a 

 notoriety throughout Europe that they well merit the name of a distinct race 

 for themselves. 



In winter the service of the male dogs (the females are employed or 

 engaged only at the last extremity) is regulated as follows: Two dogs, one old 

 and one young, travel over every morning the route on the Italian side of the 

 mountain toward Aosta. Two more make the voyage on the Swiss side, 

 toward Martigny, to a distance of about nine miles from the Hospice. They 

 all go just to the last cabins of refuge that have been constructed for the 

 benefit of travelers. Even when the snow has fallen during the night, the dogs 

 find their way surely and correctly, and do not deviate from the beaten way a 

 yard. The marks of their feet leave a track which is easy for travelers to fol- 

 low as far as the Hospice. Two dogs are made to go over the same road 

 together, so if one perishes it is replaced by another a young one, who is 

 instructed and trained by the surviving dog, of which he is the pupil. AVhen 

 the dogs arrive at the cabins of refuge, they enter them to see if there are any 

 travelers seeking shelter there, in which case they entice them to follow. If 

 they find any travelers who have succumbed to the cold, the dogs try to revive 

 them by imparting warmth in licking their hands and face, which not seldom 

 produces the desired effect. If these means are inefficient, they return in all 

 speed to the Hospice, where they know how to make themselves understood. 

 ., . . . . The monks immediately set out, well provided with means of 

 recovery. 



In 1812 a terrible snow-storm took place, and the aid of the monks and 

 dogs was so constantly required that even the female dogs, the most feeble ani- 

 mals, were called into requisition, and perished. There were a sufficient num- 

 ber of males left, but not a single female. How was the breed to be kept up? 

 The monks resolved to obtain some females of the Newfoundland breed, cele- 

 brated for their strength, and accustomed to a cold climate. This idea turned 

 out useless when put in practice, because the young dogs had long hair. In 

 winter this long hair so collected the snow that the poor beasts succumbed 

 under its weight and perished. The monks then tried crossing one of their 

 own dogs with the offspring of the cross breed, with their short, stubby hair. 

 At last this plan succeeded. From that bastard female dog they have recon- 

 stituted the race of dogs that are now at the Hospice. These dogs, notwith- 

 standing their cross with the Newfoundland, have the same valor and courage 

 as the ancient race, because, by an intelligent and systematic choice, they rear 



