8 British Dogs. 



point he lays more stress than any other writer. Youatt adopts Cuvier's 

 system, as does Elaine. Meyrick considers it practically useless. Mr. 

 C. Linnaeus Martin divides dogs into five groups greyhounds, Newfound- 

 lands, spaniels, hounds, and mastiffs, and terriers, which is, at least, as 

 unsatisfactory as having no arrangement at all, which indeed is the case 

 with a considerable number of writers, to whom it is perhaps unnecessary 

 to make further reference. 



In dealing with a subject that has been treated by such able writers 

 as those referred to, and others we have not mentioned, it is not to be 

 expected, nor is it pretended, that we have anything very original to offer 

 in the arrangement and grouping we propose ; neither do we for a moment 

 suppose that we have hit on a perfect system of classifying dogs. The 

 varieties run into each other so imperceptibly, and from the pliant, tract- 

 able nature of the dog he is put to such various uses, that we often find 

 varieties the farthest removed from each other in form and structure, 

 interchanging positions, and each doing what we may term the legitimate 

 work of the other, so that we can conceive of no system free from flaws and 

 objections ; but we hope our plan will prove convenient for the discussion 

 of the history, development, and characteristics of each group with its 

 individual varieties, and be found of easy and ready reference by those 

 disposed to refer to it for informatidn. 



A word of explanation, and by anticipation of objections to disarm 

 quibblers. 



We have included in "British Dogs" varieties that are not strictly 

 British, because we think them, like so many breeds introduced in 

 the past, likely to become British, and meeting with them so often at our 

 shows, we trust they are, if not yet fully, at least in process of being 

 acclimatized. 



Knowing, also, as Dr. Caius quaintly expresses it, in referring to " a 

 new sort of dog just brought out of France," that "we Englishmen are 

 marvellous greedy gaping gluttons after novelties, and covetous cormo- 

 rants of things that be seldom, rare, strange, and hard to get," we believe 

 our readers will not severely censure us for travelling a little beyond our 

 title. 



Thanks to the enthusiasm of the Eev. J. Gumming Macdona, J. H. 

 Murchison, Esq., and a few other gentlemen, the magnificent St. Bernard 

 is now a British Dog, and so may it be in the future with many another 



