224 British Dogs. 



short and strong long backed animals being weak, slow, and unwieldy, 

 easily fatigued, and having a loose, shuffling, and disjointed manner of 

 moving. The hind legs large and muscular, with plenty of propelling 

 power, and like the greyhound's, long in proportion to his forelegs, 

 raising the loins into an arch higher than the shoulders, so as to bring his 

 hind legs well under him, and enable him to spring quickly high off the 

 ground. The belly small and well gathered up ; and the flank, under the 

 loins, hollow, to lighten him as much as possible of useless weight. The 

 wrinkles on the head, the length of the tail, the colour, and other minor 

 points much insisted on by modern fanciers, however much to be admired, 

 were, and ought still to be, of secondary importance to (instead of taking 

 precedence of) a correct general formation, and especially of the square 

 protruding lower jaw, the broad mouth, and receding nose. 



In size the best show specimens are found to be dogs 351b. to 551b., 

 bitches 301b. to 501b. I am not singular in the opinion that at shows 

 bulldogs should not be classed according to weight, but only according to 

 sex, so that all would compete fairly on their individual merits, instead 

 of, as at present, a very, inferior specimen with no chance in one class, 

 being reduced in weight to take a prize in a class of diminutive 

 abortions ; or a bull mastiff of lOOlb. being given a prize as a bulldog in 

 a class made for the apparently special purpose of excluding the true 

 breed from competition. For, as some people's " geese are all swans," so 

 some people's mongrels are said to be all bulldogs. 



In the "good old times," when this dog was kept by all classes, its 

 characteristic qualities were so highly prized as to cause it to be chosen 

 as the type of the national character of that famed " British bulldog 

 courage ' ' and tenacity of purpose which has earned for the nation the 

 rank it has attained amongst the first powers of the world ; yet now, 

 when it is commonly said of British institutions, " they do these things 

 much better abroad, ' ' and the sturdy policy of our ancestors seems out 

 of fashion, the type of the old " British bulldog pluck," still vaunted by 

 reformers, is neglected and forgotten by the nation, except for he 



purposes of ignorant abuse. 



They call us for our fierceness, English dogges. 

 Now, like to whelpes, we crying run away. 

 Hearke, countrymen ! Eyther renew the fight 

 Or teare the lyons out of England's coat- 

 Renounce your soyle. 

 When bull baiting went out of fashion and ceased to be patronised by 



