248 British Dogs. 



weight, I701b. ; height at shoulder, 31|in, ; length from nose to set on of 

 tail, 57in. ; length of tail, 21in. ; girth of chest, 42in. ; girth of loin, 

 33in. ; girth of head, 27iin. ; girth of arm lin. above elbow, 12in. ; 

 girth of leg lin. below elbow, llin. ; length of head from occiput to 

 tip of nose, 12in. ; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, 

 15|in. ; colour and markings, fawn, black points. 



CHAPTER IX. THE ST. BERNARD. 

 BY CORSINCON. 



AMONG the large-sized companion " dogs of the day" there can be no 

 doubt of the St. Bernard occupying the position of chief favourite with the 

 public at the present time. The large classes brought together at our 

 principal shows furnish sufficient proof of this ; and although I do not 

 accept the decline in the, entries of Mastiffs at the Crystal Palace Show, 

 1878, and again at the Alexandra Palace in 1879, as in itself proof 

 of their fall in popular favour, any more than I take the inferior quality 

 of the exhibits at the former as evidence of the decadence of the breed, 

 yet it is significant that there were nearly seventy entries of St. Ber- 

 nards to forty of mastiffs in the first case, and over seventy to fifty in 

 the second, and at most leading shows now the former breed is invariably 

 well represented both in numbers and quality. 



The history of the St. Bernard in this country is bub a short one, and 

 there is no mystery or doubt about the present generation of them as 

 far as their immediate progenitors are concerned ; but many of the most 

 illustrious sires we have had, dogs whose blood is destined to influence 

 many future generations, from having begot the grandest of the breed 

 yet seen, are without pedigree, or have merely a sire and dam attributed 

 to them by name, which, for any information it gives, might as well be 

 by Jack, out of Jill. The great ambition seems to be expressed in the 

 constantly repeated phrase, " Descended from the celebrated Barry." 

 There is a degree of indefiniteness about this which should tempt some 

 bold exhibitor to go a step further and bring out one " descended from 



