256 British Dogs. 



white legs and feet, white collar and chest, white blaze up the face and 

 black ears and muzzle ; he has one single and one double dew claw. Oscar 

 was bred by Miss Hales, Hales Place, Canterbury, and is by Thor Jura, 

 both imported by Mr. J. H. Murchison, and both well-known winners. 

 Oscar I have always considered a marvellously handsome specimen of the 

 breed, in confirmation of which I may quote from my critique on the Man- 

 chester Show, held at Belle Vue, December, 1874, and which appeared in 

 The Country, 31st Dec., 1874 : " Of all the non-sporting classes at Belle 

 Vue we are disposed to think the St. Bernards the best. The first prize 

 went to Mr. A. C. Armitage's Oscar, who is only 15 months old. He is 

 really a magnificent specimen of the breed, and will draw attention to 

 Thor as a sire. This pup has the most superb head we have seen, and 

 will develop into a very grand dog if well seen to ; he is not yet filled 

 up, and in the opinion of some is hollow backed, and will always be slack 

 in loin, but with these opinions we do not coincide .... still, he should 

 not here have been placed over Mr. F. Gresham's Monk, with whom in 

 no other point than head can he at present compare." Oscar has borne out 

 my good opinion of him as a pup, and has since won at the Crystal Palace. 

 He is an exceedingly good tempered and excellent companion and guard. 

 Dr. Russell's bitch Muren was, I consider, a wonder at her age, while yet 

 but a pup ; she has single dew claws, is in colour a light orange, with 

 white points and partial white collar. Her colour is considered by some to 

 be quite a damning fault, an opinion, I think, utterly untenable, unless we 

 are to reduce St. Bernards to the level of toys, and ignore their magnificent 

 history; and the noble life of derring-do to which he has been trained, and for 

 which nature and the education and example of good men have fitted 

 him. 



Mr. Sydney W. Smith's Barry is a remarkably fine specimen of an 

 imported dog, bred by Mr. G. Ficher, of Fribourg, Switzerland. He was 

 brought to England in 1876, when about twelve months old, and took 

 first prize at Darlington Show, in a good class, immediately after his 

 arrival, and he now ranks as one of the finest specimens we have. In 

 colour he is orange tawny with white points, white chest, white blaze up 

 the face, and white star on the neck. He is blessed with those " mon- 

 strosities," dew claws, considered so essential by the class of fanciers 

 who attach more weight to the number of hairs on the mole on a pug's 

 cheek than to the more important parts of his anatomy. 



