The Great Dane. 279 



inspected the specimens, more or less pure, seen occasionally at our 

 shows, can doubt. Their immense strength, activity, and apparent 

 "go," mark them as most valuable for hunting and bringing to bay the 

 large and fierce game of our colonies and Indian possessions, and also 

 for judicious crossing with some of our native breeds for the above and 

 other special purposes. Of the breed Mr. Frank Adcock says in " Dogs 

 of the British Islands : " " Enormous in size, sensitive in nose, of great 

 speed, unyielding in tenacity and courage, and full of intelligence ; there 

 is no dog that can so well sustain the part of the dog of the hunter of 

 large game," and this opinion is deserving of every respect from the 

 writer's knowledge and experience of the breed. 



As to the purity of the dogs exhibited as great Danes, I am not in a 

 position to speak. Mr. Adcock' s Satan I look upon as the grandest 

 specimen I have seen much superior in size, muscularity, and power- 

 fulness of build, to any in the class of "Deutsche Doggen," at the 

 Hanover International Exhibition of 1879, or in the excellent class of 

 " Grand Danois," at the International Exhibition of Dogs, Paris, 1878, 

 both of which lots I inspected most carefully. That Satan, at all events, 

 retains the exact type of head which dogs of this breed possessed very 

 far back, will be proved by the inspection of a very fine painting in 

 the Spencer collection in the South Kensington Museum. This picture 

 only shows the head of a dog of this breed, but there are several other 

 extremely ancient pictures which conclusively prove how accurately the 

 type has been maintained. 



The following are the weight and measurements of a great Dane : 

 Mr. F. Adcock' s Proserpina, a blue brindled great Dane bitch : Age, 2 

 years ; weight, 1351b. ; height at shoulder, 30in. ; length from nose to 

 set on of tail, 51in. ; length of tail, 20iin. ; girth of chest, 34in. ; girth 

 loin, 31in. ; girth of head, 21in. ; girth of forearm, 9in. ; length of head 

 from occiput to tip of nose, 12in. ; girth of muzzle midway between 

 eyes and tip of nose, 



