The Poodle. 



423 



Head. Skull flat, broad at occiput, narrowing to the forehead, which 

 should not be too bold ; cheeks wide, muzzle narrowing to a fine point ; 

 ears small and quite erect ; eyes dark, quite black preferable ; nose also 

 black, but a brown nose should not disqualify ; the whole head very fox- 

 like ; head and face covered with smooth short hair. 



Coat. Thick, straight, outstanding, free from curl or frizziness, very 

 abundant all over the body, and superabundant round the neck, forming 

 a thick deep ruff, and long, straight, and flowing on the hams ; under- 

 neath the longer hair there should be a thick soft underjacket. 



Colour. Self colours white should be a pure flake white throughout, 

 coloured patches, fawn, or other being very objectionable. Other colours 

 I think should be encouraged are black, cream, fawn, red, buff. 



Legs and feet. Straight fore legs, feathered behind ; hocks well let 

 down, with but scant feathering below the joint ; feet small, neat, 

 round, and the toes well sprung. 



Tail short, tightly curled on the back, exceedingly well feathered, 

 with the feathering spreading out from each side of it over the hips, fan- 

 like. 



CHAPTER VI. THE POODLE. 



BY CORSINCON. 



IN dogs ordinarily spoken of as poodles we find a multiplicity of type, 

 which is doubtless to be accounted for by the commixture of pure poodle 

 blood with that of other varieties. 



The poodle has been long known in this country. According to the 

 writer on domesticated dogs in " Jardine's Naturalists' Library," he is 

 of German origin. He says, " The water dog or poodle of the Germans 

 rose first in favour in Germany, and was, during the revolutionary wars, 

 carried by the soldiers into France, and that in the later campaigns only 

 became familiar to the British, who met with it in Spain and the Nether- 

 lands." The work in which this statement is made commands for it 

 respect ; but I confess that to me it not only lacks lucidity but is unsup- 



