334 BRITISH DOGS 



Champion Zelstone, who was without doubt the bed-rock of the 

 breed. Contemporary with him was Mr. Shirley's Champion Thorn, 

 and the concentration of the blood produced Champion Moonstone, 

 (possibly the most perfect Retriever of all time, and assuredly of 

 his day). He sired Champion Blackthorn, sire of Black Paint, 

 dam of Black Drake, sire of Champion Wimpole Peter, sire of 

 Paul of Riverside. 



In a collateral line Champion Darenth (Hopeful Donna) is 

 another notable landmark, for he is responsible in the direct line 

 for many of the highest-class specimens of later days such a 

 line, for instance, as his son Black Cloth, sire of Black Drake, 

 the latter by far the most notable dog of modern times, for his 

 stock have won and are still winning (1902) more prizes than that 

 of all the other dogs of the last decade put together. 



As the writer had the honour of breeding and owning Black 

 Drake throughout the whole of his career at stud, on the show-bench, 

 and in the field, he is naturally diffident in singing his praises ; 

 but the position of the dog in the Stud Book is unique, and the 

 influence that his blood must have on the Retriever of the future 

 is so obvious that he may be excused for giving a brief biography 

 of so remarkable a Retriever. His sire was Black Cloth, by 

 Champion Darenth Black Skirt by Champion Blackthorn Mavis ; 

 Blackthorn by Champion Moonstone Champion Sloe; Cham- 

 pion Sloe by Champion Thorn Lady in Black. His dam, Black 

 Paint, was own sister to Black Skirt ; hence it will be seen how 

 closely inbred he was with the Zelstone strain, and that of Mr. 

 Solly, which had its chief origin in Mr. Corse's Sailor. But this 

 is blood that apparently stands any amount of inbreeding ; for, 

 even when recrossed, there is no evidence of a general or of a 

 constitutional weakness. On the contrary, the show and stud dogs 

 of the day, who represent what is practically a family party, are 

 a particularly robust and hardy lot. But a time must inevitably 

 arrive when a distinct outcross will have to be resorted to ; and as 

 it is hardly likely that a ready-made Retriever of sufficient quality 

 will be found who does not trace back on either side to one of 

 the tap-roots enumerated above, it is obvious that recourse must 

 be had to the primary elements of the modern Retriever's entity. 



Of late years the Labrador has grown in favour, and though 

 the writer has no personal experience of his merits, there are 

 knowledgable sportsmen who swear by him, by reason of his 

 alleged possession of all the virtues which a Retriever should possess. 

 Many of these dogs have been carefully bred and the strains jealously 

 guarded; but to the writer's eyes they appear, for the most part, 

 rather coarse and cloddy ; so that the element of the Setter becomes 

 a necessity, if the quality of the modern Retriever is to be main- 

 tained. But first get your black Setter no easy matter forsooth ; 



