338 BRITISH DOGS 



and dog-showing has advanced with giant strides ; and this is 

 particularly noticeable as regards the fair sex, who seem to have 

 taken to the task with that thoroughness and (temporary) ardour 

 which are its distinguishing virtue in all its undertakings. 



As regards the exaggeration of type which the writer has so 

 strongly deprecated, it may be that the legion of specialist clubs 

 which have sprung, mushroom-like, into existence (and the cry is 

 " Still they come ! ") of late years are unwittingly the cause of this 

 hydra-headed evil. It is true they one and all draw up an elaborate 

 scale of points for general guidance ; but the average and aggregate 

 of these points are nearly always ignored by the so-called specialist 

 club judges. The fact is that not one man or woman in a 

 hundred is born with the true critical faculty; consequently these 

 would-be wearers of the ermine are quite unable to sum up the 

 balance of physical conformation, but persist on exercising their 

 personal fads. One goes for colour, another for head, a third for 

 legs and feet, and so on, and they look no further. A good dog 

 is thrown out because it does not hold one ear in the approved 

 fashion ; a cripple or a monstrosity is honoured with a challenge 

 prize because it has " such a grand head." 



All this may seem a digression ; but it is worth growling 

 about, and leads up to the satisfactory fact that the Flat-coated 

 Retriever, never having been god-sired by a specialist society, 

 has not suffered in this direction, and, whilst maintaining a 

 sound, symmetrical type, has steadily improved in quality and 

 quantity; so that in this year of grace (1902) no breed is 

 more level, and few more popular. At the leading shows, given 

 a judge in whom the body of the exhibitors have confidence, and 

 also a liberal classification, well-filled classes of high quality are 

 a certainty. On the other hand, at minor shows, where an "all- 

 round" judge has to deal with this variety, some of the most 

 powerful Retriever owners hold aloof. This is a great mistake, 

 for amongst the most popular and knowledgable " all-rounders " 

 are men who know their Retriever quite as well as the so-called 

 specialist. The writer never hesitated to submit his Retrievers to 

 the judgment of such as Messrs. Marples, Gresham, and Astley, 

 and has found little to cavil at in their decisions, whether they 

 were favourable to himself or the reverse. On the other hand, he 

 has known many cases where " experts" in Retriever lore and 

 breeding, but novices in the judicial ring, have completely lost 

 their heads when faced by a large and level class, and have in 

 consequence committed the most obvious errors of judgment. 



Amongst the most prominent Retriever judges of the day may 

 be quoted Messrs. S. E. Shirley, E. Allen Shuter, G. R. Davies, 

 C. Phillips, H. R. Cooke, C. J. G. Hulkes, W. Arkwright, and 

 Colonel Comwall-Legh. The first and last named are amongst the 



