THE LABRADOR 



357 



resorted to. This is erroneous. For a very long time it has been 

 the endeavour of Labrador breeders of any standing to keep out of 

 their kennels any flat-coated cross, as such, in their opinion, tends 

 to the production of a " soft " article. Moreover, they regard the 

 present-day dog as a lineal descendant of those first used for sport- 

 ing purposes by the Earl of Malmesbury. 



- That the dogs of to-day differ somewhat in conformation from 

 those earlier ones of which we have heard admits of very little 



FIG. 75. THE HON. A. HOLLAND-HIBBERT'S LABRADOR SENTRY. 



doubt j yet such differences are merely Time modifications that must 

 exist in any variety kept for a specific purpose over a long period. 

 There are some present-day breeders (the Duke of Buccleuch, who 

 is the owner of the finest kennel of Labradors, being one of them) 

 who incline to the belief that the old-time Labrador was heavier 

 than his modern counterpart, and that he had smaller ears. The 

 writer is of opinion that the modern dog is rather longer in the 

 leg and narrower in the head than the first imported ones, al- 

 though two pure-bred specimens he himself imported ten years 

 ago were practically identical in type with the English Labradors 



