616 BRITISH DOGS 



kick, and the poor little animal, partly stunned, rolled into the 

 water. 



Passionately fond of dogs, she was naturally enraged and 

 grieved at seeing it treated so cruelly, and without hesitation 

 rushed to the water's edge, endeavouring to reach it, but the eddies 

 of the stream were taking it farther and farther from the side. She 

 jumped into the water, which she was told afterwards was twelve 

 feet deep. She was unable to swim, but having thrown herself 

 towards the dog, she managed with her right hand to catch him 

 by the back. They both went under water together, and spectators 

 seeing her danger, a boat went off to the rescue. When doggie 

 and his gallant preserver were picked up, the latter was quite in- 

 sensible. 



On consciousness being restored, she discovered that the by- 

 standers, imagining the dog was hers, had brought him to the 

 house whither she had been taken. When she was sufficiently 

 recovered, and was preparing to take her departure, the poor little 

 waif gave her a piteous look of misery, and seemed to say, ' Do 

 take me with you,' so she picked it up in her arms, and took it 

 home. Fido was her constant companion in many a journey by 

 sea and land, and was always most affectionate. 



Some years elapsed, and Fido and his mistress were in Lisbon. 

 The hour was midnight, and after a long and tedious voyage, occupy- 

 ing nearly twenty-four hours, they were both sound asleep, Fido lying, 

 as usual, by his mistress's bedside. She was suddenly roused by finding 

 him on the bed, scratching the sheets, and crying piteously. She said, 

 ' Be quiet, Fido be quiet, sir ' ; but it was of no avail he made more 

 noise than before. Now thoroughly awakened, his mistress sat up 

 in bed, and heard, to her horror, loud cries of * Fire ! ' Her room 

 was filling with smoke, and she sprang from her bed to open the 

 door. At this instant her window was dashed in, and a man seized 

 her by the waist, but she rushed backwards, snatched up Fido, and 

 then both were safely conveyed to the ground by the fire-escape. 

 She little imagined, when she rescued the dog from a watery grave, 

 that he would be, in after-years, her preserver from that most fearful 

 and devouring element, Fire." 



The weight of the Italian Greyhound for show purposes should 

 not exceed iolb., although at the shows now they sometimes 

 provide classes for those i2lb. and over, and for under i2lb. ; but 

 the best specimens I have ever seen have been well under iolb., 

 and those 2lb. or 3lb. less are preferred. 



The greatest defects met with in this breed are button or prick 

 ears, short neck without arch, Terrier front action (straight leg), 

 straggling hind action, dirty, smutty colouring, apple-head, too short 

 a muzzle, legs not straight in front, and weak pasterns or hocks. 



