Smooth Collies. 71 



they have the long coated one. The farmer still produces 

 the best smooth specimens, the exhibitor has the honour of 

 doing the like so far as his cousin is concerned. 



Bewick is again to the fore in giving us an engraving of 

 the smooth collie, which he calls the " Cur/' a name still 

 attaching to the variety in many parts of the country, and, 

 as already stated, arising from the fact that shepherds' dogs 

 were " cur-tailed " by having their tails cut. Bewick's 

 drawing is much of a muchness as a careful artist would 

 make to-day of the same variety, a little more coat, 

 perhaps, and a bigger and stronger dog than is usually con- 

 sidered quite chic by those who know the right sort to win. 

 The dogs, though, of this variety are, as a rule, much bigger 

 and generally coarser than the bitches, the difference between 

 the sexes not being so marked in any variety of medium- 

 sized canines, excepting, perhaps, in the Scotch deerhounds 

 and, of course, in the rough-coated collies themselves. 



In an earlier chapter it was stated that at the South 

 Durham and North Yorkshire shows, held at Darlington, in 

 July, 1870, one of the first classes for smooth-coated collies 

 was provided, and it had a capital entry of fifteen, as many 

 as will probably be found at the same show in 1890, so the 

 variety has not popularised itself very much. I say one of 

 the earliest classes, because in June of the same year prizes 

 were offered for smooth-coated sheep dogs at the first 

 Crystal Palace dog show, but the prizes were withheld, for, 

 of the two entries made, neither exhibit was considered 

 good enough to secure an award. Mr. T. Statter, who 

 seldom sent anything bad to the shows, owned one of the 

 dogs named the Baron, and, strangely enough, the other- 

 exhibit was called Byron, the names evidently in euphony 

 no more far apart, than was the quality of the dogs. 



