74 The Collie or Sheep Dog. 



Some twenty years or so ago, at the Kendal shows 

 (Westmoreland), some unusually good specimens of the 

 smooth were to be found, one black, tan, and white bitch, 

 the late Mr. Henry Dodd's Fleet, winning time after 

 time, under Mr. W. Lort, who considered her the very best 

 of her variety he ever saw, and all know he is no mean 

 judge. But the best, to my fancy, although some of the 

 judges did not agree with me, was a natural bob-tailed, or 

 tailless bitch, a peculiar brown in colour, shown by Mr. 

 George Fee, and called, I believe, Fan. The expression, 

 character, and form of this bitch were very fine indeed, but 

 being without a tail no doubt handicapped her considerably 

 when in strong competition. Barring in stern, this bitch 

 was an excellent counterpart of Herdwick Eva, alluded to 

 just previously. Both Fleet and Fan belonged to butchers, 

 were used in their trade, and, I believe, Fan was about as 

 good with either cattle or sheep as they can be made. She 

 was something of the form of that good bitch Melody, Mr. 

 W. Arkwright purchased for a good round sum from Mr. T. 

 Marples, but the Kendal bitch was brighter and lighter in 

 colour, had the smaller ears, and was the more sensible in 

 expression. 



Of the black, white, and tans, an early and good repre- 

 sentative was Mr. W. W. Thomson's (Mitcham) Yarrow, a 

 lowland bitch, I believe, but I never considered her equal 

 to either of the two I have named, and the three were 

 about contemporary. Another excellent specimen of the 

 same colour was Mr. T. B. Swinburne's (Darlington) Lassie r 

 a bitch, I fancy, that won more prizes than any of her 

 variety either before or since, but then she was taken 

 round to all the little shows. 



About the same time the brothers, Messrs. J. and T. 



