CURLY-COATED RETRIEVER 



dog is not by any means as popular amongst shooting 

 men as he was some years ago, for the position he then held 

 is now occupied by the flat-coated variety, which out- 

 numbers the curly-coated dog in the proportion of about 

 fifty to one. This is to a certain extent unfair on the 

 latter, for even if the allegation brought against him by 

 his opponents, who declare that he is hard-mouthed and 

 so liable to mangle the game he retrieves, be correct, there 

 can be no gainsaying the fact that he was very highly 

 thought of by our fathers, or that he is a most handsome, 

 intelligent, and sound-constitutioned dog. 



The origin of the curly-coated retriever is rather obscure, 

 but undoubtedly the poodle had a good deal to do with it, 

 and so also had the Irish water-spaniel. 



Generally speaking, the formation of the curly-coated 

 retriever is similar to that of the flat-coated variety ; but 

 the former, owing to the comparative shortness of his 

 coat, conveys at a first glance the impression that he is a 

 lighter-built and more active dog. The head, too, does 

 not appear to be so massive, and the muzzle not so blunt ; 

 the skull is also flatter than that of the flat-coated variety, 

 and the eyes are smaller and darker in colour. Another 

 point of distinction exists in connection with the shoulders, 

 which as a rule are less sloping in the case of the curly- 

 coated breed, not that they can be described as being 

 straight, and the ribs are rounder and the chest broader 

 by comparison. 



Of course, however, the great point of distinction 

 between the two varieties lies in the coat, which in the 

 curly breed consists of a mass of tight, crisp curls all over 

 the body, the head and muzzle alone being covered with 

 short hair of a rather crisp texture. The legs and tail 

 are also covered with small curls, which like those on the 

 body should be quite close together, so as to form a 

 weather-resisting jacket. The prevailing colour is jet-black, 

 but occasionally livers are met with, but not so frequently 

 as used to be the case. (See Flat-coated Retriever.) 



59 



