110 THE RETRIEVER 



' With regard to their sporting qualities the cur lies 

 can hold their own with the flat -coated variety. I 

 have had several trained and sold them to sports- 

 men, and they have given every satisf action *; their 

 temper is perfect, nose and mouth good, while their 

 power of endurance is quite equal to that of the 

 flat-coated Retrievers." The coat of these dogs 

 should consist of very short, tight curls, well covering 

 the body, while the legs and stern are free from 

 feather. 



The striking success achieved by L'abradors in 

 field trials during 1908 served to bring these very 

 useful dogs into more prominence than ever. A 

 better workman could not be desired, although as 

 far as his looks are concerned it must be admitted 

 that he is distinctly inferior, to the flat- or curly- 

 coated Retrievers. The fact that he is not shown 

 very much no doubt has given rise to the miscon- 

 ception as to the Labrador being a comparatively 

 new variety. This is far from the truth, however, 

 as specimens were brought to this country from 

 Labrador by trading vessels nearly eighty years ago, 

 and as soon as their virtues became known they were 

 eagerly sought after by a number of prominent 

 sportsmen. He has plenty of courage, and cannot 

 well be equalled in the water, and his nose is very 

 fine. A 1 fair weight for one of these dogs is about 

 60 lb., and height round about 21 inches. The 

 outer coat must be free from curl, and there is 

 a thick, soft under one. They are black in colour. 



In 1908 the Rt. Hon. L. V. Harcourt, M.P., was 

 good enough to exhibit some of the Golden Retrievers 

 of which we had heard from time to time. These 

 are smaller, than an ordinary Retriever, and their 



