CHAPTER LVI 



THE DALMATIAN 



WHO does not know the " plum -pudding " dog, as 

 he is frequently called in the vernacular? There is 

 no mistaking him. He cannot change his spots any 

 more than the leopard when he has once acquired 

 them. Do not put a puppy into the bucket, how- 

 ever, because he happens to be pure white. This 

 is no reflection upon his pedigree, as the spots come 

 later. These peculiar markings, by the way, are 

 supposed to be a great point of beauty in the show 

 specimen. They should be clearly defined, about the 

 size pf a sixpence, either black or liver, and no 

 white hairs should mar their purity. Nor should 

 any distinct patches appear on any part of the body, 

 they being looked upon with strong disfavour. I 

 have heard of unscrupulous breeders eliminating 

 white hairs from the spots by means of a pair 

 of tweezers surely sadly-misplaced industry. It is 

 rather interesting to find Youatt describing the breed 

 as '* the Great Danish Dog, called also the Dalmatian 

 or spotted dog." The difference between the two 

 breeds was, he explained, principally in the size, the 

 Dalmatian being much smaller than the Danish. 

 Presumably the harlequin Great Dane led him to 



