THE PEKINGESE 289 



in b'ronze, stone, and ivory, porcelain an'd enamels, 

 and embroidered in gold and colours. There is no 

 mistaking his short legs, slightly bent, his build, com- 

 pact, yet possessing a waist ; his large eyes, broad 

 forehead and muzzle, his ears well set on, and his 

 plume like a squirrel. He is the true Pekingese. 

 The old type and the present Imperial Palace dog 

 are identical." 



To gain some idea of the make and shape of this 

 little dog who looms so large in the public eye one 

 cannot do better than study the photograph on 

 another page of Mrs. Ashton Cross's champion "Chu- 

 erh," of Alderbourne, for whom his fortunate owner 

 is said to have refused the enormous sum of 1,500. 

 Notice the compact little body and general sturdy 

 appearance. He gives the impression of being a 

 big little dog. His chest is deep and broad, and 

 his head is massive for his size. The coat is long and 

 the tail is equipped with quite an unusual amount of 

 feather. A feeling is abroad that a good many dogs 

 of the wrong type are being shown, lack of bone and 

 sturdiness, legs and bodies too long, and unsound - 

 ness being faults only too prevalent. The charac- 

 teristic waist, too, is said to be disappearing. There 

 is always a danger, when a variety becomes of great 

 commercial value, that worthless specimens may flood 

 the market, and it is to be hoped that judges will 

 take a strong stand in refusing tp award prizes to 

 any lacking in merit. 



It should be mentioned, in conclusion, that these 

 dogs are singularly hardy, suffering little from 

 any disease. 



The standard approved by the Pekin Palace Dog 

 Association is as follows : 



Book of the Dog. 20 



