382 The Dog Book 



Yorkshire, and again made the trip to Somersetshire, only to meet with a 

 still more disastrous defeat. Mr. Lang then made an exchange and bred 

 the Russians himself for his own use. He speaks of them as being dogs 

 that were easily trained and never forgot their lessons from one season to 

 another. 



There is no proof that these dogs produced the bob-tails, but there is 

 no knowledge whatever of this peculiar sheep dog prior to the period that 

 we know the Russians to have been in England and kept by gentlemen 

 who shot in the south country. Our opinion is that from this dog the bob- 

 tail got his coat and ears, that he was crossed on the smooth sheep dog, and 

 from the latter got the tendency to breed without a tail, also the occasional 

 wall eye. Where that wall eye originated lies buried in the mists of antiquity, 

 to quote Mr. Hopwood, but it was in the bandog, in his lighter brother, 

 the smooth sheep dog, and in the little mongrel turnspit. It seems to have 

 been made in England. From the smooth sheep dog in all likelihood came 

 the peculiar shuffling pace and the low withers, for that was characteristic of 

 the old drover's dog. 



The argument and conclusions may not be convincing to many of our 

 readers, but all will acknowledge that the dog could not just grow, like 

 Topsy; it was produced in some manner from some progenitor which it 

 still resembles, and what other dog was there in England to produce the 

 coat peculiarities of the bob-tail except these Russian dogs, which were 

 then known and used in England ? 



The bob-tail is now given an excellent character as to disposition and 

 behaviour, and in that respect he resembles the Airedale terrier, which in a 

 few years, from being a difficult dog to manage, blossomed into a ladies' 

 companion. Our experience with the breed is limited to having two of 

 the most valuable collies we ever owned chewed to death by a model bob- 

 tail, and while Mr. Mason thinks of the old Russian poodle when he sees a 

 bob-tail, our thought is of poor Clipsetta and her dam Nesta, and on that 

 account we could never be induced to keep one of this breed. 



Bob-tails were taken hold of with a rush a few years ago, but the fancy 

 seems to be cooling down again. There is the drawback of our climate to 

 contend against, and they cannot be kept in coat to any advantage in 

 prolonged hot weather. When out of coat it cannot be said that they are 

 attractive dogs, and with the old exhibitors dropping out while few recruits 

 are to be had, it looks as if the breed will not prove a success here. Merely 



