DOGS OF CHINA AND JAPAN 



that the appearance of the nose is as if cut with a knife slicing 

 downwards on the front plane of the forehead. In this type, 

 the face should be as rectangular as possible (" Ssu fang 

 li-erh "), and not long and oval-shaped (" ch'ang hua li-erh "). 

 The apple-headed (" p'ing-kuo nao-tai ") type of dog is broad 

 from the face to the back of the head, has a domed forehead, 

 the front of the skull protuberant, and the eyes less far apart. 

 This shape is reminiscent of the King Charles and Blenheim 

 spaniel type rather than that of the English " Pekingese." 

 It seems likely that these points are characteristic of two 

 distinct varieties which have, in modern times, been crossed 

 through paucity of really good specimens of either breed. 

 Among the colours best liked are : 



(1) The tortoise-shell face (" F ai ming li-erh "), considered 



attractive on account of simulation of laughter ; 



(2) The three-flower face (" san hua li-erh "), which is black 



round the eyes, yellow on forehead, and white round 

 the mouth ; and 



(3) The head black (" wu t'ou ") with the remainder of 



the body another colour. 



The shape and insetting of the nose, the most distinctive 

 feature of the race, are perhaps of relatively less importance 

 in China, where the objective of the breeder is not necessarily 

 altogether snub-nosed, than in the West. Chinese breeders 

 insist that the best shape for the tip of the nose is that of 

 the " Ru-yi," a Buddhist emblem in the nature of a sceptre, 

 whose shape and significance are equally difficult of definition. 

 The name refers to the boss at the end of the " Ru-yi," which 

 is very similar to another and rather more fixed standard of 

 shape, that of the Chinese conventional cloud. This latter 

 is the nose outline found in most of the bronze Chinese 

 lions. When the nose is somewhat depressed at the tip, 

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