POINTS OF THE CHINESE PEKINGESE TYPE 



mandarin rank, a couplet which stands for the number one 

 in the same game. 



At one period the Chinese made successful efforts to pro- 

 duce white " Pekingese " dogs, free from the white noses 

 and pink eyes due to albinism. These may date back to the 

 Mongol Dynasty, for the Yuen Emperors appear not to have 

 shared the Chinese objection to white in animals through its 

 association with mourning. Marco Polo records that 100,000 

 white horses were presented to Kublai Khan on New Year's 

 Day, and this custom continued at least to the time of K'ang 

 Hsi. 



Among the parti-colours, pride of place is given to tortoise- 

 shell specimens : these are followed in importance by yellow 

 and white, liver and white, and black and white. The 

 Chinese have a picturesque way of describing dogs with special 

 markings as " flowered " dogs. The admiration in which an 

 imported dog, such as the pointer, is held on account of its 

 markings, is very striking to the newcomer in China. It is 

 natural in a city of clans that there should be a tendency to 

 specialize in particular colours among certain of the clans and 

 families. This would render certain colours and markings 

 more stable in China than elsewhere. Similar circumstances 

 may account for the persistence of the white spot commonly 

 found on the forehead of " Pekingese " dogs, and may throw 

 light upon the origin of the Blenheim spaniels whose " spot " 

 is known to have been characteristic in the original breed, 

 though the point now rarely occurs. A white blaze upon the 

 forehead of a horse is believed to be unlucky by the Chinese, 

 and they quote history to prove this. This point in small 

 dogs, however, is prized and encouraged by selective breeding. 

 It may be recalled that one of the thirty-two superior marks 

 of Buddha is " between the eyebrows a little ball shining like 

 snow." In this, we have, perhaps, the origin of the universal 



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