80 



THE MEXICAN LAPDOG. 



Poodle is not the only Dog that suffers a like tonsorial abridgment 

 of coat ; for under the dry arches of the many bridges that cross the 

 Seine, in Paris, may be daily seen a mournful spectacle. Numerous 

 dogs of every imaginable and unimaginable breed lie helpless in the 

 shade of the arch, their legs tied together, and their eyes contemplating 



The Irish Water Spaniel {Canis famili<tris). 



with woeful looks the struggles of their fellows, who are being shorn 

 of their natural covering, and protesting with mournful cries against 

 the operation. 



The very tiniest of the dog family is the Mexican Lapdog, a crea- 

 ture so very minute in its dimensions as to appear almost fabulous to 

 those who have not seen the animal itself 



One of these little canine pets is to be seen in the British Museum, 

 and always attracts much attention from the visitors. Indeed, if it 

 were not in so dignified a locality, it would be generally classed with 

 the mermaid, the flying serpent, and the Tartar lamb as an admirable 

 example of clever workmanship. It is precisely like those white wool- 

 len toy Dogs which sit upon a pair of bellows, and when pressed give 

 forth a nondescript sound intended to do duty for the legitimate canine 

 Imrk. To say that it is no larger than these toys would be hardly true, 

 for I have seen in the shop- windows many a toy Dog which exceeded 

 in size the veritable Mexican Lapdog. 



The magnificent animal which is termed the Bloodhound, on ac- 



