THE ENGLISH MASTIFF. 



27 



Helmsley Defender and others of his breed- 

 ing having secured prizes at most of the 

 principal shows. 



The following description of a perfect 

 Mastiff, taken from the Old English Mastiff 

 Club's " Points of a Mastiff," is so ad- 

 mirable that I need hardly add any- 

 thing as to what future breeders should 

 aim to attain. If they will study 

 this description carefully and use all 

 their efforts to produce a Mastiff as 

 near it in all points as can be, I feel 

 confident that they will be more satis- 

 fied with the result than is likely to 

 be the case if they give their atten- 

 tion to certain qualities and leave the 

 others to take care of themselves. 



THE PERFECT MASTIFF. 



1. General Character and Symmetry. — 

 Large, massive, powerful, symmetrical and 

 well-knit frame. A combination of grandeur 

 and good nature, courage and docility. 



2. General Description of Head. — In gen- 

 eral outline, giving a square appearance when 

 viewed from any point. Breadth greatly to 

 be desired, and should be in ratio to length 

 of the whole head and face as 2 to 3. 



3. General Description of Body. — Massive, 

 broad, deep, long, powerfully built, on legs 

 wide apart, and squarely set. Muscles 

 sharply denned. Size a great desideratum, 

 if combined with quality. Height and substance 

 important if both points are proportionately 

 combined. 



4. Skull. — Broad between the ears, forehead 

 flat, but wrinkled when attention is excited. 

 Brows (superciliary ridges) slightly raised. Mus- 

 cles of the temples and cheeks (temporal and 

 masseter) well developed. Arch across the skull 

 of a rounded, flattened curve, with a depression 

 up the centre of the forehead from the medium line 

 between the eyes, to half way up the sagittal suture. 



5. Face or Muzzle. — Short, broad under the 

 eyes, and keeping nearly parallel in width to the 

 end of the nose ; truncated, i.e. blunt and cut off 

 square, thus forming a right angle with the upper 

 line of the face, of great depth from the point of 

 the nose to under jaw. Under jaw broad to the 

 end ; canine teeth healthy, powerful, and wide 

 apart ; incisors level, or the lower projecting 

 beyond the upper, but never sufficiently so as to 

 become visible when the mouth is closed. Nose 

 broad, with widely spreading nostrils when viewed 

 from the front ; flat (not pointed or turned up) in 

 profile. Lips diverging at obtuse angles with 



the septum, and slightly pendulous so as to show 

 a square profile. Length of muzzle to whole head 

 and face as 1 to 3. Circumference of muzzle 

 (measured midway between the eyes and nose) 

 to that of the head (measured before the ears) 

 as 3 to 5. 



MR. SPALDING'S CH. HELMSLEY DEFENDER 



BY BLACK PRINCE LADY CLAYPOLE. 



Photograph by Russell. 



6. Ears. — Small, thin to the touch, wide apart, 

 set on at the highest points of the sides of the 

 skull, so as to continue the outline across the 

 summit, and lying flat and close to the checks 

 when in repose. 



7. Eyes. — Small, wide apart, divided by at 

 least the space of two eyes. The stop between 

 the eyes well marked, but not too abrupt. Colour 

 hazel-brown, the darker the better, showing no 

 haw. 



8. Neck, Chest and Ribs.— Neck— Slightly arched, 

 moderately long, verv muscular, and measuring 

 in circumference about one or two inches less 

 than the skull before the ears. Chest — Wide, deep, 

 and well let down between the fore-legs. Ribs 

 arched and well-rounded. False ribs deep and 

 well set back to the hips. Girth should be one- 

 third more than the height at the shoulder. 

 Shoulder and Arm — Slightly sloping, heavy and 

 muscular. 



9. Forelegs and Feet. — Legs straight, strong, 

 and set wide apart ; bones very large. Elbows 

 square. Pasterns upright. Feet large and round. 

 Toes well arched up. Nails black. 



