THE COLLIE. 



105 



Eaton. A good working Collie, however, is 

 not always robed in elegance, and I have 

 seen them run well in all shapes. What is 

 desirable is that the shepherd and farmer 

 should fix a standard of points, and breed 

 as near as possible to that 

 standard, as the keepers of 

 the show Collie breed to an 

 acknowledged type of per- 

 fection. It is to be regretted 

 that pedigrees are commonly 

 ignored among owners of 

 the Sheepdog. Of course, 

 a good pedigree is of no 

 immediate value to a bad 

 working dog. I once heard 

 an Irish exhibitor say to a 

 judge, " You have not looked 

 at my dog's pedigree." The 

 judge examined the formid- 

 able document and nodded. 

 " Yes," he remarked, " and 

 the next time you come to 

 a show, take my advice and 

 bring the pedigree, but leave 

 the dog at home." Never- 

 theless, from a bad worker 

 of good descent many an 

 efficient worker might be 

 produced by proper mating, 

 and those of us skilled in the breeding of 

 Collies know the importance of a well-con- 

 sidered process of selection from unsullied 

 strains. 



I should like to see the shepherd's dog 

 so certified by pedigree that after a reason- 

 able number of wins on the trial field he 

 might be entitled to a free entry in the 

 Stud Book. This would give him an advan- 

 tage in the event of his being exported. 

 At present, were I to pay five pounds for 

 a working Collie and take him to the 

 United States, I should be forced to pay 

 duty at the rate of 20 per cent, to the 

 American Government before I could land 

 the dog ; whereas, if he were registered 

 in the Stud Book of the Kennel Club with 

 a pedigree of three generations, he would 

 be entitled to a consular certificate per- 

 mitting him to land free of cost. 



It is a pity that the hard-working dog 



of the shepherd does not receive the atten- 

 tion in the way of feeding and grooming 

 that is bestowed on the ornamental show 

 dog. He is too often neglected in these 

 particulars. Notwithstanding this neglect, 



MR. W. E. MASON'S CH. 

 BY PARBOLD PROFESSOR- 



SOUTHPORT STUDENT 



— PARBOLD PLEASANCE. 



MR. H. AINSCOUGH. 



however, the average life of the working 

 dog is longer by a year or two than that 

 of his more beautiful cousin. Pampering 

 and artificial living are not to be encour- 

 aged ; but, on the other hand, neglect has 

 the same effect of shortening the span of 

 life, and bad feeding and inattention to 

 cleanliness provoke the skin diseases which 

 are far too prevalent. If the rough-coated 

 working Collie were as regularly groomed 

 and as carefully kept as the show dog, 

 he would become more useful, and lead 

 a happier life. It is unfair to him that 

 he should be allowed continually to scratch 

 himself and be seen with his coat matted, 

 dirty, and unkempt. The shepherd should 

 give the same interest and care to his 

 Collie as the ploughman bestows upon his 

 horse. 



III. The Show Collie. — There is not 

 a more graceful and physically beautiful 



