THE DOG 



19 



to the point now reached. Opinions and tastes 

 have long differed regarding a desirable size of 

 these dogs, their crossing with English pointers 

 and even with spaniels, and also regarding the 

 qualities, more or less good, of the different 

 breeds. 



But the final product, the German smooth- 

 haired sporting dog, is a success and an honor 

 to his breeders. The height of the shoulder 

 ought to be from twenty to twenty-five inches, 

 and the weight may vary from fifty-five to 

 seventy pounds. The color is brown, or white, 

 spotted or specked with brown, and now and 

 then black and white. The long-haired dog of 

 the same kind differs very little from the short- 

 er smooth-haired animal, except that the chest 

 is slightly narrower and the feet rather longer. 



The wiry-haired pointing dog may be re- 

 garded as belonging to an international breed, 

 though Germany has spared neither trouble 

 nor expense to make of them a special race. 



Gehm.an Loxg-Hairkii Hlntini. Dij(, 



\VlRV-H.\lKF,l) Hu.VTlXG DoG 



E. K. Korthals, the Dutch breeder, has applied 

 himself in a very meritorious manner to cross- 

 ing all German sporting dogs with the indige- 

 nous, wiry -haired dogs of the Low 

 Countries, Belgium, and France. 

 The results, known in France under 

 the name of griffons', were not at 

 first accepted by German sportsmen, 

 and a long debate arose on the name 

 that should be given to the animal. 

 To-day, thanks especially to the 

 broad-mindedness of the German 

 "Club Griffon," these dogs have 

 passed through their difficult period 

 and are now animals of recognized 

 usefulness, which is the essential 

 thing. The head, large and long, 

 has rough, wiry hair, and shows a 

 mustache and eyebrows fitted to in- 

 spire respect, in spite of their great 

 eyes which express much intelligence 

 and win all sympathies at first sight. 

 Their iron-gray or gray-brown color, 

 and their hair, which feels to the 

 touch like iron wire, give to these 

 dogs a certain resisting quality which 

 we seldom find to the same degree 

 in other breeds. 



Some much more ancient races 

 of German dogs, such as the brach 



