42 THE BRITISH MASTIFF. 



Col. H. Smith says, the present mastiffs of Thibet arc clearly 

 the same as dogs of ancient Indi and Seri, and nearly the 

 same as those of Hyrcania. 



Oppian, who lived towards the close of the second century, 

 and a portion of whose works were translated by Mayor, in 

 1736, describes the war dog of Britain, as having a truncated 

 muzzle, light brown or hazel eyes, heavy wrinkles or folds ol 

 skin on the forehead, stout limbs, and of great size. 



In the writings ascril cl to Megasthenes, mention is made 

 of the British mastiff, large headed, with blunt muzzles, broad 

 and muscular, with massive limbs. Megasthenes was a Greek 

 historian, living some 500 years B.C., and what now passes 

 for his composition is considered spurious, thus although the 

 mention of these British dogs will have been written after the 

 time of Magasthenes yet it proves the type of the breed at 

 a very early date. 



