THE BRITISH PUGNACES. 59 



years) the ears are small and partially erect, (which is often 

 the case in modern specimens when the ear. is small and 

 muscular, system highly developed.) Their necks and bodies 

 are massive, and limbs short and stout, the sterns are fine, 

 and the "tout ensemble'' is that of long bodied, muscular, 

 heavy mastiffs. 



The dogs in these scenes were plainly used for collecting 

 horned cattle and horses out of the woods and pastures. It 

 may be thought that the mastift would be too slow a dog to 

 be able to drive a horse out of a forest glade, but it must be 

 remembered that the first book on the horse, published in 

 Elizabeth's reign, it is stated our breed of horses even at that 

 time consisted of only strong animals, fit merely for slow 

 draught. 



The figures of the British mastiffs I have mentioned form 

 a reliable proof of what the breed was between A.D. 100 and 

 150, which we may estimate would be about the time the 

 vessels were manufactured. These are the best drawn and 

 most reliable evidences I have met with, and it would be 

 ridiculous to class such dogs as bulldogs, with their manner 

 of attack and large size ; yet their broad skulls and short 

 muzzles, show their close affinity to the British bulldog, and 

 they may have been the common ancestor of both our mastiff 

 and bulldog, especially if we admit the theory that the 

 bulldog is only the British pugnaces, dwarfed by selection in 

 breeding. 



In Roach Smith's work "Collectanea Antiqua " are some 

 cuts of dog's heads, figured on some of the Romano Britannic 

 pottery, in page 10, no. 24 is one of these large headed 

 mastiffs, the muzzle being blunt, short, broad and heavy, the 

 under jaw being very massive, with an exceedingly broad 



