THE MASTIFF IN THE IQTH CENTURY. 143 



In further confirmation of the type about 1800. Frank 

 Adcock, Esq., (Solicitor, and well-known to his skill in 

 breeding and thorough knowledge and excellent judgement of 

 the bulldog), kindly sent me the following extract, which he 

 stated he had met with in the course of his reading : 

 "The Mastiff, 1800." 



"Of a very powerful make, twenty-eight to thirty inches 

 "high, broad chest, head large, lips pendulous and thick? 

 " ears small and hanging down, coat short and smooth, color 

 " all tanned or brindle, with a black muzzle, a dark spot over 

 " each eye, and these colors varied \\ith white. I have ex- 

 " amined several, and I have found them invariably a little 

 "underhung, the lower jaw beyond the upper." 



This is one of the most concise, at the same time most 

 accurate, descriptions, of the true English Mastiff I have 

 met with. 



Some would-be mastiff judges wish to ignore the typical 

 shortness of the muzzle and undershot jaw, but the reason 

 why the mastiff was and should always be undershot, is 

 obvious, and all dogs used for baiting purposes should be so, 

 as it gives them a natural advantage, being able to get a 

 firmer hold and to breathe more freely when the muzzle is 

 short, and thus hold on longer. Our ancestor's would naturally 

 select the best performers to breed from, thus it will readily 

 be seen by the mere selection of the fittest how the true type 

 was cultivated. Of late years however a few empirical would- 

 be mastiff dictators, losing sight of the ancient uses of the 

 mastiff, have seen fit to condemn the undershot jaw, disregard- 

 ant of the fact that specimens slightly undershot always look 

 the best, having as a rule a more truncated muzzle. 



