l8o THE GREAT BREEDERS MR. LUKEY. 



Mr. Lukey had been breeding for nearly fifteen years, and 

 had inspected the Lyme Hall kennel, when Mr. Thompson 

 visited him in 1849 for the first time; the latter wrote: 

 " Though but a lad, was an ardent and enthusiastic admirer 

 " of this noble animal, T thought no breeder could carry out 

 " the object of his ambition with a greater probability of 

 " success than by crossing my own finer toned down kennel 

 " (although equally as high bred) with his majestic strain, 

 " and the result proved the correctness of my judgment, 

 'Countess (the clam of Governor) being a direct descendant 

 " from this cross." 



Writing to me April 28th, 1875, Mr. Thompson stated: 

 " Mr. Lukey 's former stud were much more massive and 

 " coarser than mine, and perhaps more character as far as 

 " magnitude went ; he has often written to me to say what 

 " beautiful puppies the bitch 1 sent him threw with his 

 " Bruce/' 



I may here point out that Mr. Lukey's old strain had vast 

 size and a coarse coat, points probably inherited from their 

 foreign ancestry. His Bruce ist, although a large dog, and 

 deep bodied, like many of his others was deficient in muscle-. 

 Mr. Thompson allowed me to copy a letter Mr. Lukey wrote 

 to him, dated Morden. May nth, 1851, which shows the vast 

 size of Mr. Lukey's strain, and his appreciation of a short, 

 good head ; it ran : "If you have a square, short headed 

 " bitch puppy, I should very much like to have her : 1 like 

 " the colour of the bitch Lady. I think when in good condi- 

 tion the blue brindles are very handsome, but a mnssive 

 " head covers man) 7 other defects with me. I put the tape 

 " round Bruce's head before the ears, with the tape tight it 

 " marks 27 inches." T. H. V. Lukey. To f. \V. Thompson. 



