196 THE NOTED BREEDERS MR. LUKEY AND MR. THOMPSON. 



In concluding this chapter it will be,as well to mention that 

 several of H. Weir's conventional sketches of the mastiff (not 

 portraits) which have appeared since 1870 particularly, have 

 been of a very houndy type, a type exemplified in Miss Hale's 

 noted Lion, who about 1870 was a very fashionable animal 

 under some judges, and H. AYeir seems to have somewhat 

 pandered to the taste or caught the infection to a certain 

 extent. It is a type very captivating to the artist, as in the 

 lines of the head in the bloodhound (the typical hound) there 

 is a dignified majestic expression, which perhaps in some 

 people's idea, is of a higher scale of intelligence, and therefore 

 more captivating to the eye, than the lowering formidable 

 appearance of the true surly old English mastiff, when free 

 from the hound taint. 



I can excuse an}" artist falling into the error, at the same 

 time would like to destroy every picture of this cross bred 

 mongrel type, miscalled mastiff. Sir Edwin Landseer could 

 and did paint to perfection mongrels with poetic expression, 

 but then he was never guilty of labelling them or trying to 

 palm them off on the public as anything but mongrels; but 

 the davs for mongrelism are I trust past, or at least numbered. 



