208 NOTED MASTIFFS. 



The question lias been raised both in this country and 

 America, as to what extent shortness of head in the mastiff 

 (technically termed shortness of face) should be cultivated to, 

 and with regard to the proportionate length of skull to that 

 of muzzle ; the old rule, that the muzzle should be exactly 

 one third the length of the whole head, is a very safe one : 

 the length of head in male specimens should not exceed 12 

 or I2j inches in length, and in the females 10 or 11 inches. 

 For my own fancy I must confess that 1 like to see the face 

 cultivated as short as possible, as it shows high breeding, 

 especially if accompanied with plenty of size and a symmet- 

 rical bod} 7 . Old King had a remarkably short head, his son, 

 Monarch 2317, had if anything a still grander head, and it 

 measured barely 11 inches in length, which was the length of 

 the head of his dam, Norah. 



Mr. H. Clive's Niger (a son of Monarch 2317, and dive's 

 Nell, of the old Trentham strain) had a still shorter face than 

 his sire, and with the exception of British King 8409, was the 

 shortest faced mastiff I have met with. 



Of late years shortness of face among the south country 

 breeders has been more generally cultivated, but in America 

 there seems rather a disposition to depart from the true tvpe 

 in respect to shortness of head. Among others Mr. \Vm. 

 "Wade of Hulton Pa (who in the course of a lew years will 

 probably be justly regarded as the great American authority 

 on the mastiff, from his carefully gleaned knowledge, and in 

 other respects sound judgment of the breed) lias expressed 

 his opinion that a very short faced mastiff is lacking in 

 dignity, etc., but in the course; of a few years he will probably 

 see the error of his opinion on this point. That length and 



