NEWFOUNDLAND DOG. 127 



courtship ; wlietlier the tables were turned afterwards, and the dog 

 was enlisted in her service, we know not. Both breeds are good 

 water dogs and bear immersion for a long time, but the large 

 variety having a more woolly coat is superior in endurance of wet 

 and cold. Hundreds of anecdotes are told of extraordinary escapes 

 from drowning by means of these dogs, their tendency to fetch 

 and carry being doubly useful here. Children and light small 

 women may be intrusted to them with safety in the water, if they 

 are not bewildered with fear, when they will sometimes cling 

 round the dog's neck, and frustrate all his efforts to restore them 

 to the land by swimming ; generally, however, in cases of recovery, 

 the person has fainted, and being then powerless is towed ashore 

 readily enough. The speed with which the Newfoundland swims 

 is very great, his large legs and feet enabling him to paddle him- 

 self with great force. From their great size and strength they are 

 able to beat off most dogs when they are attacked, and their thick 

 coats prevent the teeth of their assailants from doing much 

 damage ; but in offensive measures they are of little use, being 

 rather unwieldy, and soon winded in a desperate struggle. Hence 

 they are not useful in hunting the large kinds of game, nor the 

 bear, wolf, or tiger. The nose is delicate enough to hunt any 

 kind of scent, but as they soon tire they are not used in this way, 

 and it is solely as retrievers on land or water that they are useful 

 to the sportsman, being generally crossed with the setter for the 

 former, and the water spaniel for the latter element. 



The characteristic points of the Large Newfoundland arc, great 

 size, often being from 25 to 30 inches high ; a form proportion- 



