The Dalmatian 339 



proved our case that the ears are more properly black. Of course they 

 should be of a size to suit the dog and not appear large or heavy. The 

 carriage of the tail is best illustrated in the Reinagle dog, that of Bewick 

 being far too much curled and his dog rather too mastiff-like in its substance. 

 With regard to colour, unless called upon to judge under a particular 

 standard, we should not penalise a dog for black ears, nor for tan spots on 

 the legs or cheeks, for these we know to have been proper Dalmatian 

 colourings from the very first of our information regarding the breed up to 

 the time these English clubs were started, and there is no reason why the 

 change should have been made. Number of spots on a dog has nothing to 

 do with the case; what counts is sharpness of outline, the evenness with which 

 they are distributed and their regularity as to size. We have never seen 

 any Dalmatian, to our mind, the equal of the renowned Captain in the 

 matter of distinctness and regularity of spotting. He was unbeatable in 

 his day, and had tan spots on his legs, which were thought most attractive 

 too. Both Stonehenge and Vero Shaw took Captain as illustrating what a 

 Dalmatian should be. What his weight was we do not know, but his 

 measurements were as follows: nose to stop, 3^ inches; stop to occiput, 5 

 inches; length of back, 21 inches; girth of forearm, 7 inches; girth of knee, 

 5 inches; girth of pastern, 4^ inches; height at shoulders, 22 inches; height 

 at elbow, 12 inches; height at loins, 20 inches; height at hock, 5I inches; 

 length of tail, 12^ inches. 



Descriptive Particulars 



The Dalmatian in many particulars much resembles the pointer, 

 more especially in size, build and outline, though the markings peculiar 

 to this breed are a very important feature and highly valued. 



General Appearance. — ^The Dalmatian should represent a strong, 

 muscular and active dog, symmetrical in outline and free from coarseness 

 and lumber; capable of great endurance, combined with a fair amount of 

 speed. 



Head. — Should be of fair length, the skull flat, rather broad between 

 the ears, and moderately well defined at the temples, i. e., exhibiting a 

 moderate amount of stop and not in one straight line from the nose to the 

 occiput bone, as required in a bull terrier. It should be entirely free from 

 wrinkle. 



