56 Useful Companions of Man. 



is the most common in this country, and is a dog of 

 massive form, possessing great character and inteUigence. 

 My own opinion, however, is that these breeds are so 

 intermixed that they cannot be called distinct, and that 

 though without doubt these several varieties are met with, 

 they occur indiscriminately, and often two are met with 

 in the same litter. " Index," who has studied the sub- 

 ject a good deal, lays it down in the Field that the three 

 breeds may be known by the coat, as follows : — " The 

 dog with long shaggy hair is the Newfoundland pure and 

 simple, and recognized as such in both countries; the 

 dog with the completely curly coat is the Labrador ; and 

 the dog with the close smooth coat is the lesser or smaller 

 Labrador." In Ne^vfoundland he is used as a beast of 

 draught, being harnessed to sledges, which his great form, 

 large feet, and endurance enable him to draw over the 

 snow, while his thick coat and hardy constitution render 

 him little amenable to the effects of cold and wet. Asa 

 water dog he has no equal, and he floats or swims for 

 hours without suffering from the immersion. His patron- 

 age of children, especially when in danger of drowning, 

 is one of the most remarkable features in the canine 

 race, and the way in which he suffers himself to be pulled 

 about by them makes him, when not exceptionally ill- 

 tempered, the pet of many a family. Still it will not 

 always do to trust him, and I have known many examples 

 which were absolutely dangerous even to their masters 

 when excited by deprivation of food or anger against 

 some offender of their own species. 



In dealing with the merits of the Newfoundlander, 

 as he was originally named, we are in company with 

 the aristocracy of the canine race. Faithful and gentle 

 to a degree, sagacious above his fellows of indi- 

 genous breeds, grand in appearance, firm in his attach- 

 ment, and noble in his behaviour, he becomes, at once 

 the general favourite with every child, and the intimate 

 companion of man. Since his introduction to this land 

 his breeding has been considerably improved, and a more 

 graceful or noble creature can scarcely be conceived, as a 

 glance at the picture of Landseer, *'A Member of the 



