The Curly-coated Black Retriever. 373 



THE CURLY-COATED BLACK RETRIEVER. 



The admirers of this variety cannot have failed 

 to notice, as others have done, its gradual decadence 

 as a sporting dog, and that its position is slowly but 

 surely being usurped by the flat or wavy-coated 

 retriever. This, I think, must be taken as another 

 instance of the survival of the fittest. Those who 

 own the leading strains of " curlies," will, however, 

 not acknowledge this, as they believe their own the 

 best dogs in the world for their purpose harder in 

 constitution, more shapely, and better able to do 

 rough work than their cousins. 



Still, there is no getting away from the fact that 

 the curly-coated retriever does not bear a good 

 reputation. He is inclined to be hard-mouthed, 

 i.e., he may bite and injure the game he ought to 

 retrieve tenderly and without ruffling a feather. 

 His temper, too, is decidedly unreliable, especially 

 with strangers, although, no doubt, there are 

 exceptions here as in everything else. Still, we 

 must look to the curly-coated retrievers as the 

 hardiest of their race, and perhaps the best animal 

 for wild fowl shooting of the day. Were I, however, 

 to be asked to express an opinion as to which of one 

 breed of the British dog was most unreliable in 



