1 6 Modern Dogs. 



There was nothing striking about her. She was old, her shoulders 

 a trifle flat, and she had a grey muzzle, but withal stood 29in. at 

 the shoulder, had a broad round head, good loin, and deep, 

 lengthy frame. From crossing these dogs with various strains I 

 was easily able to analyse their produce, and I found in them two 

 distinct types one due to the dog, very tall, but a little short in 

 the body and high on the leg, while their heads were slightly 

 deficient in breadth ; the other due to the bitch, equally tall, but 

 deep, lengthy, and muscular, with broad massive heads and 

 muzzles. Some of these latter stood 33m. at the shoulder, and by 

 the time they were two years old weighed upwards of 190!!). 

 They had invariably a fifth toe on each hind leg, which toe was 

 quite distinct from a dew-claw, and formed an integral portion of 

 their feet. By bad management, I was only able to bring a some- 

 what indifferent specimen with me on my return to England from 

 America a badly reared animal, who nevertheless stood 3 2 in. at 

 the shoulder, and weighed lyolb. This dog Lion was the sire of 

 Governor and Harold, by Mr. Lukey's bitch Countess, and so 

 certain was I of the vast size of the breed in him that I stated 

 beforehand, much to Mr. Lukey's incredulity, that the produce 

 would be dogs standing 33in. at the shoulder the result being 

 that both Governor and his brother Harold were fully that height. 

 In choosing the whelps, Mr. Lukey retained for himself the best 

 marked one, an animal that took after the lighter of the two 

 strains that existed in the sire ; for Governor, grand dog and 

 perfect mastiff as he was, compared to most others of the breed, 

 was nevertheless shorter in the body, higher on the leg, and with 

 less muscular development than Harold, while his head, large as 

 it was, barely measured as much round as did his brother's. I, 

 wha went by the development of the fifth toe (in this case only a 

 dew-claw), chose Harold, a dog which combined all the best 

 points, except colour, of both strains, and was a very perfect 

 reproduction on a larger scale of his dam Countess. This dog 

 was the finest male specimen of the breed I have met with. His 

 breast at ten months old, standing up, measured i3in. across, 

 with a girth of 41 in., and he weighed in moderate condition i4olb., 



