The Mastiff. 17 



and at twelve months old i6olb., while at 13!- months old 

 Governor only weighed in excellent condition isolb., with a 

 girth of 4oin. ; and inasmuch as Governor eventually weighed 

 iSolb. or even more, the size to which Harold probably attained 

 must have been very great. His head also in size and shape 

 promised to be perfect. 



I will mention three other dogs. The first, Lord Waldegrave's 

 Turk, better known as " Couchez," was the foundation of Mr. 

 Lukey's breed. This dog has frequently been described to me by 

 Bill George and Mr. Lukey, and I have a painting of his head at 

 the present moment. He stood about 29^11. or 3oin. at the 

 shoulder, with great length and muscular development, and, 

 although he was never anything but thin, weighed about 130!!). 

 Muzzle broad and heavy, with deep flews ; skin over the eyes and 

 about the neck very loose ; colour red, with very black muzzle. 

 He was a most savage animal ; was fought several times with 

 other animals, and was invariably victorious. The second was a 

 tailless brindled bitch, bought by Mr. Lukey from George White, 

 of Knightsbridge. She was a very large massively built animal, 

 standing 3oin. at the shoulder. Her produce with Couchez were 

 remarkably fine. "Long-bodied, big-limbed, heavy-headed 

 bitches. They were mastiffs Mr. Lukey had in those days ! " 

 is Bill George's eulogium of them. This bitch was bred by the 

 Duke of Devonshire, and must therefore have been one of the 

 Chatsworth breed. The third animal, L'Ami, was a brindled dog 

 of such vast size and weight that he was taken about and shown 

 in England, in the year 1829, the price of admission being one 

 shilling. Of the head of this dog also I have a drawing, and 

 it shows him to be very full and round above the eyes, with 

 a broad heavy muzzle and remarkably deep flews, the ears being- 

 cropped close. This dog, with the exception of rather heavy 

 flews, answered exactly to the type of Vandyke's mastiff. 



Now the point to which I wish to draw attention is, that both 

 Couchez and L'Ami came direct from the Convent of Mount 

 St. Bernard. The mighty dogs which used to be kept at 

 Chatsworth (and one of which stood 34m. at the shoulder) were 

 pure Alpine mastiffs, as also were the two magnificent animals 



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