The Mastiff. 27 



carelessness at home, we must not wonder if the 

 would-be owner of a mastiff requires some further 

 proof of the trustworthiness of the breed than a 

 discussion in the public prints, no matter how much 

 in favour of the dog it may be. 



" But, two show-points have some bearing on the 

 question of temper; not that either is any actual 

 indication as to what it may be, although they 

 certainly give an impression with regard to it. 

 The first is the colour of the eye. Is it possible 

 to regard the dog owning a pair of light eyes, 

 glaring out from a black or dark face, without 

 feeling considerable doubt of his amiability ? I 

 think not. The second point is the undershot jaw. 

 While this gives an awe-inspiring and imposing 

 character to the head, it destroys all benignity of 

 expression, even to a greater extent than the light 

 eye, and, necessary as I consider the extreme power 

 of a mastiff's under-jaw to be, its strength should 

 lie in its width and depth rather than in its elonga- 

 tion to any great extent beyond the upper jaw. We 

 have seen this extreme development of under-jaw 

 very evident in Mr. T. W. Allen's Montgomery, 

 Mr. W. K. Taunton's Beaufort, Capt. Piddocke's 

 Toozie and Jubilee Beauty, Ogilvie and Lord Clive, 

 and in many others, and I venture to think all these 

 extremely good headed dogs would have been even 



