44 Modern Dogs. 



said that both this dog and the second prize winner 

 were of the Newfoundland type, but being assured 

 by the judge that they were such as the monks had, 

 he said no more on the matter. The writer of the 

 report evidently did not consider them the genuine 

 article. However, this was the first class ever pro- 

 vided for St. Bernards at a dog show in the British 

 Isles, and it was not until 1866 that the Birmingham 

 Council followed the good example. Prior to this 

 date, the exhibitors at the National show had to put 

 their St. Bernards in the variety class, where the 

 above-named Monk won in 1862, and Mr. Macdona's 

 celebrated dog Tell, of great fame at that time 

 and later, in 1865. 



The first special class at Birmingham had an 

 entry of thirteen ; here again Tell won, a kennel 

 companion named Bernard, second; and by this time 

 Mr. Macdona had come quite to the front as the re- 

 introducer and actual populariser of this noble variety. 

 In 1868 the variety had progressed to such an extent 

 that the management at Curzon Hall provided two 

 classes for them, viz., rough and smooth, and the 

 latter had an entry of eighteen, the former one of 

 eight only, both first prizes being won by Mr. Mac- 

 dona. Then in 1869, at the Islington show, held 

 at Laycock's Dairy-yard, the first big thing of the 

 kind the present writer ever attended, two classes 



