56 Modern Dogs. 



weight is not now considered more extraordinary 

 than was one of i6olb. weight a quarter of a 

 century ago ; and, whatever was once the case r 

 there is no doubt that the race of St. Bernards is 

 the biggest variety of dog known at the present 

 day. 



Mr. F. Gresham kindly furnishes the following : 

 " To anyone who has made a study of the St. 

 Bernard since it has become naturalised in England, 

 it must be apparent that the smooth-coated variety 

 or it would be, perhaps, more correct to say short- 

 coated variety is the more purely-bred animal. In 

 support of this we have only to go back to the 

 institution of dog shows, when the rough-coated 

 champion Tell and the smooth-coated champion 

 Monarque were the most perfect representatives of 

 their breed in this country, to see that at that time 

 the smooth variety was much nearer the standard 

 of perfection than the rough, and, as already stated, 

 at some of the earlier shows more smooth than 

 rough dogs were benched. Were Tell to be 

 brought into competition with such dogs as Sir 

 Bedivere in the present day, he would cut but a 

 sorry figure ; whereas Monarque, even in such com- 

 pany as that of Watch, Keeper, or Triton, would 

 have been able, if not to win, to make a good 

 fight. Following on the same lines, the rough- 



