74 Modern Dogs. 



amount of material for breeding others is almost 

 inexhaustible. In Switzerland they consider the 

 smooths to be the representatives of the pure breed, 

 and the roughs are thought little of except to mate 

 with the smooths, which crossing gives the latter 

 greater size and more stamina. The Swiss view as 

 to the type is very similar to ours, but they lay great 

 stress on the tail being turned up at the end so, J, 

 and not straight as we like it'. Some recommend 

 that the bitches should not be bred from till they 

 are at least three years old. I cannot say I agree 

 with them on this point, but Major Fritz Blosch was 

 about the only Swiss I met of my opinion, viz., that 

 a bitch should be bred from at eighteen months 

 old. 



' The St. Bernard is still used in Switzerland for 

 the purpose of finding the bodies of lost travellers 

 or guides, and only a short time previous to my visit 

 a guide was missing, but was ultimately found in a 

 gorge buried in snow to the depth of several feet. 

 The dog marked the spot, the rescue party set to 

 work and, after digging for some hours, found the 

 body in the place indicated by the sagacious animal. 

 Respecting size, the Swiss say a dog from 3oin. to 

 32in. is big enough ; they prefer a dog about 3oin., 

 and insist that we English go in for nothing but 

 size. I told them they were mistaken in this 



