142 Modern Dogs. 



with brown, giving an almost tortoiseshell - like 

 appearance which, if rather odd, is extremely 

 pleasing to the eye. An impression prevails in 

 some localities that the vision of these " wall " or 

 " china " eyes is stronger and more powerful than 

 in the eyes of ordinary colour, and that they never 

 contract cataract or opthalmia or other diseases of 

 the optics. Maybe this is an " old wife's tale," and 

 its truth or otherwise will be difficult to determine 

 at any rate I can say that I have not hitherto come 

 across any china-eyed dog that had any particular 

 disease of the eyes. The best " mirled " specimens 

 have been owned by Mr. H. Mapplebeck, whose 

 Fan was for a long time quite invincible on the 

 show bench ; Dr. James, Mr. John Powers, Mr. 

 Megson ; and Mr. F. Hurst, Heatherfield, Knuts- 

 ford, have, perhaps, had the best collections of 

 smooth-coated collies ever brought together. 



Quite as intelligent as his rough-coated cousin, 

 he is less popular because he is more difficult to 

 produce in perfection, and when produced is not 

 worth so much money. A County Court judge not 

 long ago awarded only ^"10 as damages for the 

 loss of a dog which, by his intelligence, had probably 

 saved his owner's ^life, and had young Gough when 

 he was lost on Helvellyn had such a sensible 

 animal with him, instead of a common little terrier, 



