The Bulldog. 239 



forming what is known as the wheel or roach back, 

 which is essentially a characteristic of the breed, 

 though very often wholly absent from many of the 

 most successful dogs of the present time; and worse 

 still is the endeavour to palm off dogs which are 

 ' rump high ' or ' stern high ' as being ' roached ' 

 backed, whilst the difference is that the ' stern high ' 

 dog lises in an almost straight line from behind the 

 shoulder to the setting on of the tail. 



'" It is very noticeable that bulldogs are bred year 

 by year shorter and shorter in the couplings, entirely 

 replacing the long, low shape of former years by 

 one as compact as possible. The tail should be set 

 on low, deflecting slightly downwards, moderately 

 short, thick at the root, tapering quickly to a fine 

 point, should be devoid of 'feather,' not curved 

 upwards at the end, called ' ring tailed,' and should 

 be incapable of being raised above the level of the 

 backbone, which is called a ' gay ' carnage, a feat 

 only possible to such tails as have no ( kinks ' (kinks 

 are really congenital dislocations of the joints of the 

 tail). The screw tails, which are so peculiar to the 

 breed, are objected to by a few authorities as indi- 

 cating excessive in-breeding, an assumption which I 

 venture to doubt. 



" Of the limbs and feet the forelegs should be as 

 wide apart as possible, very thick, stout, and strong, 



