CROSS-BRED COLLIES. 75 



heavy responsibilities that rest on him give him a sedate and sonsie or taking look, and 

 his whole appearance is so engaging that it is no wonder he is such a general favourite with 

 the public, and especially with ladies. 



No better description in such few words has ever been written of the Collie than that 

 given by the poet Burns, which we quote, premising, for the benefit of those readers who do 

 not understand the Scottish dialect, that " gash " means wise ; " " sheugh " is a ditch ; " sonsie " 

 means engaging ; " baws'nt," marked with a streak of white like a badger ; " touzie," shaggy ; 

 and "gaucie," large and flowing. 



" He was a gash and faithfu' tyke 

 As ever lap a sheugh or dike, 

 His honest, sonsie, baws'nt face, 

 Aye gat him friends in ilka place. 

 His breast was white, his touzie back 

 Weel clad wi' coat o" glossy black ; 

 His gaucie tail, wi' upward curl, 

 Hung ower his hurdies wi' a swirl." 



Unfortunately, owing either to carelessness on the side of the breeders, or a desire on their 

 part to render the dogs they breed for sale, not for work, the services of the black-and-tan Gordon 

 Setter have been called into requisition in many cases. The result, as might have been 

 anticipated, has been to gain a possible increase of beauty in colouring and coat, at the cost of a 

 decided loss in that intelligence which so clearly is the characteristic of a Sheep-dog pure and 

 simple. Traces of this decided bar sinister can be plainly seen in many of the show-dogs now on 

 the bench ,' and those who really know what a Collie is, are horrified when they see a southern 

 county judge, who cannot be expected to know more of the breed than what he has picked up at 

 dog shows, giving first prize to a dog with a Settery head, second to one with legs feathered down 

 to his feet, and third to a specimen without the slightest under-coat to enable him to resist the rain, 

 when there are present in the class unnoticed dogs possessed of genuine Collie properties. Such 

 eccentricities of genius so often occur that it is a matter of small surprise that the breed, fashionable 

 as it is, should be so thoroughly misunderstood. The injury to the real Sheep-dog, too, is very 

 great ; for persons who are ignorant of what a Collie should be, and think they are purchasing one 

 when they pay a long figure for a second-rate Gordon Setter, get disgusted when they discover 

 their purchase's lack of intelligence, and give up the breed to try their fortunes with another 

 Only a short time back we were requested by a friend to call and see a "magnificent Collie" he 

 had recently " picked up" in a town not a hundred miles from Bristol; we did so, and although he 

 was unfortunately not at home, his wife was in, and would be glad to see us. She was accompanied 

 into the room by a black-and-tan rough-coated dog, of which we took no particular notice at first, 

 but after a few minutes' conversation, expressed a wish to see the new purchase, when to our horror 

 we were informed that the Settery mongrel before us was the animal upon whose merits we were 

 expected to pass a favourable opinion. At last the reason for the purchase came out : the dog 

 had been placed first at a show by a well-known judge who should have known better and 

 our friend, in consequence, in his ignorance, was persuaded into giving 20 for a wretch 

 not worth as many shillings as a Collie. Indignation followed the expression of our opinion, 

 and fortune was tempted a second time at a show, on this occasion under a late lamented 

 judge who knew his work. "Tak yon brute out," was the only notice taken of the "magnifi- 

 cent " creature, who, on his return home, was promptly given away, the fortunate recipient being 

 the local postman, in whose hands he is likely to remain until a keeper's bullet the dog is 



