POINTS OF THE COLLIE. 77 



" The Scotch Collie should be strongly built, but lithe and active, giving one the idea of 

 great pace. 



" Shoulders well set back, not loaded. 



" Chest deep, with room for his lungs to play freely. 



"Back broad and muscular. 



" Fore legs strong and straight, but not heavy, and well under his body. 



" Hocks good " sickle-shaped," and free of feather down to the heel. 



" Head long and sharp, but not snipy in the muzzle, or domed in the skull. 



" Ears small, and semi-erect. 



" Colour black-and-tan, black-white-and-tan, black and white, sable, grey, &c. 



" There is one strain of smooth Collie which calls for particular attention, and that is the 

 variety called sometimes the Welsh Collie, and at others the Highland ' heeler.' In colour this 

 dog is a peculiar sort of greyish hue, to which the terms ' harlequin,' ' plum-pudding,' ' tortoise 

 shell,' are all applied. He is usually found with one eye (sometimes both) ' wall-eyed,' or ' China- 

 eyed,' which is a great additional attraction on the show bench, whilst there exists amongst many 

 shepherds a belief that this sort of eye never loses its sight, which superstition, if it were true, would 

 naturally greatly increase the value of a China-eyed dog in their eyes. A rough-coated dog of this 

 colour is very rare, by far the best shown of late years being Mr. Brackenbury's Scott." 



On reading the above opinions it will be observed that, curiously enough, both Mr. Shirley and 

 Mr. Thomson have omitted to make any allusion to the feet of a Collie, which we consider one of 

 the most essential points in the dog : they should be small and rather round. 



It is also desirable further to describe the coat. The coat of a Sheep-dog (whether the 

 animal is of the rough or smooth variety) is a matter of considerable importance, for a dog with 

 a thin, sparse jacket would be unable to do his work on the moors. Mr. Thomson in his remarks 

 speaks of the double coat as the correct style, and this we fully endorse. The under coat should, 

 as that gentleman alleges, resemble sealskin, the damp-resisting properties of which ensures the 

 dog being saved from the inclemency of the weather to a great extent. The longer or outer 

 coat should be harsh and wear-resisting to the touch, not fine and thin, as in a Setter. Dogs 

 possessing the latter cross invariably suffer from the cold and rain. The smooth-coated dog 

 only differs in that his outer coat is shorter, stiffer, and denser than in his long-haired companions, 

 and thus the absence of length is compensated for by additional thickness. 



Mr. Shirley has also given us a scale of points as he apportions them, which will be very 

 useful as showing the precise value he attaches to one point in comparison with another. 



Value. 



Head 15 



Ears ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 10 



Coat ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 15 



Chest ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 10 



Shoulders... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 10 



Loin ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 15 



Feet ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 5 



Legs ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 10 



Colour ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 5 



Tail ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 5 



Total 100 



