POINTS OF THE DALMATIAN. 97 



Before this dog's appearance, Mr. R. L. Price of Rhiwlas swept the bench with his 

 champion Crib, who is also of Hale's blood, but age and infirmity prevented the old hero 

 ever competing with a fair chance of success with Mr. Fawdry's grand specimen. But he 

 also must, we fear, give way to younger aspirants, being at the time we write in his tenth 

 year ; and among the juniors that have as yet come under our notice is Mr. R. LI. Price's 

 Tom Crib, son of champion Crib. There are, however, a great number of these dogs kept in 

 various parts of the kingdom which are not sent to dog shows, and among them we frequently 

 observe specimens of great worth. Some years ago many excellent Dalmatians were to be 

 met with in that part of the Black Country, as it is called, embracing West Bromwich, Swan 

 Village, Dudley, Brierley Hill, &c. In the town of Banbury, too, we remember to have met 

 with them in fair numbers and good quality, and at Kendal there is generally a good show 

 of them ; but nowhere in England are they to be seen in such numbers as in a radius of a 

 few miles from the Crystal Palace, where they are not only numerous, but in many cases much 

 above the average in good points. In a few instances we have noticed fair specimens of the 

 tri-coloured variety, so rarely found good. 



The Head of the Dalmatian should be wide and flat, blunt at the muzzle, and tight- 

 lipped ; nose black. 



Ears rather small, V-shaped, and very fine. If these are well spotted, great beauty is . 

 added to the dog's appearance. 



Eyes dark, and inclined to be small. 



Neck arched and light, tapering on to powerful and sloping shoulders. 



Chest deep, and rather broad. 



Body round in ribs, and well ribbed up behind. 



Fore legs straight and very muscular ; plenty of bone is essential in this breed, so as to 

 enable a dog to stand the wear and tear he has to encounter on the hard roads he is 

 compelled to traverse. 



Feet round, with the toes arched and well split up ; pads round, firm, and elastic. 



Hind legs muscular, with clean hocks placed near the ground, as in the Bull-dog. 



Tail tapering from the root, and carried as a Pointer's : this must be well spotted. 



Colour and Markings. Well spotted all over with either black or liver-coloured spots, or 

 both. These should not intermingle, and should be of the size of a sixpence to a halfpenny. 



Coat is short, close, and fine. 



General Appearance is that of a strong muscular dog, capable of enduring considerable 

 fatigue, and possessing a fair amount of speed. 



The scale of points by which these dogs should be judged is as follows : 



Value. 

 General appearance ... ... - ... ... ... 10 



Colour, markings, and coat ... ... 25 



Neck, chest, and body ... ... ... ... ... ... 5 



Head, including ears and eyes ... ... ... ... ... 5 



Legs, feet, and tail ... ... ... ... ... ... 5 



Total ... ... ... 50 



13 



