416 THE BOOK OF THE DOG. 



hairs upon it, which, in the case of a cross-bred animal such as the Retriever is, was at the 

 time considered by many an unnecessarily harsh action. Dr. Bond Moore was, we believe, 

 influenced in pursuing this course by a determination to adhere to a type he had laid down, 

 and feeling that he was dealing with a comparatively unknown breed, had made up his mind 

 to give no encouragement to any but the correct type of dog. There can be little question 

 but that his example influenced other judges, and possibly this 'may have done much towards 

 the improvement which the variety has made since its first appearance on the bench. 



Though undoubtedly of Setter extraction, the fashionable colour for the Wavy Retriever 

 is black, and no others stand a chance at modern shows. In the earlier portion of its 

 existence both black-and-tans and black-and-brindles were not disqualified, as it was argued 

 that the former showed traces of the Gordon Setter, and the latter of its Labrador extraction ; 

 but now a dog showing traces of these colours would certainly be kept at home for breeding 

 purposes only. As in other cross-bred varieties, extraordinary throw-backs very often happen in 

 breeding Wavy-coated Retrievers, and ia case which came beneath our own observation may be 

 worth recording, as it, or rather they, appeared in the kennels of Dr. Bond Moore himself. It was 

 at the Wolverhampton dog show of either 1876 or 1877 that Dr. Bond Moore, who was at that 

 time practising in Wolverhampton, invited us to go over to his house and see his stud. We gladly 

 availed ourselves of the opportunity placed in our way, and the more especially so as he told 

 us he had some wonderfully promising young dogs at that time in his kennel. Mr. Hugh 

 Dalziel, who was at that time editing part of a London sporting journal, accompanied us, 

 and shared our astonishment at the sight of a brace of pale golden, almost liver, puppies 

 amongst the number. In reply to our remarks, Dr. Bond Moore informed us that such 

 appearances were, if not often, at all events occasionally met with, and that his experience 

 taught him that the dogs of' this colour were every bit as likely to breed puppies without 

 a stain in colour as any dogs in his or other people's kennels. As a matter of fact the 

 parents of these sandy-coloured whelps were black as jet ; but we regret that we cannot call 

 their names to recollection, though Mr. Dalziel, relying solely upon his memory, pronounces 

 the dam to have been the famous Midnight. Dr. Bond Moore made us a present of one 

 of the two puppies ; but a chapter of accidents, finally terminating in its death we believe, 

 prevented it ever reaching our kennels, greatly to our disappointment at the time, as we 

 wished to try an experiment in crossing it with another breed, in the hopes of producing 

 a further change of colour in its offspring. 



The earliest specimen of this variety which can be regarded as something like up to 

 high-class form was Wyndham, who was shown by Mr. R. Brailsford at Birmingham in 1860. 

 He was rather a heavy-looking dog of the Labrador type ; but was successful on the bench 

 for some years, as he fairly divided the leading prizes with some of the best known curly- 

 coated dogs of the day. Some three or four years later on, however, this dog had his 

 colours lowered by another dog of the same name, and who very closely resembled him in 

 appearance. The latter Wyndham was the property of Mr. T. Meyrick, M.P., of Pembroke, 

 and he may be regarded as the corner-stone of some modern strains, and his services were 

 largely resorted to by several influential breeders. Mr. S. E. Shirley, M.P., has owned 

 some splendid specimens of the breed, and is at the time of writing at the head of affairs 

 in the position of a successful breeder. His best dogs have been Paris, Lady Evelyn, 

 Trace, Thorn, and Dusk, who is the subject of our coloured plate. A great merit in the 

 dogs exhibited by Mr. Shirley is that they are almost invariably broken dogs and good workers, 

 and this, naturally enough, adds a considerable amount to their pecuniary value. As a proof 



