420 



THE BOOK OF THE DOG. 



ments " were perfectly palpable, as they are when Spaniels' or Fox-terriers' tails are under 

 consideration, and were either well-known trade practices, or for the benefit of the dog's 

 comfort when at work, no exception could be taken to them ; but as they are only for 

 improving his beauty, and the existence of the custom is not by any means generally known, 

 we are of opinion that it cannot be too strongly deprecated by all honest men. A proof 

 of the extent to which it has been carried appeared in a letter to one of the leading sporting 

 papers, in which the writer anonymously alluded to the fact of Retrievers' tails being 

 shortened, and flippantly accused some leading breeders, whose names did not appear, of 

 being guilty of such gross abuses, which the writer professed, honestly or otherwise, to think 

 no sin at all. We have made allusion to the above letter, as it only tends to show how 



MAJOR ALLISON'S RETRIEVER "SAILOR." 



easy the consciences of some doggy men must be when writers are not ashamed to publicly sup- 

 port a fraud upon the unsuspecting public, and insinuate that they receive the countenance of 

 leading breeders of a certain dog. 



The dog we have selected for illustration in our coloured plate is Mr. S. E. Shirley's 

 champion Dusk, who was bred by his owner, and whelped in June, 1877, being by Thorn out 

 of Lady in Black by Paris ; Thorn, bred by T. D. Hull, by Allison's Victor out of Hull's 

 Young Bounce. The name of Victor, it may be here remarked, appears in the pedigree of 

 most winning Retrievers. Paris was bred by Mr. Palmer, of Lyndhurst, Hants, in 1870, and 

 was by an imported Labrador dog, Lion, out of Bess, who was an imported Labrador bitch. 



An illustration is also given of Sailor, who was bred by the Rev. T. Pearce, and owned by 

 Major Allison, to whom Victor also belonged. 



The chief characteristics of the Wavy-coated Retriever should be as follows : 



The Skull broad and wide, flat, and with a ridge running down it. A rise over the eyes 

 is greatly disliked, though there should be plenty of room in the skull for the brain to work in. 



The Muzzle should be long, rather blunt, and the teeth white, regular, and powerful. 



