THE ST. BERNARD DOG. J 35 



try to improve the breed by shaving off the hair from the hinder half of the body, with the exception 

 of the tip of the tail, thus making the wretched animal a spectacle to men and angels. Some misguided 

 people go even further than this, and dye the hair of various colours making, perhaps, a magenta 

 body and a yellow tail, or some other equally tasteful and appropriate combination. 



The Poodle, notwithstanding the way it is treated, is an extremely intelligent Dog, and capable 

 of learning all sorts of tricks ; it will walk on its hind legs, dance, sham dead, and, in fact, do almost 

 anything it is taught. It is also affectionate and devoted, and has shown itself capable of retaining 

 for life the memory of a deceased master. 



A small variety of the Poodle is the Barbel, which, according to Mr. Youatt, is unmanageable except 

 by its owner, ill-tempered, eaten up with red mange, and frequently a nuisance to its master and a 

 torment to every one else. " Notwithstanding this, it is an extremely intelligent Dog ; and, indeed, 

 " the Barbet possesses more sagacity than most other Dogs, but it is sagacity of a particular kind, and 

 frequently connected with various amusing tricks. Mr. Jesse, in his < Gleanings in Natural History,' 

 gives a singular illustration of this. A friend of his had a Barbet that was not always under proper 

 command. That he might keep him in better order, he purchased a small whip, with which he corrected 

 him once or twice during a walk. On his return the whip was put 011 a table in the hall, but on the 

 next morning it was missing. It was soon afterwards found concealed in an out-building, and again 

 made use of in correcting the Dog. Once more it would have been lost, but, on watching the Dog, 

 who was suspected of having stolen it, he was seen to take it from the hall-table in order to hide it 

 once more." * 



THE MALTESE DOG 



is an animal of the Poodle kind, of very considerable antiquity, as it is mentioned by Strabo as Canis 

 melittBus. It has a long body, short legs, pendent ears, and long silky hair, of a pure white, or 

 sometimes yellowish colour. One of the chief points about this Dog is its extremely small size. 



THE LION DOG 



is possibly, according to Mr. Youatt, a cross between the Maltese and the hairless Turkish Dog. Its 

 name is derived from the fact that its hair, long on the head, neck, and fore-legs, is extremely short 

 over the rest of the body, except at the end of the tail, where there is a small tuft. 



THE TURKISH DOG 



is occasionally seen in England, but is, properly speaking, a native of hot climates. Its usual name 

 of Turkish or Egyptian Dog is, however, quite a misnomer. It is almost entirely naked, and. more 

 curious still, subject to a disease of the teeth, which drop out so early that the Dogs often have nothing 

 left to bite with but a single grinder on each side. This Dog is a curious and interesting instance of 

 degeneration, for its two distinguishing characters haiiiessness and toothlessness are actual 

 deformities. 



THE ST. BERNARD DOG. 



This magnificent breed is now better known than formerly in England, as it is becoming quite 

 usual to keep them instead of Mastiffs or Newfoundlands. The readers of Punch have been 

 familiarised with its form, from Mr. Du Maurier's sketches, who has been as successful in depicting 

 the noble Dog as the delightful little girl who, wishing to enter a bazaar where Dogs are not admitted, 

 proposes to her sister to hide the gigantic creature under their skirts ! 



The breed was, until lately, almost confined to the Alps, where it was kept by the monks of the 

 convent of Mount St. Bernard, and sent out, provided with a little barrel of brandy tied round its neck, 

 to rescue travellers lost in the snow. The number of people who have been saved from death in this 

 way, by the humanity of these good monks and the intelligence of their Dogs, must be very great, for 

 a single Dog, the celebrated " Barry," saved no less than forty lives himself, and at last perished on 

 one of his expeditions of mercy. 



# Youatt. 



