THE CUBAN MASTIFF. U3 



THE DACHSHOUND, OR BADGER-DOG, 



is a German breed, closely allied to the Turnspit, but with the characters of the latter exaggerated. 

 The fore-legs are crooked at the wrist-joint, and the feet are very large. It was originally bred, as its 

 name implies, for Badger-hunting, and, so strong is its instinct for the sport even now it has become 

 a drawing-room pet, that it will rush at anything that looks like a hole, and begin to burrow 

 vigorously. 



THE BULL-DOG 



is undoubtedly the most savage and untamable of all the breeds : he is, moreover, except to the eyes 

 of a fancier, the ugliest ; for, although he has not the grotesque proportions of the Turnspit, yet his 

 crooked legs, Hat's tail, flat forehead, little wicked eyes, tumed-up nose, big mouth, and underhung 

 lower jaw, make him a creature absolutely hideous to any one whose taste is not sufficiently cultivated 

 to enable him to admire anything " proper." The two features of the crooked legs and the under- 

 hung jaw are simply selected and perpetuated deformities. The projection of the lower jaw and the 

 receding of the nose are extremely marked, and give the Dog a most sinister appearance. The chest 

 of a good Bull-dog is very broad and strong. The hind-quarters, on the other hand, are comparatively 

 feeble. 



The Bull-dog was formerly used as its name implies for the barbarous "sport" of Bull-baiting, 

 in which our forefathers took so much delight. The Dog would seize upon the Bull's nose and lip, 

 and no power in heaven or earth could make him leave his hold. He would even fight with the Lion, 

 and seize upon his gigantic antagonist again and again, although torn and mangled all over with great 

 claw-wounds. 



Although not a water-dog, the Bull-dog is a capital swimmer, his immense strength and 

 indomitable pluck giving him an advantage over even such a professed swimmer as the Newfoundland. 

 " During a heavy gale, a ship had struck on a rock near the land. The only chance of escape for the 

 shipwrecked was to get a rope ashore ; for it was impossible for any boat to live in the sea as it was 

 then running. There were two Newfoundland Dogs and a Bull-dog on board. One of the Newfound- 

 land Dogs was thrown overboard, with a rope thrown round him, and perished in the waves. The 

 second shared a similar fate ; but the Bull-dog fought his way through that terrible sea, and, arriving 

 safe on shore, rope and all, became the saviour of the crew." 



Little is known as to the origin of the Bull-dog, but Mr. Darwin makes the curious and interest- 

 ing statement that " some authors who have written on Dogs maintain that the Greyhound and 

 Bull-dog, though appearing so different, are really closely-allied varieties, descended from the same wild 

 stock ; hence I was anxious to see how far their puppies differed from each other. . . . On actually 

 measuring the old Dogs and their six-day-old puppies, I found that the puppies had not acquired 

 nearly the full amount of proportional difference." 



THE BULL-TERRIER 



is a cross between the Bull-dog and the Terrier, and is generally superior, both in appearance and 

 value, to either of its progenitors. "A second cross considerably lessens the underhanging of the lower 

 jaw, and a third entirely removes it, retaining the spirit and determination of the animal." 



THE MASTIFF. 



This Dog "is probably an original breed peculiar to the British Islands." It is larger than the 

 Bull-dog, has a head of somewhat the same shape, with deep flews, but its ears are pendent, and it has 

 none of the Bull-dog's deformity. (See figure on p. 109.) From the Bloodhound it is distinguished by 

 the shape of the head, which is rounder and shorter, and by the absence of the red ring round the eye. 

 At the present day, the Mastiff is used chiefly as a house Dog, for which purpose his fidelity and 

 strength make him thoroughly well suited. 



THE CUBAN MASTIFF 



is about intermediate in size between the Bull-dog and the English Mastiff; in appearance it closely 

 resembles the latter. It is an extremely savage Dog, and was used in the days of slavery for tracking 

 runaway negroes. It is now used as a watch Dog, and, by the Spaniards, for Bull-fighting. 



