THE MASTIFF. 



In all tasks where persevering courage is required, the Bull-dog is quietly eminent 

 and can conquer many a Dog in its own peculiar accomplishment. The idea of yield- 

 ing does not seem to enter his imagination, and he steadily perseveres until he succeeds 

 or falls. One of these animals was lately matched by his owner to swim a race against 

 a large white Newfoundland Dog, and won the race by nearly a hundred yards. The 

 owners of the competing quadrupeds threw them out of a boat at a given signal, and then 

 rowed away as fast as they could pull. The two Dogs followed the boat at the best of 

 their speed, and the race was finally won by the Bull-dog. It is rather remarkable that 

 the Bull-dog swam with the whole of his head and the greater part of his neck out of 

 the water, while the Newfoundland only showed the upper part of his head above the 

 surface. 



According to the authority which has already been quoted, a well-bred Bull-dog 

 ought to present the following characteristics of form. " The head should be round, the 

 skull high, the eye of moderate size, and the forehead well sunk between the eyes ; the 

 ears semi-erect and small, well placed on the top of the head, and rather close together 

 than otherwise ; the muzzle short, truncate, and well furnished with chop ; the back 

 should be short, well arched towards the stern, which should be fine, and of moderate 

 length. Many Bull-dogs have what is called a crooked stern, as though the vertebrae of 

 the tail were dislocated or broken ; I am disposed to attribute this to in-breeding. 

 The coat should be fine, though many superior strains are very woolly coated ; the 

 chest should be deep and broad, the legs strong and muscular, and the foot narrow, 

 and well split up like a hare's." 



The MASTIFF, which is the largest and most powerful of the indigenous English Dogs, 

 is of a singularly mild and placid temper, seeming to delight in employing its great 

 powers in affording protection to the weak, whether they be men or Dogs. It is averse 

 to inflicting an injury upon a smaller animal, even when it has been sorely provoked, 

 and either looks down upon its puny tormentor with sovereign disdain, or inflicts just 

 sufficient punishment to indicate the vast strength which it could employ, but which it 

 would not condescend to waste upon so insignificant a foe. 



Yet with all this nobility of its gentle nature, it is a most determined and courageous 

 animal in fight, and, when defending its master or his property, becomes a foe which 

 few opponents would like to face. These qualifications of mingled courage and gentle- 

 ness adapt it especially for the service of watch-dog, a task in which the animal is as 

 likely to fail by overweening zeal as by neglect of its duty. It sometimes happens 

 that a watch-dog is too hasty in its judgment, and attacks a harmless stranger, on the sup- 

 position that it is resisting the approach of an enemy. Sometimes the bull-dog strain 

 is mixed with the Mastiff, in order to add a more stubborn courage to the animal ; 

 but in the eyes of good judges this admixture is quite unnecessary. 



It has already been mentioned that the Mastiff is fond of affording the benefit of its 

 protection to those who need it. As, however, the Dog is but a Dog after all, it some- 

 times brings evil instead of good upon those who accept its guardianship. 



During my school-boy days, a large Mastiff, called Nelson, struck up a great friend- 

 ship with myself and some of my schoolfellows, and was accustomed to partake of our 

 hebdomadal banquets at the pastrycook's shop, and to accompany us in our walks. 

 One summer, as we were bathing in the Dove, a man pounced upon our clothes, and 

 would have carried them off, had it not been for the opportune assistance of some older 

 lads of the same school, who captured the offender after a smart chase, and tossed him 

 into the river until he was fain to cry for mercy. 



In order to prevent a repetition of a similar mischance, we determined to take Nelson 

 with us, and put him in charge of our clothes. The old Dog was delighted at the walk, 

 and mounted sentry over the pile of garments, while we recreated ourselves in the stream, 

 and caught crayfish or tickled trout at our leisure. Unfortunately, a number of cows had 

 lately been placed in the field, and, after the usually inquisitive custom of cows, they 

 approached the spot where Nelson was lying, in order to ascertain the nature of the 

 strange object on the river bank. Nelson permitted them to come quite close, merely 

 uttering a few warning growls, but when one of the cows began to toss a jacket with her 



