Till: MASTIKF. 57 



The mastill'of tin- present, time is by far the most, sagacious of il,c pp "cut group, and, !' :ili 



dogs, makes the beet guardian Of property. It lias a liner seen! lh;>n people an- generally aw a I', 



and its hearing is very acute. A dog of this breed, chained to lii.s kennel, and m-\ ersnll'eied i,, vender 



about the premises, nor treated as a friend and companion, iill'nrds Imt a |> spi-eimen nf what the 



mastiff really is. Confinement spoils its temper, and crumps the noble (pialitics of its mm. I. 



A dog of this kind, possessing immense strength and indomitable courage, was \ et on,- nf tin- 

 gentlest of animals. He suffered not only the children of the family, lint strange ones, to pull him 

 about as they pleased ; they might sit upon him, or pull his ears, and roughly too, as children will, and 

 yet he never manifested anger or impatience by voice or action, but submitted ijiiietlv and 

 hiimouredly. Little dogs might snap and snarl at him, but In; bore then- petulance unmoved. This 

 animal was the guardian of a manufactory, and knew every person in it. He would penui' 

 to enter during the day, fixing oil them only an attentive gaze, but offering them no molestation, lint, 

 at night, when the gates were closed, he seemed to assume a new character ; he was then as fierce as 

 he had been gentle; he would not allow even the ordinary workmen to enter- the yard, and several 

 times seized men who attempted, on the strength of knowing him. to pass through, holding them till 

 succour arrived. 



THE THIBET MAST11 I'. 



Tins huge dog is kept by the natives of the Thibet range of hills as a guardian of their llocks and 

 villages. Its colour is black, it is very fierce, and its bark is loud and terrific. 



Spanish and Cuban mastitis are to be seen in the Zoological Gardens. They are less in statme 

 than the English mastiff, and of a reddish-brown colour, with black mn/./.les. They make excellent 

 watch-dogs, and are very courageous, attacking the bull and the bear with determined resolution. 



THE BULL DOG.* 



Tins animal, unsurpassed in obstinacy and ferocity, seems to be peculiar to our island, or rather, 

 perhaps, in no other country has the breed been so carefully cultivated. The bull dog is smaller than 

 the mastiff, but more compactly formed ; the bust is broad, the chest deep, the loins narrow, the tail 

 slender and arched up, and, with the exception of the head and neck, the figure approximate* to that 





TIIK BULL I>OO. 



of the greyhound, the limbs, however, being shorter and more robust. The head is broad and thick, 

 the mu/y.le short and deep, the jaws strong, and the lower jaw often advances, so that the inferior 

 incisor teeth overshoot the upper. The ears are short and semi-erect, the nostrils distended, th. 

 scowling, and the whole expression calculated to inspire terror. 



* Cania Anglicus. 

 VOL. II. 



