94 The Sporting Dog 



bench qualities of coat and head, the hunting 

 powers have, as a matter of course, suffered ; and 

 yet these dogs are not parlor dogs, or, as Mr. 

 Buckell calls them, "diseased Laveracks." Not 

 only are some of the " pure " ones excellent shoot- 

 ing dogs, but when crossed with the Llewellin, 

 they usually produce attractive and satisfactory 

 performers, though not often approaching any- 

 where near field trial class. Most of the Monk 

 of Furness blood as mingled with the Llewellin 

 gave good-looking dogs which were easily broken 

 and were highly valued by their owners. At the 

 same time, it must be confessed that no one 

 could see where Monk of Furness added any- 

 thing of utility — the most to be said being that 

 he did not cause any degeneration of hunting 

 instinct or finding abilities. 



In connection with Monk of Furness and other 

 modern Laveracks, I may, at the risk of giving 

 offence to the owners of such dogs, mention a 

 circumstance which has seemed to me peculiar. 

 It is that there is more difficulty in breeding 

 Laveracks structurally correct than Llewellins. 

 I should not call my own experience so extensive 

 as to be conclusive, but in nine cases out of ten 

 the modern Laveracks in this country seem to me 

 to breed such blemishes as bad pasterns and 

 hocks, ill-shaped feet, wrongly set shoulders, and 

 flat heads. Almost invariably they reproduce a 



