166 THE DOGS OP THE BEITISH ISLANDS. 



in great measure put a stop to, and indeed was confined to a very limited number, 

 including, in London, the celebrated dealer in dogs, familiarly known as "Bill 

 George," and a few of the prize-fighting fraternity, who, however never attempted 

 a " bait ; " while around Birmingham, as already stated, and in the Potteries, a 

 sly run at the bull was still occasionally held. Gradually, however, for want of 

 encouragement, the pure breed became more and more rare, even with the aid of 

 the original Bulldog Club, and its acknowledged head, Mr. H. Brown, of Hampstead, 

 who was enthusiastically supported by the late Mr. Mundell, Q.C., Mr. Stockdale, 

 and one or two others of similar position ; but, with these exceptions, the breed in 

 London fell into the hands of the publicans, who from time to time held shows in 

 their tap rooms, to draw custom ; and mainly for the same purpose it was kept up 

 at Birmingham, which has always rivalled London in its breed of these dogs as well 

 as Sheffield, where the late Mr. Lamphier long held undisputed sway. Still, however, 

 it has been artificially stimulated as a variety of " the fancy," and, consequently 

 its value cannot now be tested by any rules founded on a special purpose for it, as 

 is the case with the various kinds of sporting dogs and with its congener the mastiff 

 as well as with the St. Bernard and Newfoundland; in which size forms an 

 element of great importance when regarded as protectors of man. Nevertheless, 

 it has lately been assumed by Mr. Adcock and his followers that this point is to 

 be taken as per se a mark of superiority ; and that gentlemen has at great trouble 

 imported a dog from Spain to improve his strain, for the sole reason, as it appears 

 to me, that he is of great size, which he undoubtedly is; but, being already in 

 possession of Ajax, a dog confessedly of full size, being 651b. in weight, I cannot 

 understand why he should wish to increase the bulk of his breed by crossing with 

 a dog exhibiting no single bulldog point in anything like perfection. Nevertheless, 

 his example has been followed by Mr. Dawes, of Leamington, and one or two 

 other noted breeders of the bulldog, but hitherto without producing anything fit for 

 the show bench, as far as I know ; and, as before remarked, the description of his 

 encounter with Ajax would lead me to consider that dog as showing anything 

 but a good example of the courage and tenacity of purpose which are the 

 attributes specially insisted on, even by Mr. Adcock himself, as all-important. 



With a desire to stop this attempt at improvement (after a short interval from 

 the death by inanition of the old Bulldog Club above-mentioned) , several influential 

 breeders lately established the present Bulldog Club, which commenced their 

 labours by drawing up a scale of points very similar to that of the old club given 

 in the first edition of " The Dogs of the British Islands," the chief difference being 

 in the allowance for skull, which is reduced from 25 to 15, the balance being given 

 to symmetrical formation. 



THE NEW BULLDOG CLUB'S SCALE OF MARKS FOE JUDGING BULLDOGS BY 



POINTS. 



"In adopting the principle of distributing 100 marks amongst the several points of 

 the bulldog, the Bulldog Club has followed the example of the old National Dog Club, 

 with whose valuation of the separate points of the bulldog (as given in Stonehenge's 

 ' Dogs of the British Isles ') the present scale is almost identical. 



