180 THE DOGS OF THE BRITISH ISLANDS. 



Swindon, and other exhibitions. He is, I believe, descended from an imported 

 Newfoundland on both sides, and shows his pure descent in all respects, being the 

 grandest specimen I ever saw. For this reason I displaced the portrait of that 

 fine dog, Mr. Robinson's Carlo, who represented the breed in the first edition of 

 " Dogs of the British Islands," although I had intended to retain him ; but Leo 

 is so magnificent an animal that I could not leave him in the cold. By many people 

 the rusty tinge in his coat is objected to, and no doubt it is slightly against him 

 but it is admitted by " Index," Mr. Lort, the late Mr. Wheelwright (" Old 

 Bushman "), and others who are acquainted with the breed in its native districts, 

 that the rusty black is very common among the best strains, though considered by 

 the native breeders to be a slight defect. The last-named gentleman left behind 

 him on his death in 1865 a very fine Newfoundland dog of this rusty colour, 

 imported by himself, which his sister offered to me, and I gladly accepted the present, 

 partly from respect for the memory of so good a sportsman and writer, and partly 

 from my fondness for the breed. This dog was fully 28in. high, which militates 

 against the truth of " Index's " theory on that point, and had double dew claws on 

 both hind legs, in which Mr. Mapplebeck's Leo is altogether wanting, but showing 

 marks of their having been removed in his puppyhood. In all other respects he 

 closely resembles Mr. Wheelwright's dog, but exceeds him in size by about 2|in. 

 to 3in., being nearly 31in. in height. But although not absolutely perfect in colour, 

 the texture of his coat is so beautiful, that the rusty tinge on it may be almost 

 overlooked ; and, even if penalised, the dog must score fully 97-| points out of a 

 possible 100, so perfect is he in all other respects ; and we all know the difficulty of 

 getting any dog so nearly correct in all his points as this estimate would make Leo 

 to be. " Index," in his final letter, published in the Field of July 31, 1869, writes 

 with regard to this tinge as follows : " The black dogs, especially when young, 

 often appear to have a brown tinge on their coats. It is to be seen more or' less in 

 almost all these dogs, though not in all. Combing will often remove it if the dog 

 has not been well kept ; but I don't think much combing is advisable, for it some- 

 times would remove the brown-tinged black hair at the sacrifice of the length and 

 thickness and beauty of the coat. Nor is the slight brown tinge (not visible in all 

 lights) ugly ; nor is it inconsistent with purity of breed, though it would be always 

 better absent." This extract is exactly in accordance with the evidence I have 

 obtained on this point from Mr. Lort and other good judges who have visited 

 Newfoundland. With regard to size, the same gentleman further writes in the same 

 letter : " While from 24in. to 26in. is the average height of dogs on the island, I 

 have seen that the standard often reached in England is considerably higher ; and I 

 cannot, either in theory or as a matter of taste, object to size if it be united with 

 perfection of shape. All I have said, and all I maintain, is that size apart from 

 colour is worthless, and that very large dogs would often (in my experience almost 

 invariably, though I have not had the presumption to advocate any rule on this 

 experience) be found much inferior to dogs which stood in height in proportion 

 as 24 or 26 is to 31 or 34. Whether young imported Newfoundlands do 

 generally or frequently reach 30in. or 31in., or whether such cases as those adduced 



