PREFACE. 



^T^HIS work is produced with the design of providing accurate and authori- 



j tative information concerning the natural history of the various canine 



breeds, and my aim has been to present the information in popular 



form and in orderly sequence, adequately illustrated with portraits of 



typical examples of all the known varieties of the domesticated dog, British 



and foreign. 



The popularity of the dog as an assistant in the pursuit of game, as the 

 object of a pleasurable hobby, and as a faithful companion, has never been 

 so great as it is at the present period. More dogs are kept in this country 

 than ever there formerly were, and they are more skilfully bred, more kindly 

 treated, and cared for with a more solicitous pride than was the case in earlier 

 generations. It would be difficult in the absence of statistics to estimate with 

 precision the number of dogs kept in the British Isles ; but the Inland Revenue 

 return for licences in 1906-7 for England and Wales was 603,400, and as 

 each licence costs 75. 6d., this would mean that there were at the least 

 1,809,000 dogs for which the tax was paid. In the same proportion to the 

 population one may add another 800,000 for Ireland and Scotland. But 

 there are exemptions for certain working dogs and for all puppies, while 

 for many the payment of the tax is surreptitiously evaded or never col- 

 lected. It would be well within the margin of probability, therefore, to state 

 that there are over four millions of dogs in Great Britain and Ireland, or that 

 they are in the proportion of one to every ten of the human inhabitants. 

 Another indication of our national love for the dog is given in the increasing 

 number of competitive shows held under Kennel Club Rules at the various 

 centres of population. During 1906 as many as 424 separate dog shows were 

 held throughout the country, the owners of the canine exhibits representing 

 all classes of the community, from their Majesties the King and Queen down 

 to the humblest of their subjects. One can nowadays seldom enter a dwelling 

 in which the dog is not recognised as a member of the family, and it is notice- 

 able that the family dog is becoming less of a mongrel and more of a distin- 

 guishable and accredited breed. 



I think I may claim that in the following pages no breed of importance has 

 been omitted from consideration. Each of the more prominent varieties has 

 been carefully and sufficiently dealt with by a writer of acknowledged authority, 

 without whose assistance the work could not have been satisfactorily performed. 

 I desire cordially to express my indebtedness to those who have rendered me 



