FOREIGN XOX-SPORTING AND UTILITY BREEDS. 519 



long descent and respectability. He is inter- 

 esting mainl\' because of his resemblance 

 and probable relationship to our familiar 

 friend the Old English Bobtail. He is the 

 largest of all the European shepherds' dogs, 



BELGIAN ROUGH-HAIRED SHEEPDOG. 



standing verj' often as high as 31 inches, 

 and strong in proportion, as he need be, 

 for he must be capable of defending his 

 flock against predatory wolves. His chief 

 characteristic is his very dense long coat, 

 resembling the fleece of a neglected High- 

 land blackface, tangled and towsled 

 and matted. But for his untidiness, his 

 greater bulk and blockiness, and the 

 fact that he is often to be seen with a tail 

 of natural length, he might easily be mistaken 

 for an Old English Sheepdog. He has the 

 same massi\'e head, but occasionally his 

 ears are cropped, and, thus lightened, are 

 carried semi-erect. Like the Bobtail, he 

 is square ; that is to say, his length is equal 

 to his height. His colour is usually slatey- 

 grey and dirty white, or sometimes nearly 

 black or rusty brown . These dogs used often 

 to be brought to England in the Baltic trading 

 ships, and were frequently called Russian 

 Terriers,' but there is nothing of the terrier 

 about them. They are true sheep and cattle 

 dogs, and as such are excellent workers. 



French, German, and Other Sheepdogs. 

 — .-^ in Great Britain, where we have our 



rough and smooth Collies, our Beardies and 

 Bobtails, in most of the European countries 

 there are more than one variety of sheep- 

 dogs. In Belgium, where the sheep farms 

 are admirably conducted, there are many 

 kinds, most of them of ancient lineage, 

 and all of them prick-eared, and bear- 

 ing a suggestion of the wolf type in 

 their general appearance. It is possible, 

 indeed, that the wolf has at frequent 

 intervals contributed to the litters of 

 bitches tending sheep on the outly- 

 ing pastures. Efforts have recently been 

 made to classify the Belgian varieties, and, 

 generally distinguishing them, they may 

 be separated into three tj^Des, differen- 

 tiated according to the character of coat, 

 that is to say, wire-haired, long, or rough- 

 haired, and smooth-haired. The rough- 

 coated variety is commonly self-coloured 

 black with maybe a tuft of white on the 

 chest. It is a particularly handsome dog. 

 The wire-haired kind are grizzled grey, and 

 somewhat akin to our smooth Merle Collie, 

 but with ears more pointedly erect. Among 



BELGIAN SMOOTH-COATED SHEEPDOG. 



the smooth-coated dogs, fawn colour or 

 light sable prevails. These last, when 

 brought into show form, are particularly 

 attractive. All three are allowed to retain 

 their drooping tails. 

 The Dutch sheepdogs are much the 



