FOREIGN NON-SPORTING AND UTILITY BREEDS. 
long descent and respectability. He is inter- 
esting mainly 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 very 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 massive 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. 
—As in Great Britain, where we have our 
519 
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 types, 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 1s 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 
