354 The Dog Book 
“Texture of coat is often mentioned, and may be misunderstood by 
novices. Therefore it should be worthy of note that where the undercoat 
is plentiful the outercoat is prevented from feeling harsh to the touch. 
“Then there is the question of size, and the reason why the craze’for 
extra big dogs should exist can only be attributed to the fact that the inestim- 
able value of the .work this breed of dog should be capable of performing on 
the hills is being lost sight of. Collies are not naturally such big, heavy 
dogs as one sometimes reads about, or they would be too cumbersome to 
encounter rough mountain work. 
“There is not the slightest reason why collies should not be judged 
on the exact lines that serve to suit them for the work they have to fulfil, 
because general appearance need not be sacrificed thereby. Therefore 
in giving due consideration to the important working qualities of this, the 
most useful of all breeds of dogs, an additional advantage should not be 
given to exaggeration in size (other points equal) over a competitor whose 
size fits him for the work of a sheep dog. | se: 
“Tt is often said that a good big one can beat a good little one, but it 
does not apply in the case of a sheep.dog’s work on the mountain. As for 
instance, with the sheep trial dog, Ormskirk Charlie, by Christopher, no 
dog could display a better exhibition of work when on the lowland, but he 
very often had to give way to smaller dogs when the run out was up a 
mountain, his extra size and weight proving a disadvantage. 
“The weights given below of some of the dogs that took part in laying 
the foundation of our present strain of collies will serve to convey an idea of 
the natural size of a sheep dog, but it is necessary to point out that the 
animals of the lighter weights were in working condition: Lufra, 30 pounds; 
Old Bess, 28 pounds; Lorna Doon, 28 pounds; Nesta, 28 pounds; Bonnie 
Laddie, 44 pounds; Druce, 44 pounds; Malcom I., 49 pounds, and Loafer, 
49 pounds. 
| “The prevailing characteristic that most strongly denotes the breed of 
any dog is the head and expression, and in the typical collie these features 
are most pronounced, the formation of head and placement of eye rendering 
an expression peculiar to the race which is not easy to describe. Upward 
of twenty years ago, Mr. J. A. Doyle described the true expression of a 
collie as being a mixture of “kindliness and craft,” which seems as near 
correct as possible. Of late years there has been too much discussion in 
favour of abnormal. length of head, which seemed likely to have the per- 
