THE MASTIFF. 67 
spectator an impression as if it were composed of two different Dogs; the 
one a large and powerful animal, and the other a weak and puny quadruped, 
which had been put together by mistake. 
The MAstiFF, which is the largest and most powerful of the indigenous 
English Dogs, is of a singularly mild and placid temper, seeming to delight 
in employing its great powers in affording protection to the weak, whether 
they be men or dogs. 
Yet, with all this no- 
bility of its gentle na- 
ture, it is a most deter- 
mined and courageous 
animal in fight, and, 
when defending its 
master or his property, 
becomes a foe which 
few opponents would 
like to face. These 
qualifications of ming- 
led courage and gentle- 
ness adapt it especially 
for the service of watch- 
dog, a task in which 
the animal is as likely 
to fail by overweening 
zeal as by neglect of 
its duty. It sometimes 
happens that a watch- 
dog is too hasty in its 
judgment, and attacks 
a harmless stranger, on 
the supposition that it is resisting the approach of an enemy. 
The head of the Mastiff bears a certain similitude to that of the blood- 
hound and the bull-dog, possessing the pendent lips and squared muzzle of 
the bloodhound, with the heavy muscular development of the bull-dog. The 
under-jaw sometimes protrudes a little, but the teeth are not Jeft uncovered 
by the upper-lip, as is often the case with the latter animal. The fur of the 
Mastiff is always smooth, and its colour varies between a uniform reddish 
fawn and different brindlings and patches of dark and white. The voice is 
peculiarly deep and mellow. The height of this animal is generally from 
twenty-five to twenty-eight inches, but sometimes exceeds these dimensions. 
One of these Dogs was no less than thirty-three inches in height at the 
shoulder, measured fifty inches round his body, and weighed a hundred and 
seventy-five pounds. 
The TERRIER, with all its numerous variations of crossed and mongrel 
breeds, is more generally known in England than any other kind of Dog. 
Of the recognized breeds, four are generally acknowledged, namely, the 
English and Scotch Terriers, the Skye, and the little Toy Terrier. 
The ENGLISH TERRIER possesses a smooth coat, a tapering muzzle, a high 
forehead, a bright intelligent eye, and a strong muscular jaw. As its instinct 
leads it to dig in the ground, its shoulders and fore-legs are well developed, 
and it is able to make quite a deep burrow in a marvellously short time, 
throwing out the loose earth with its feet, and dragging away the stones and 
other large substances in its mouth. It is not a large Dog, seldom weigh- 
ing more than ten pounds, and often hardly exceeding the moiety of that 
weight. 
MASTIFF. —( Canis familiaris.) 
2 
