THE NEWFOUNDLAND DOG. 189 



life-like portrait of Mr. Maplebeck's " Leo." Landseer's authority- 

 was, however, so high, that black and white dogs came into 

 fashion, and continued so until a few years ago, when a correspon- 

 dent of "The Field" started the subject, and ultimately succeeded 

 in silencing the Landseer party. In many shows, however, the 

 Landseer type is allotted a class to itself, but the authorities who 

 live on the island declare that there is no native breed with a 

 groundwork of white. I shall, therefore, follow suit, and describe 

 each as a distinct strain ; for there can be no dispute that a large 

 number of dogs resembling the Newfoundland are of the Landseer 

 colour. 



There is another point on which great diversity of opinion exists, 

 namely, as to size. Most people in this country like a very large 

 and majestic animal, if they go in for size at all, and accordingly 

 prize a Newfoundland if 30 or 3 1 inches in height. But it is 

 alleged that the true island breed is never more than 25 inches 

 at the shoulder, and if so, they say a 30-inch dog is not pure 

 bred. From all that I have gathered, however, I can only con- 

 clude that the descendants of these 25-inch dogs grow in this 

 country to the height of 30 or even 32 inches. I shall, therefore, 

 take it for granted that the particular breed I am now describing 

 must be black without any great quantity of white, and that he 

 may be of any size not less than 2 5 inches in height. 



The Newfoundland is a remarkably sagacious dog, and hundreds 

 of stories are told of his' nobility of disposition, courage, ajtd affec- 

 tion for the human race. In his native land he is chiefly employed 

 as a beast of draught, but in England he is a companion only, 

 and is seldom used for any other purpose. His natural love of 

 water, and his great power of bearing immersion in it, render him 

 an excellent water-dog ; but for wildfowl shooting and retrieving 

 on land this variety is not so useful as the smaller or St. John's 



