THE ENGLISH MASTIFF. 207 



am doubtful of that of the dog. There was nothing striking about her. She 

 was old, her shoulders a trifle flat, and she had a grey muzzle, but withal stood 

 29 inches at the shoulder, had a broad round head, good loin, and deep lengthy 

 frame. From crossing these dogs with various strains I was easily able to 

 analyse their produce, and I found in them two distinct types — one due to the 

 dog, very tall, but a little short in the body and high on the leg, while their 

 heads were slightly deficient in breadth ; the other due to the bitch, equally 

 tall, but deep, lengthy, and muscular, with broad massive heads and muzzles. 

 Some of these latter stood 33 inches at the shoulder, and by the time they 

 were two years old weighed upwards of 190 lbs. They had invariably a fifth 

 toe on each-hind leg, which toe was quite distinct from a dew-claw, and 

 formed an integral portion of their feet. By bad management, I was only able 

 to bring a somewhat indifferent specimen with me on my return to England 

 from America, a badly- reared animal, who nevertheless stood 32 inches at the 

 shoulder, and weighed 170 lbs. This dog, ' Lion,' was the sire of ' Governor ' and 

 ' Harold/ by Mr. Lukey's bitch Countess, and so certain was I of the vast size 

 of the breed in him, that I stated beforehand, much to Mr. Lukey's incredulity, 

 that the produce would be dogs standing 33 inches at the shoulder — the result 

 being that both ' Governor ' and his brother ' Harold ' were fully that height. In 

 choosing the whelps, Mr. Lukey retained for himself the best-marked one, an 

 animal that took after the lighter of the two strains that existed in the sire ; ■ 

 for ' Governor,' grand dog and perfect mastiff as he was compared to most others 

 of the breed, was nevertheless shorter in the body, higher on the leg, and with 

 less muscular development than ' Harold,' while his head, large as it was, barely 

 measured as much round as did his brother's. I, who went by the develop- 

 ment of the fifth toe (in this case only a dew-claw), chose ' Harold,' a dog which 

 combined all the best points except colour of both strains, and was a very 

 perfect reproduction on a larger scale of his dam ' Countess.' This dog was the 

 finest male specimen of the breed I have met with. His breast at ten months 

 old, standing up, measured 13 inches across, with a girth of 41 inches, and he 

 weighed in moderate condition 140 lbs., and at twelve months old 160 lbs., while 

 at 1 3^ months old ' Governor ' only weighed in excellent condition 1 50 lbs., with 

 a girth of 40 inches ; and inasmuch as ' Governor' eventually weighed 180 lbs. 

 or even more, the size to which Harold probably attained must have been very 

 great. His head also in size and shape promised to be perfect. 



" I will mention three other dogs. The first, Lord Waldegrave's ' Turk,' 

 better known as ' Couchez,' was the foundation of Mr. Lukey's breed. This 

 doc has frequently been described to me by Bill George and Mr. Lukey, and I 

 have a painting of his head at the present moment. ■ He stood about 29^ 

 inches or 30 inches at the shoulder, with great length and muscular develop- 

 ment and, although he was never anything but thin, weighed about 130 lbs. 

 Muzzle broad and heavy, with deep flews ; skin over the eyes and about the 



