THE MOUNT ST. BERNARD DOG. 213 



(A) THE EOTJGH ST. BEENAED. 

 {See Frontispiece.) 



I shall not attempt to settle the vexed question whether the 

 rough or smooth variety is the genuine one, believing that both, 

 as now existing, are completely modern creations. From the 

 engraving given by Youatt, which is reproduced on the opposite 

 page, we should be led to believe that the old breed was certainly 

 not smooth, but, as I said before, no existing strain can be traced 

 back more than thirty or forty years, and as it has always been 

 limited until lately to a very small district, there is no reason 

 to consider it as anything more than a strain of mastiff 

 crossed at the discretion of the monks of St. Bernard. It is not 

 even pretended that they have kept up their breed without out- 

 cross, but having lost it for a time, they obtained a dog of the old 

 strain which had been kept in another kennel, and used him in 

 their stud, but the bitches from which they bred to him were not 

 pure bred. Mr. Macdona began by importing " Tell " and his 

 sister "Hedwig," both rough; he then obtained his smooth 

 " Monarque," after which Mr. Murchison obtained his rough dog 

 " Thor " and Miss Hales her " Jura." From these sources the 

 various strains now occupying the show benches of the chief 

 shows have been obtained. " Thor," though of a bad colour (red 

 and white), has been more successful as a sire than " Tell," and 

 most of the best dogs of the present day are descended from him. 

 Both the rough and smooth greatly resemble the mastiff, but 

 specially the latter, the former showing a cross with the New- 

 foundland, and both being, from their narrow head, sunken eyes, 

 and frequent exhibition of " sealing wax," most probably crossed 

 with the bloodhound, whose fine nose was no doubt the tempta- 

 tion. 



