THE MOUNT ST. BERNARD DOG. 215 



judges to be absolute indications of true breeding, and their 

 absence they think should condemn a dog to exclusion from the 

 class awarded to this breed in a show. My own opinion is, that 

 dew-claws are not to be relied on in any breed, and that when 

 present in the St. Bernard, they only indicate a cross with the 

 Newfoundland, who certainly possesses the double dew-claw in 

 many instances of dogs imported from the island. 



Size is as important as in the mastiff, and is about the same. 



In symmetry the rough St. Bernard is quite up to the ave- 

 rage, and he is far more active and graceful than any large 

 English dog. 



The temperament is mild and gentle, but not so much so as in 

 our English mastiff. 



In colour there is a considerable variety. Most people prefer 

 the rich orange-tawny mixed with brown, but not brindled, 

 as exhibited by " Tell," " Hedwig," " Alp," " Gessler," and many 

 of their descendants. " Thor " and his family are, most of them, 

 red and white. Others, again, are brindled or fawn, or these 

 colours more or less mixed with white, sometimes almost 

 entirely of the latter colour. 



The coat is wavy upon the body, and very bushy on the tail, 

 with a little feather on the legs. 



(B) THE SMOOTH ST. BERNARD. 

 (See Frontispiece.) 



This variety differs from the rough chiefly in coat, which is 

 quite smooth. There is, perhaps, less of the bloodhound and 

 more of the mastiff than in the rough strain, with an equal pro- 

 portion of the Newfoundland, sinking his rough coat. The 

 points are the same in value as in the rough variety. 



