The origin and history of the Scotch Collie as a distinct breed are still unsolved questions. There are no solid facts to base even a theory upon, and, as in the case of many other dogs, we are left to conjecture.

Professor Low, in "Domesticated Animals of the British Islands," says that the Terrier of the Highlands was anciently the shepherd's dog; and the Rev. Dr. Alexander Stewart says that the Collie is "the old indigenous dog of the British Islands," and claims for it the honour of being at once the Deerhound, Otter-hound, Sealdog, Terrier, and shepherd's dog of the Scottish Gaels. Fingal's dog Bran, he says, was "just an exceptionally strong and intelligent Collie; nor would it be easy to persuade me that the faithful Argus of Ulysses, in far-off Ithaca, three thousand years ago, was other than a genuine Collie of the same breed as the Fingalians more than a thousand years afterwards in the hunting-grounds of mediaeval Scotland and Ireland," who therefore, of course, are to be considered as identical with the Collie of to-day.

If we take Dr. Stewart's opinions as seriously meant, we can only reflect that the learned doctor, like many other worthy men, shows national predilection. Enlarged currency was given to Dr. Stewart's views by the substance of his contribution appearing afterwards as a leader in the Daily News, and that again being reproduced by the Fanciers' Gazette. If Professor Low is correct, the "ancient shepherds" of the Highlands exhibited less judgment than they are proverbially credited with when they resorted to Terriers to look after their flocks, especially as, according to Dr. Stewart, they possessed the real Simon Pure Collie.

The more likely theory with regard to the Collie's origin is that the dog is the result of selection carried on through a long series of years. There has been an attempt made by writers to circumscribe the national character of this dog by calling him the Highland Collie, as though he were peculiar to the North of Scotland. There appears to be even less justification for this than for calling the Old English Black-and-tan Terrier the Manchester Terrier, for Manchester has done something special in making the modern Black-and-tan Terrier what he is; but it is not so in the case of the Highlands of Scotland and the Collie, and this dog is more properly described as the Scotch Collie, even to the manner of spelling the word.

This dog is peculiarly Scotch, and as a pastoral dog was originally more intimately connected with the Lowlands, where he is still met with pure in the greatest numbers, although now plentiful in both the Highlands of Scotland and the northern counties of England - and, indeed, through the influence of dog shows and the rage for the breed in fashionable circles, in London itself.

The English form of Sheepdog is described in earlier times than is the Scotch Collie; and it is not improbable that the latter may be in part derived from the former and the Scotch Greyhound. The Collie at least partakes of the form of both, having the strength of build of the English Sheepdog and the lithe, graceful action of the Greyhound. This is, of course, a mere suggestion, and not even much supported by the fact that intermediates in form between the Collie and both of these are seen in litters of what are called pure Collies.

If we endeavour to learn anything of the Collie's origin from his name, we are again met with a host of difficulties. Some writers have assumed that the name is of Gaelic origin; but they advance no satisfactory reasons, and, before that can be accepted, we must have proofs that the dog is Celtic.

In Chaucer, "Coll our dog" occurs, and it may be the name was used in reference to the colour - black prevailing in this variety of dog. It has been suggested that Coll and Collie may be from the same root as collar, and the name given to the dog because of the white collar round the neck, which is very common in this, and indeed in all breeds where we get a mixture of a dark colour and white.

Dr. Ogilvie, in his "Imperial Dictionary," and Jamieson, in his "Scottish Dictionary," both give Collie; and it is not improbable that Collie is merely the diminutive and familiar form of Coll, for in all Scotch words the "ie" is thus used - Will becomes Willie, and Lass Lassie. Bewick, in his "British Quadrupeds," indeed, had his own peculiar and original spelling of the word, which was Coaly - pardonable in a book published in a town the subject of the proverb "Carry coals to Newcastle."

The Collie is one among many Sheepdogs that writers have credited with being the origin of all our varieties of Domestic dogs; but this seems an untenable position to take on the question. Far more feasible is it to suppose that the Collie, like other breeds, is the result of crosses and selection to adapt him to the special requirements of his country and the work he is called upon to perform.

There is one point upon which most people will agree, namely, that the Collie is in physical properties more nearly allied to several races of wild dogs than any other of our domestic breeds. The Aguara dogs, and especially the Hoary Aguara, as depicted by Lieut.-Colonel Charles Hamilton Smith, in Jardine's "Naturalists' Library," bear a strong resemblance to a Smooth or a Half-rough Collie with prick ears, which feature is not uncommon in the Collie. The likeness between the Collie and the Indian Haredog, as given by Youatt, is very striking.

At once a useful and an ornamental variety, the Collie is one of the prime favourites with the dog-loving public of to-day. How great is the popularity achieved by the breed, may be gauged with a fair amount of accuracy by the enormous entries at all the more important shows, and these whether in the north or in the south, by the number of clubs that exist to foster the breed, and, lastly, by the phenomenal prices first-class specimens of the breed have realised over a long series of years. The only other variety that can claim anything like the same amount of popularity as the Rough Collie is the Fox-terrier. In fact, for years it has been practically a neck-and-neck race between the Collie and the Fox-terrier for pride of place in the long list of Domesticated dogs. So far as the Rough Collie is concerned, his beautiful full coat and striking colours have combined to make him one of the most ornamental of all dogs; and though the Smooth in every respect except coat is the equal if not the superior of the Rough, the difference in value between.two dogs of similar excellence in their respective varieties is so great as to be almost incredible.

Fig. 41. - A Bearded Collie.