Sir, - I see in the newspapers (especially Our Dogs) frequent allusions to the origin of the so-called French Bulldog. I think its origin can be easily traced, as some years ago I was in that fancy, with many others in this city (Nottingham), where scores of small Bulldogs were annually bred. They were fallow-pied, brindle-fawn, brindle-and-white, etc., mostly with semi-erect ears, from 251b. to 161b. weight. The principal breeders were E. King, D. Milward, Baker Read, B. North, etc. The reason so many got to France was that there was a continual stream of people going from Nottingham to Calais and St. Quintin, lace-makers, Notts men, many of them taking a dog back with them. George, of London, came down periodically buying, also Fagy Joe, Hincks, and others. Public-house shows were very common. I have a collar now, won at one. On the introduction of Fox-terriers into prominent notice they seemed to quite die out, and the dear, good old souls who bred them as well. The very best small Bulldog we ever bred in Nottingham was bred by D. Milward, and purchased by E. King. It was bred from brother and sister. Every good dog in the city was descended from it. I don't know if there is any one else living in Notts who has bred them; possibly there may be. - Yours truly,

R. HILL. Parliament-street, Nottingham.

Assuming the writer to be correct in his suppositions, and there is no reason to believe otherwise, it will be seen that the so-called French Bulldog is a mongrelised and dwarfed member of the Bulldog family, which, exported to France years ago from England, has lately been reintroduced into this country, after having been crossed with the Pug and probably other breeds of which no records have been kept, or at any rate revealed to English fanciers.

It must, however, be admitted that the bat or tulip ear, which is one of the characteristic points of this breed, is probably of English origin; for as Mr. Hill points out in his letter, those that were exported to France were mostly possessed of erect ears, a point which no doubt the French breeders strove to perpetuate and exaggerate, and which has resulted in the enormous upright ears of the modern French Bulldog.

In at least one other point the French Bulldog differs from the English-bred dog. While turn-up of under jaw is a point continually bred for and much desired by breeders of the British Bulldog, it is a point in which the French specimen is noticeably deficient, there being little or no projection of the under jaw; and in some cases the French dog is actually overshot. These two points alone - ears and under jaw - are sufficient to make a considerable difference in the appearance and type of the English and French-bred dogs, but there are many other points of dissimilarity, though less marked. The French dog rarely possesses the shoulders and front with the depth of brisket, nor the roach or wheel back and the low set-on of tail, all of which points are characteristic of the English breed. In short, the so-called French type of Toy Bulldog and the English type are entirely distinct, and the mating together of these two breeds for the purpose of producing small specimens is a course which the writer would strongly urge on breeders not to adopt.

Assuming, as we have the right to assume in view of statements made by many who are the champions of the French Bulldog cause, that crossing with other breeds has been resorted to by the French breeders, it follows that the mating of a small British Bulldog with a French Toy will result in producing small puppies, no doubt, but at the expense of their purity of blood.

A writer of considerable experience and of undoubted ability has recently recommended the crossing of the two breeds, the mating together of a dog of French parentage with a small bitch of the English strains, the object to be achieved, diminution in size of the offspring, contributed by the small French father, and improvement in ears and under jaw, contributed by the English-bred mother. This argument is quite easy to follow, but the strong point that is to be urged against it is the'introduction of the mongrelised blood of the French Bulldog and its effect upon the offspring of the union. The huge and unsightly ears of the French Bulldog and its lack of under jaw might, and no doubt could, by this crossing be improved upon in the course of several generations, and the small size of the French Bulldog would affect a more immediate decrease in size, and under-weight Toys would be more quickly produced than if they were bred for step by step, so to speak, the breeder being satisfied with a slight decrease of weight with each generation until at last the desired lightness was attained.

Fig. 129. - Tulip-eared French, Rose-eared English, and Bat-eared French Toy Bulldogs.

Although the Kennel Club has not at the time of the publication of this work acknowledged the existence of the French Toy Bulldog (Fig.129), either by registering it as a separate breed or by permitting the official registration of its representative club, "The French Toy Bulldog Club of England," there are many fanciers and breeders of this dog in England. The dogs are companionable little animals and of an affectionate disposition, rather noisily inclined, and quite in their place as house pets and companions for ladies. They are practically certain to always command a fair share of popularity, and possibly in time the Kennel Club may decide to admit them into the ranks of registered breeds; but it is to be hoped that they will not gain their admittance as "Bulldogs," they having no more right to the title than has the Orpington hen to the name of the Dorking from which it was bred. .

The Toy Bulldog pure and simple is a British Bulldog in miniature, obtained sometimes by a freak of nature and sometimes by long and persistent breeding, though at present the Fancy is comparatively too young for the effects of systematic breeding to be yet visible. The process of dwarfing anything, whether it be animal or plant, is bound to be a lengthy one - that is to say, to produce uniform results - for the writer has already admitted that nature will occasionally produce a Toy Bulldog of its own accord and without apparent rhyme or reason.