Coming down to the time of Cains and Cotgrave, who both wrote in the reign of Elizabeth, mastiffs and bulldogs are both mentioned, but no description of any accuracy is given of either; and to construct a dog from the loose references made to them sufficient to satisfy a modern fancier, requires the active aid of imagination, and this, I find, generally assists writers towards what they wish may have been, and facts of the slightest character are strained to support pet theories.

For my own part, I feel convinced that the mastiff and the bulldog have sprung from a common origin. The attributes which they still have in common, after so many years of breeding towards opposite points, strengthens me in this belief, which is still further confirmed by a study of the various engravings and paintings made of them from time to time, which I have been able to consult, all of which show that the further back we go, starting from "Stonehenge" on "The Dog," the more closely do the two breeds assimilate in general character.

Of our present dogs, the strain for which the greatest, or rather absolute, purity is claimed is the Lyme Hall mastiff, which has been in the Legh family since the beginning of the fifteenth century, if not from a still earlier date; but whether the existing dogs of this strain have been kept pure by absolute in-and-in breeding, or with such merely occasional cross with some closely-allied strain as may have been found necessary to prevent deterioration, so that we may rely on it as representing the original type, I have no means of knowing; but as it is held as a pure representative of the old English mastiff by the family who have so long had it in their possession, I can have no doubt that good reasons for that belief exist, and that the strain is at least approximately pure and best represents the whole breed; and I am not aware that any other breeders claim anything approaching to such a long descent for their dogs, although a strain so noted as the Lyme Hall must long have been would be sure to spread and leave its mark on such other kennels as were most likely to be preserved with some degree of purity.

Of late years the champion of the Lyme Hall mastiff has been Mr. H. D. Kingdon, of Willhayne, Devon, who obtained the breed from Lyme Hall by the courtesy of the present Mr. Legh, and who insists on their superiority over all others with a tenacity, and, I might say, dogged obstinacy, thoroughly English, and worthy of the breed he admires. I cannot say, however, that I agree with him in his absolute worship of what he calls purity; when that term is applied to dogs of any breed my scepticism is aroused, and, indeed, even could absolute purity be proved, I would not put the high value on it that many do. Beyond a certain point, I consider this "purity" positively hurtful; I prefer, as a breeder of dogs, to look forward rather than back, and like The grand old gardener and his wife Smile at the claims of long descent.

The good old dogs, like the good old times, possess many advantages over the present, now that distance lends enchantment to the view; but in my opinion the present dogs are the best, and will as certainly be excelled by those of the future. To think otherwise would be to admit that the English, who have succeeded so unquestionably in the improvement of so many other animals, have failed with the dog.

In making these remarks I do not disparage nor even, I hope, underestimate the good qualities of the Lyme Hall mastiff. One of the most astute judges and successful breeders (Mr. Edgar Hanbury) has thought highly and written of them in most eulogistic terms, giving practical force to his expressed admiration by introducing them into his own kennels from Mr. Kingdon's; and of several of the breed that I have seen I can say they were magnificent specimens, and I regret that so few opportunities are now afforded the public of seeing them at shows, as it is only by actual comparison that a fair judgment on relative merits of animals can be formed, and in forming such judgment it is absolutely necessary for agreement that the various judges should adopt one standard of excellence.

Modern taste in mastiffs seems to require above all things size and symmetry, and what I contend for is that modern taste has a perfect right to demand what it pleases in such matters. The great evil to be guarded against is that the standard should not be varied at the caprice of judges or societies, whose position gives them an adventitious influence in forming public taste and opinion. Now, to put a case: if I considered it necessary to cross the mastiff with the boarhound in order to gain the desired size, and having gained that point went back to the mastiff to eliminate other elements which the boarhound cross had introduced, but which I did not want, I would expect that some members for a number of generations would, to use a favourite] expression of Mr. Kingdon's, exhibit "the discordant elements of which their ancestors were compounded"; but I would also expect that the seventh or eighth generation at furthest would show no traces of the boarhound, and would be as fully entitled to be called pure-bred mastiffs as any in or out of the Stud Book. Hence, in judging mastiffs I do not care to consider whether they were manufactured twenty years ago, or have-an unspotted lineage from the Flood.

This part of the subject has, however, unwittingly drawn on my space to a greater extent than I intended it should; I will, therefore, only say further that it is self-evident that - while I think judicious crossing in this and all breeds is not only permissible within certain limits but a necessity of improvement - although we may produce a fine dog by a mixture of breeds, we cannot have a mastiff unless that blood is allowed to predominate, and the older and purer it is the sooner and better it will assert itself over the introduced blood, as shown in foreign features engrafted on it, yet that specially desired feature, such as increased size, may, by selection, be retained.