In general appearance the mastiff is noble and dignified; his strength is shown in his immense bone, large, square, and well-knit frame, whilst the majesty of his carriage, his noble head, and the magnanimous expression of his countenance bespeak consciousness of power governed by a noble and courageous nature. There are mastiffs with sinister and scowling faces, exhibiting the ferocity of the coward and bully, but these will rarely be found to possess the grandeur of form that distinguishes the breed, and are often cross-bred; but instances of a surly and dangerous disposition will show itself in otherwise good and pure dogs, and when it does, they become a positive danger even to their owners, and a terror and a nuisance to the neighbourhood in which they may be kept; but the natural disposition is gentle, with an intuitive desire to afford protection, so that a well-trained mastiff is at once the best of companions - not given to quarrel, solicitous of notice from those he serves - and proves, with his intelligence and high mettle, the best of guards for person and property.

These good qualities characterise the modern mastiff, and show the power of man in taming down the fierce nature of the fighting dogs of Britain, for in this, as in outward form, it is impossible to doubt he has been greatly modified and improved since he was mainly kept in order to display his prowess in the bull ring and the bear garden.

As to his modern uses, he is still par excellence the watch dog of England,

Whose honest bark Bays deep-mouthed welcome as we draw near home.

He is the gamekeeper's best companion and preserver from night marauders, and for this purpose a dark brindled dog is preferable to a fallow, not being so easily seen at night, and to these arduous duties have been added the lighter ones of companion to ladies and gentlemen, and the occasional display of his regal canine magnificence on the show bench.

I have mentioned the faults of temper in dealing with the general character. I will now point out the faults in outward appearance most often met with. These are, first, I think, the ungainliness of motion caused by weak legs, particularly shown in the knee joints and the development of cow hocks; with this there is generally flat, lean, wasted hams, and sometimes light, weak loins, and all these or the cow hocks alone give a shambling gait that is most objectionable. These defects are often caused by bad rearing, inferior or insufficient food, want of room or dampness in the kennel. The faults alluded to are very common, and it should be the endeavour of breeders and also of judges to get rid of them - the latter by refusing prizes to all dogs that show the faults, and the former by judicious selection and careful rearing.

The points of the mastiff are as follows:

The head should be large as a whole, square, skull flat, with great girth before the ears, forehead broad and flat, face may be slightly wrinkled.

The muzzle is black in colour, square and broad, neither so deep nor so narrow as in the bloodhound, with fairly deep flews, but not the chop of the bulldog; under jaw may slightly protrude, but it is better the teeth should meet evenly.

The eyes are small and intelligent, mild in expression, not sunk in the head, nor showing the haw as in the bloodhound.

The ears are small, pendant, and thin, and lying close to the cheek, black in colour in the fawns.

The neck should be thick and muscular, and should not have a superabundance of loose skin.

The chest should be deep and broad, back of fair length, but strong, loins muscular, the back ribs well developed; a cut-up flank, as is often seen in very long-bodied dogs, is very objectionable.

The leg bone should be very great, round and straight; the feet large and round - a splay foot and weak joints are great objections.

The thighs should be large, wide, and well clothed with muscle; hocks straight - cow-hocks are one of the worst faults. The stern, must be a good length, straight, moderately covered with hair, and carried pretty straight, not hound-like or over the back; a ring tail is held to be very objectionable.

The average height of dogs may be put as about 31in. at shoulder, bitches 29in.; but the higher the better if the dog's body is well let down, and his weight increases with height in proper ratio.

The coat is a minor point, often depending on feeding, grooming, etc. As a rule, the lighter the colour the finer the texture. It should be dense and not too soft.

Colour is another minor point. The fashionable colours are bright fawn with black muzzles and ears, and brindles of various shades. There are also good ones of a decided red tinge; white on neck, face, or legs a very slight objection.

The subject of our engraving is The Shah, the property of Mr. C. T. Harris, 15, Fenchurch-street, City. The Shah is a fawn dog, standing a little over 32in. at the shoulder, and weighs 1801b. Further measurement I have not had an opportunity of obtaining, but he is a dog of remarkably true proportions, making a grand whole, as is well shown by our artist, Mr. T. W. Wood.

The Shah came out as a puppy at the Crystal Palace Show, 1874, where he took first in a strong class, and was claimed by his present owner at catalogue price, .£100. Since then the following are his prizes, having won wherever shown: First Crystal Palace, first Birmingham, first Maidstone, champion prize Brighton, 1876; special prize in champion class, Agricultural Hall, Islington, 1877. Champion prize Birmingham, 1877, first Bristol, 1877. Twenty Guineas Silver Cup, Margate, 1878, champion prize Alexandra Palace, 1878, and the same prize there, July, 1879, where his son, Mrs. Rawlinson's The Emperor, out of champion Countess, and his daughter, Mr. Fletcher's Lady Love, out of a Monarch bitch, were first in their respective classes, with a number of others by The Shah in the prize list.

Of late and present breeders whose dogs have held the highest position in competition, or transmitted their good qualities to those that do, I may specially mention Mr. Lnkey, Mr. Rowe, Mr. Bill George, the late Miss Aglionby (breeder of the celebrated Turk, who so many years held sway as champion), Mrs. Rawlinson, whose champion Countess has produced such grand ones as Thyra, Stanley, and now, in a younger litter, The Emperor, probably the grandest mastiff living, and likely to be for the next few years the champion in his class. Mr. T. C. Harris, owner of The Shah, a dog that has begot the best young stock of the day. Mr. Edgar Hanbury, owner and breeder of many good ones, including Rajah, sire of the Shah and "Wolsey. Mr. W. K. Taunton, whose preference is for good brindles. Mr. Forbes Winslow, possessor of a good team, and Dr. J. Lamond Hemming, owner of His Lordship, one of the very best; and Mr. Carr, owner of Leo by Monarch, who, as a young dog, made his mark at Northern shows, taking the place of that grand dog The Colonel, after the death of that dog.

The following are the measurements of a few mastiffs of note:

Mr. Richard Cook's Sylvia III: Age, 2 years; weight, 1361b; height at shoulder, 29½in.; length from nose to set on of tail, 50in.; length of tail, 18½in.; girth of chest, 37in.; girth of loin, 29in.; girth of head, 23½in.; girth of forearm, 10½in.; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, l0¼in.; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, 14in.

Dr. J. Lamond Hemming's His Lordship (champion): Age, 1 year and 10 months; weight, 1801b.; height at shoulder, 33in.; length from nose to set on of tail, 53in.; length of tail, 22in.; girth of chest, 44in.; girth of loin, 36in.; girth of forearm, 11½in.; length of head, from occiput to tip of nose, 12in.; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, 15½in.; girth of head, 28½in.

Mr. T. W. Allen's Creole: Age 4 years; weight, 1201b.; height at shoulder, 29in.; length from nose to set on of tail, 51in.; length of tail, 18½in.; girth of chest, 36in.; girth of loin, 27½in.; girth of head, 23in.; girth of forearm, 9iin.; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, l0½in.; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, 13¾in.; colour, fawn and black points.

Mr. J. W. Allen's Magnus: Age, 2 years 6 months; weight, 1551b.; height at shoulder, 30½in.; girth of chest, 41½in.; girth of loin, 31½in.; girth of head, 27½in.; girth of forearm, 10½in.; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, 14½in.; colour, fawn and black points.

Mr, Morton's Rupert (K.C.S.B., 7433): Age, 3 years and 4 months; weight, 1701b.; height at shoulder, 31 ½in,; length from nose to set on of tail, 57in.; length of tail, 21in.; girth of chest, 42in.; girth of loin, 33in.; girth of head, 27iin.; girth of arm lin. above elbow, 12¼in.; girth of leg lin. below elbow, llin.; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, 12in.; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, 15½in.; colour and markings, fawn, black points.