The Pomeranian is one of the oldest breeds. I have traced him back in perfect shape to 400 B.C., as will be seen by the accompanying illustrations from Greek vases. Before this, he existed in the Archaic period of Greek art (anything beyond 800 B.C.). The original colour was cream or white.

The name "Pomeranian " is quite erroneous. From Greece I have traced the dogs on to the Roman Empire, and thence all through Italy to France and Germany. "Melitaie" was the name by which the Greeks called them.

Models of a "Pomeranian" dog and a "Maltese" dog of the conventional type were dug up at Fayyum in Egypt, and date from about 200 B.C. There is no evidence to show whether these breeds were imported from Malta or exported there from Egypt.

It is interesting to note that the Maltese type, as we now know it, is an old type and not a recent cross, as it has often been said to be. A parti-coloured Pomeranian type is to be seen in the thirteenth century Chinese painting of Mao I. The Egyptian model of the "Pomeranian" is specially interesting in view of the fact that the modern pariah dogs of Egypt still show strong Pomeranian characteristics, being the same colour as those on the Greek vases, and having much Pomeranian character.

On the tombs of Maltese (Pomeranian) dogs the Greeks wrote rejeton de Malte (see lb. 20 Aelian Var. Hist. VIII 14).

The Sybarites divided their affection between dwarfs and "Maltese" dogs.

The original colours were cream and orange, and the black now so fashionable is a comparatively new development, and one which I am sorry to see so universal. I think the cream, white, or orange much the prettiest. An orange, white, or cream Pomeranian with smart carriage and a pretty face is a most attractive little dog, but one sees far too many wizened little weeds in the show ring now. There are few things so unpleasing as the poorly coated, blear-eyed, stunted animals which are so commonly led about London streets, dogs which look like moth-eaten specimens of an amateur taxidermist. I am reproducing two pictures of Pomeranians, one is a Nattier of about 1720 and the other a Gainsborough.

Mrs. Pope's little Polar Star is a perfect modern example of the French Pomeranian of the seventeenth century, and some of Mr. Brown's orange Pomeranians are very pretty. A sweet expression is most essential, and I would not give half a crown for the greatest champion unless he had the right expression, but very few of our show dogs have it.. It is often said that the Pomeranian should have a foxy expression, and not that of a wolf. This is quite true, but how many of our lady fanciers know the expression of a fox or have ever seen a wolf? They associate the fox with cunning and slyness, and take their views of him from Christmas cards or from the hunted foxes they may have seen. Now, a fox, for all his slyness, has a lovely little innocent face! He looks full of intelligence, but quite angelic, and he is as sharp as a needle. The English fox is the least pretty of all, but some of the little foreign foxes are exquisite, and it is these we should take as models. We need not go abroad to find them, as they can sometimes be seen in the Zoological Gardens. I do not think I have ever seen anything prettier than the heads of some of these little foxes. The Indian desert fox has a lovely head. A Pomeranian should never have the expression of a rat.

I intensely dislike the mean little faces one so often sees, with weak eyes in which the eyeball appears to be set awry in the socket, and the dog seems to frown at the light.

In this breed any tendency to a down-face is most undesirable. The eyes should be very wide apart (in this I differ from the scale now accepted), and it will be noticed that the most pleasing specimens have not got narrow placement. The ears should be small and carried erect, and the expression should be excessively alert but very sweet, never cross or sulky. The Pomeranian is a compact, bold, lively little dog. In my opinion the shaded sable with black mask is an undesirable colour, as also is the brown, but Ch. The Sable Mite is one of the very loveliest dogs I have ever seen. Brown Pomeranians are liable to have light eye-rims, which are simply hideous. The eye should never be in the least goggled, but dark and liquid and wide open, not absurdly small with very light eyelids, as is now often the case. The eyes of the white and orange colours should look as though painted with Kohl. The muzzle should be very fine and small compared to the width of the head, which should be very wide at the cheeks and puffed out with fur like a fox.

It is quite unnatural to a Pomeranian to have a black mask, and I consider the dark faces of the shaded sables an undesirable innovation. The proper points of a Pomeranian are in my opinion as follows: Head already described. Skull slightly flat and rather broad and large compared to the muzzle, which should finish in a very fine point, the tip of the nose being very slightly tilted upwards. The lips should be firm and teeth level. The stop should be very decided, and the eyes large (in these two points I differ from the accepted standard). The hair on head and face is short. In appearance the dog should be short and flat in back, cobby in body, and well rounded in barrel, with high carriage of head and neck, and his tail should be turned well over the back so as to meet the frills of the neck. It should be carried flat and profusely adorned with very long, spreading hair. His expression should be very sweet, yet full of fire, open and intelligent, never mean or furtive, and his movements active, with plenty of dash. The ears should be small and set fairly far apart, but should be perfectly erect and covered with soft, short hair.

The neck should be well arched and surrounded with a profuse mane and frill of straight, long hair covering the whole of the shoulders, beginning in a sweep from the under jaw. The shoulders should be well laid back. The nose should always be black in dogs of all colours. The light nose now allowed in some colours is most disfiguring. The coat is well described by the Pomeranian standard, as follows: