Performing and Toy Breeds (Continued)

toy bull dogs—toy bull terriers—italian greyhounds

Toy Bull Dogs.—Have been much taken up of late, and strange though it may seem, for an offshoot, or miniature variety of an old English breed, the larger number of the best that have appeared at the shows, so far, have come from France! I have seen many specimens with good heads and bodies, but comparatively few with the correct type of ear, the majority having what I described in speaking of Smooth Toy Terriers, as "Bat or Tulip" ears, which give rather a silly, vacant, expression to the face. However, the breed is being so eagerly patronised by people in the higher ranks, and good specimens easily command such high prices, that there is little reason to doubt, breeders will succeed in producing more specimens, with the correct type of ear, when we shall see a great improvement in the number and quality of the entries at all those shows which provide classes for these quaint little animals, which should be kept down to a twenty-pound limit at most, if they are to retain their title to be classified amongst the "Toys."

Toy Bull Terriers.—The Toy Bull Terriers which have been a good deal encouraged of late years, should be counterparts of the larger breed, but too many of them fail in head properties, and are both too short in face and too round in skull, very often, they have a small patch of brindle or other colour on some part of their head or body, although they are preferred pure white, if possible. For many years I kept some of these, and bred them as small as two and a half pounds, but even at that weight their courage did not seem less, and the smallest I ever had was killed by her reckless attack on an antagonist far beyond her powers. I have known several others without the slightest consideration of their size and weight, rush upon foes that could actually have swallowed them, without the least hesitation, or any show of fear.

Italian Greyhounds.—Another very graceful and elegant breed is the Italian Greyhound, which some years ago was much more kept as a pet than of late; it is more slightly built and shorter in head than the Whippet, and the colours most often seen are golden fawns and creams, but I have had some before me, and well shaped ones too, red, red and white, and blue fawn, the last named being the best of the "off colours." The coat should be very fine, soft and glossy, the best size is not exceeding eight or eight and a half pounds, in weight. They are exceedingly graceful, elegant little creatures, but rightly or wrongly (as this is one of the few breeds of dogs, I have not bred or kept,) give me the impression of being delicate and requiring care and # attention. The breed seems mostly in the hands of three or four persons, but I am pleased to say, there are still some excellent specimens of both sexes to be seen, so that I am in hopes there is no immediate fear of its extinction, as this is one of the breeds that would not look out of place in company with the highest in the land.

The portrait of a good and typical specimen, from Mrs. P. Turner's well-known kennel, illustrates this variety.