File:The new book of the dog - a comprehensive natural history of British dogs and their foreign relatives, with chapters on law, breeding, kennel management, and veterinary treatment (1911) (14740608686).jpg

Identifier: newbookofdogcomp01leig (find matches)
Title: The new book of the dog : a comprehensive natural history of British dogs and their foreign relatives, with chapters on law, breeding, kennel management, and veterinary treatment
Year: 1911 (1910s)
Authors: Leighton, Robert, 1859-1934
Subjects: Dogs
Publisher: London New York : Cassell
Contributing Library: Webster Family Library of Veterinary Medicine
Digitizing Sponsor: Tufts University

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ountry, in courseof time to be so improved by selectionthat they have come to be commonlyaccepted as native breeds. Some areprotected from the claim that they areindigenous by the fact that their origin isindicated in their names. No one wouldpretend that the St. Bernard or the New-foundland, the Spaniel or the Dalmatian,are of native breed. They are alien immi-grants whom we have naturalised, as weare naturalising the majestic Great Dane,the decorative Borzoi, the alert Schipperke, THE ENGLISH MASTIFF. known to the Romans, and it is not to bewondered at that Virgil makes no refer-ence to British dogs ; but Gratius Faliscus,writing in the eighth year of the Christianera, recorded that the pugnaccs of Epirus—the true Molossian dogs—were pitted best specimens the Roman emperors ap-pointed a special officer, Procurator Cynegii,who was stationed at Winchester and en-trusted with the duty of selecting and ex-porting Mastiffs from England to Rome.This statement is frequently repeated by
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THE MASTIFF.From The Sportsn Cabinet (1803). By P. ReinagU, R.A. against the pugnaccs of Britain, which over-powered them. Gratius further indicatesthat there were two kinds of the Britishpugnaccs, a larger and a smaller, suggestingthe existence of both the Bulldog andthe Mastiff, the latter being employed toprotect flocks and herds. Strabo, writingsome thirty years later, refers to Britishdogs used in hunting and in warfare, and,mentioning the pugnaccs, he especially re-marks that they had flabby lips and droop-ing ears. The courage of the broad mouthed dogsof Britain was recognised and highly prizedby the Romans, who employed them forcombat in the amphitheatre. Many writershave alleged that in order to secure the persons who have mistaken the wordcyncecii for cynegii, and confounded thetitle of a weavers agent with that of anexporter of dogs. An officer appointed toship fighting Mastiffs to Rome would havebeen Procurator Pugnacium vel Molos-sorum. In Anglo-Saxon times every two vill

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