standing or walking. Feet round. TAIL--Put on high up, and reaching
to the hocks, or a little below them, wide at its root and tapering
to the end, hanging straight in repose, but forming a curve, with
the end pointing upwards, but not over the back, when the dog is
excited. COAT--COLOUR--Coat short and close lying, but not too fine
over the shoulders, neck and back. Colour, apricot or silver fawn,
or dark fawn-brindle. In any case, muzzle, ears, and nose should be
black, with black round the orbits, and extending upwards between
them.

* * * * *

Size is a quality very desirable in this breed. The height of many
dogs of olden days was from thirty-two to thirty-three inches. The
height should be obtained rather from great depth of body than length
of leg. A leggy Mastiff is very undesirable. Thirty inches may be
taken as a fair average height for dogs, and bitches somewhat less.
Many of Mr. Lukey's stood 32 inches and over; Mr. Green's Monarch
was over 33 inches, The Shah 32 inches, and Cardinal 32 inches.

The method of rearing a Mastiff has much to do with its ultimate size,
but it is perhaps needless to say that the selection of the breeding
stock has still more to do with this. It is therefore essential to
select a dog and bitch of a large strain to obtain large Mastiffs.
It is not so necessary that the dogs themselves should be so large
as that they come from a large strain. The weight of a full-grown
dog should be anything over 160 lb. Many have turned over the scale
at 180 lb. The Shah, for instance, was 182 lb. in weight, Scawfell
over 200 lb.