A small variety of the Poodle is the _Barbet_, which, according to Mr. Youatt, is unmanageable except by its owner, ill-tempered, “eaten up with red mange, and frequently a nuisance to its master and a torment to every one else.” Notwithstanding this, it is an extremely intelligent Dog; and, indeed, “the Barbet possesses more sagacity than most other Dogs, but it is sagacity of a particular kind, and frequently connected with various amusing tricks. Mr. Jesse, in his ‘Gleanings in Natural History,’ gives a singular illustration of this. A friend of his had a Barbet that was not always under proper command. That he might keep him in better order, he purchased a small whip, with which he corrected him once or twice during a walk. On his return the whip was put on a table in the hall, but on the next morning it was missing. It was soon afterwards found concealed in an out-building, and again made use of in correcting the Dog. Once more it would have been lost, but, on watching the Dog, who was suspected of having stolen it, he was seen to take it from the hall-table in order to hide it once more.”[114] THE MALTESE DOG is an animal of the Poodle kind, of very considerable antiquity, as it is mentioned by Strabo as _Canis melitæus_. It has a long body, short legs, pendent ears, and long silky hair, of a pure white, or sometimes yellowish colour. One of the chief points about this Dog is its extremely small size. THE LION DOG is possibly, according to Mr. Youatt, a cross between the Maltese and the hairless Turkish Dog. Its name is derived from the fact that its hair, long on the head, neck, and fore-legs, is extremely short over the rest of the body, except at the end of the tail, where there is a small tuft. THE TURKISH DOG is occasionally seen in England, but is, properly speaking, a native of hot climates. Its usual name of Turkish or Egyptian Dog is, however, quite a misnomer. It is almost entirely naked, and, more curious still, subject to a disease of the teeth, which drop out so early that the Dogs often have nothing left to bite with but a single grinder on each side. This Dog is a curious and interesting instance of degeneration, for its two distinguishing characters--hairlessness and toothlessness--are actual deformities. THE ST. BERNARD DOG. This magnificent breed is now better known than formerly in England, as it is becoming quite usual to keep them instead of Mastiffs or Newfoundlands. The readers of _Punch_ have been familiarised with its form, from Mr. Du Maurier’s sketches, who has been as successful in depicting the noble Dog as the delightful little girl who, wishing to enter a bazaar where Dogs are not admitted, proposes to her sister to hide the gigantic creature under their skirts!