The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-01-17
MARL COLLIES TAKE
NAME FROM FIELDS
Coats Resemble Top Dressing
Used by Farmers to
Enrich Soil.
BREED NOW A POPULAR ONE

Some OF the handsomost collies Of to-
day are of n color that is described as
mari, merl or mlrl Mari Is a Scottish
word which describes a mixture OF colors.
Just Is It is claimed that the collie was
SO named because he was associated with
black faced or colllcd sheep so the dog of
variegated color was named after the top
dressing put on the land. This top soil
was and is made of lime and clay or
earth
The mari or merl color of the collie is
an old one and the modern collie evidently
got this color from the short and Nat
coated sheepdogs OF England, and from
I the smaller and often rough coated
shepherd dogs OF Wales the latter adj
miredly as good workers as may be OBJ
| tained anywhere There were few II any
mari cOlored show collies prior TO 1890
| and these when exhibited were generally
| small in stature and their heads were un-
| doubleday coarse In appearance. Some
one might have crossed the collie OF that
! day with an Old English sheepdog OF tho
| mari color, not few Of which were about
| and may yet be- seen in the United States
! tracing back to the Wall Eyed Bob stock
| imported years ago Bob was a mari dog
! with "A wall or china eye, and "a he had
once tail that would sweep the ground
! there would have been no risk OF obtain
/ Ing bOhtailcd progeny. Such a dog as
! Bob might have been used 20 obtain the
mari color and the result would be heavy
heads and bis ears just as they were OBJ
! served In the early sos.
! To-day the mari collie Is generally a
dog OF supreme quality. He has gained
In size and his head has become much
! finer. Many OF these dogs OF tho moment
are fine in their heads they are as much
too narrow in the skulls as the dogs OF
The old days were too broad. This. how
ever, is n defect only from the unitarian
point OF view, and 1t should he boIpe In
mind that few collies of the show dsscrip-
| ton are used for actual work to-day.
All the blue mari collies Of our time
may be traced to "A memorable public sale
,hcld In London about 1903. William Ark
wright OF Sutton Scarsdale, Chesterfield
Is sportsman well known on both side.
Of the Atlantic. As dog breeder his
fame has reached the ends OF the earth
Like many another dog breeder he has
had periodical fads and fancies for differ.
cnt kinds of breeds. Long before IL ever
was mentioned that he had "A taste FOL
pointers he had dachshunds. and later q
kennel Of mari colored coll!cs. And thes,
/, Mr. Arkvrght had mixed up with tn,
highest class sable colored dogs Of tn,
period. notably the famous champion
Metchley Wonder. All OF the inmates o
, this mari kennel were sent to Aldridg'l
! repository, London, and there knocke,
; down at auction 10 the highest bidder
/. There was no reserve and the compan!
was small, There have been few sale
that turned out to be such a frost, and tn
: ArkwriPht collies went to different homer
at prices ranging from SIS to SIS each
The best OF the Sutton Scarsdal'
o. bitches went to Birmingham, whore n
: that time there was particular!
smart Coterie OF collie breeders, and thes
{ bitches when crossed with the high claS
dogs Of the midland metropolis soor
produced excellent mari colored collies
, Mr. Arkwrlght was the first to use tn
n prefix "Blue" in connection with thes
, dors and II extended pedigrees be ex
: amined II will he found that Blue Devils
. Bue BlaZes. and other Blues are In tn
8 longest of lineages. The term blue" /
in general use to-day in America, Eu
= rope and elsewhere In the world wher
a these beautiful dogs are so nucl
+ esteemed
t 1t Is not often that the mari colore
! col,ies carry as heavy a coat az IN
sable colored ones But the elegance o
their outline and their activity is unex
ccli,d Their build is generally OF tn
Z lighter or the less cloddy make of som
OF the rest of the breed StlA the point
are recognized as the same. To bree
8 married collies where only one OF II
e color Is about II is advisable to cross
i with a haCK, Wnlte ana Van colore
n collie The eyes Of the mari III
- are generally specked with white or ar
st OF a blue or glaucous shade The mark
i ings are well distributed. They are ger
e orally I'm patches. as will be observed /
e the picture OF bitch OF the variety o
+, this page.
H. Like all other colored collies tho hea
u is long, skull not too wide or round, eye
expressive and set oblOuely; ears SINAI
p set rather far back and nigh; when e'
~ cited. seml-erect with points hangir
{; down and forward we'll knit activ
al snewy frame chest deep, but not wide
, forelegs straight hooks well bent fe
A. compact and strong. The coat should
ly abundant
At the last New York show the exh
le bltors Of this variety were Miss NJ. Blu
u.s. locke, Miss Elsie Hydon, Mr., and Mr.
J. l.. card, Mrs H. Eastman JohnsC
", Cortlug. Oak Hin Kennels and Thomi
d; 7. Hunter Mrs, c. NJ Lunt OF &
Alstead Kennels, Belemeade, \. j., al
!, takes great interest in these lovely ere