Medal ean Re iy wey ‘ ein a maa 4 Ait nb dN ALBERT R. MANN LIBRARY New York STaTE COLLEGES OF AGRICULTURE AND HomE ECONOMICS AT CoRNELL UNIVERSITY ealth and disease; comprising Cornell University Library The original of this book is in the Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924003175647 Gp fe WZ, \ w\ oY BERNARDS. (Both” Prize- Winners.) SMOOTH AND ROUGH S8T. THE DOG IN HEALTH AND DISEASE. COMPRISING THE VARIOUS MODES OF BREAKING AND USING HIM FOR HUNTING, COURSING, SHOOTING, ETC., AND INCLUDING THE POINTS OR CHARACTERISTICS OF ALL DOGS, WHICH ARE ENTIRELY REWRITTEN, By STONEHENGE, EDITOR OF “THE FIELD,” a AUTHOR OF ‘‘ THE GREYHOUND,” ETC, Fourth Evition. LONDON: LONGMANS, GREEN, AND CO. 1887. ‘Ballantyne Dress BALLANTYNE, HANSON AND CO. EDINBURGH AND LONDON PREFACE TO THE FOURTH EDITION. More than a quarter of a century has elapsed since~I first attempted to describe the dog in his several varieties, together with the uses to which he is put in this country and the diseases which attack him. Until within the last ten years the societies formed in aid of this investigation have chiefly taken in hand the management of public shows of this animal, but recently special clubs have been formed which have undertaken to settle the points of the particular breeds which has been selected by them, and their descriptions have in each case been taken by me in lien of those I had previously drawn up, even when I have not been able fully to agree with them. I have also added descriptions of several breeds which have either come out from obscurity, as in the case of the Basset Hound, Welsh and Scotch Terriers, &c., or manufactured, as in that of the Irish Wolf-Hound. These additions are necessary to render complete any treatise on the dog in the present day. The treatment of his diseases is also brought down to that of modern times. STONEHENGE. PREFACE. AmonG the various scientific and anecdotical writings in the English language on The Dog, it might be thought that the subject was exhausted, and that nothing remained to be done by the most careful observer of the habits and external forms of the varieties of this animal. But let any one seek for specific information upon several points connected with even well-marked and gene- rally recognised kinds, and he-will soon be brought to confess that he is lost in doubt and uncertainty. For instance, where shall we find a sufficient description of the spaniels and terriers, or of the various retrievers, for which such large sums are often given? Who will be able to discover, from any written account, the difference between the springer and the cocker, or between the Clumber and Sussex spaniels? Who, again, will tell us the colours and forms of the Skye and Dandie Dinmont terriers, or the characteristics of the English toy-terriers, pugs, and Maltese dogs ? Yet there are thousands and tens of thousands who take a great interest in these animals, and who would spare neither money nor trouble to ascertain the exact properties of the variety to which each individual of their acquaintance belongs. Daniel, Youatt, and Richardson have all laboured hard to enlighten their readers upon the varieties of the canine species, and have no doubt done much towards the attainment of this end; but, as I before remarked, the deficiencies in their descriptions are patent to all. vili PREFACE, It is true that the hound and the greyhound, the pointer and the setter, as well as many of the foreign varieties of the dog, have been favoured with special treatises, but beyond them the ground is almost untrodden, or else it is choked with weeds and rubbish which render it difficult to ascertain what is beneath them. In the following pages I -have been compelled to have recourse to the work of Mr. Youatt in the instances of some of the foreign . dogs, both for the descriptions and also for the engravings which are contained in it. At the time when he wrote, the Zoological Society of Londow possessed an extensive collection of dogs; which was made use of by him to great advantage; and I can speak to the correctness of most of his illustrations, from having compared them with the originals soon after he first gave them to the pub- lic; but unfortunately there is now no such collection in England. As far as possible, however, throughout.the First Book the de- scriptions and illustrations are drawn from the life, the speci- men selected being of the most: perfect symmetry and of: the ‘purest breed within my reach. For many of them I am indebted to gentlemen who have given up their best energies to improve the peculiar strain which has enlisted their attention, and for the facilities which they have afforded ‘me I. here beg to record my most sincere thanks. ' Boox I. contains the Natural History of the Dog, with a minute description of the varieties which are generally recog- nised. The chief claims of this book rest upon its being a faithful transcript in writing of oral records which have been treasured up by the breeders of the dog in all its varieties, and which, being now made public, will render it ‘comparatively easy in future’to ascertain the —_- Since the First Edition of The Dog was published in 1859, his varieties have been studied, and their points minutely described, by a great number of breeders to an extent which was never contemplated before that time. As a consequence, I have been enabled to define them most minutely in the present edition, and I think no sufficiently known breed, either British or foreign, is omitted from the list. In the Second Book little or no change has been attempted, for the simple reason that there is no occasion for it, since the various uses to which the Dog is put in this country by the sportsman and the dog-fancier have not been altered during the interval which has elapsed. The Third Book treats of his diseases, in which no great improvement has been effected since the publication of the Second Edition, and it is therefore printed as it then stood. It is with some considerable satisfaction that I now present to my readers my original work on The Dog brought down to the level of the present day. STONEHENGE. June 1oth, 1879. CONTENTS. —>— BOOK I. ‘THE NATURAL HISTORY, ZOOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION, AND VARIETIES OF THE DOG. INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER. Origin—General Characteristics—Habitat—Varieties—F. Cuvier’s Divi- sional Arrangement—Arrangement adopted by the Author CHAPTER I. WILD AND HALF-RECLAIMED DOGS, HUNTING IN PACKS. The Dingo—The Dhole—The Pariah—The Wild Dog of Africa—The North and South American Dog—Other Wild Dogs 4 CHAPTER IL DOMESTICATED DOGS, HUNTING CHIEFLY BY THE EYE, AND KILLING THEIR GAME FOR THE USE OF THEIR MASTERS. The Smooth English Greyhound—The Deerhound and Rough Greyhound —The Irish Greyhound or Wolf-Dog—The Gazehound—The French Matin—The Indian Hare- Dog—The Albanian Greyhound—The Grecian Greyhound—The Russian Greyhound—The Turkish Grey- hound—The Persian Greyhound—The Italian Greyhound CHAPTER III. DOMESTICATED DOGS, HUNTING BY THE NOSE, AND BOTH FINDING AND KILLING THEIR GAME; COMMONLY KNOWN SITHER AS HOUNDS OR TERRIERS. The Southern Hound—The Bloodhound—The Staghound—The Fox- hound—The Harrier—The Beagle—The Otterhound—The Great Dane—The Basset and other French Hounds—The Modern Basset Hound—The Dachshund—The Fox-Terrier (Rough and Smooth)— The Hard-Haired Scotch: Terrier—The Irish Terrier—The Welsh Terrier—The Skye Terrier—The Dandie Dinmont Terrier—The Smooth English Terriers—The Bedlington—The Halifax Blue Fawn or Yorkshire Terrier—The Airdale Terrier ‘ 3 PAGE Il 44 xii CONTENTS. CHAPTER IV. DOMESTICATED DOGS FINDING ‘THEIR GAME BY SCENT, BUT NOT KILLING IT, BEING CHIEFLY USED IN AID OF THE GUN. The Spanish Pointer—The Modern English Pointer—The Portuguese Pointer—The French Pointer—The Dalmatian—The Setter : (A) English ; (B) Irish ; (c) Black and Tan or Gordon ; (D) Welsh ; (&) Russian—The Field Spaniel : (a) The Clumber; (8) The Sussex ; (c) The..Norfolk ; (D) The Modern Cocker—The Water-Spaniel : (a) The Southern Trish (®) The Northern ; () The ei cas —The Poodle : ' CHAPTER V. PASTORAL DOGS AND THOSE USED FOR DRAUGHT. The English Sheep- Dog—The Collie : (A) Rough ; (B) Smooth —The Drover’s Dog—The German Sheep-Dog—The Pomeranian : i The Large Wolf-Dog ; (B) The Small or Spitz—The Newfoundland and Labrador: (a) The True Newfoundland ; (8B) The Landseer Newfoundland ; (c), The St. John’s or Labrador—The Esquimaux oe uae and esi ee Ras tes iia: ug .° é] ‘CHAPTER VI. wt Re op ot ; WATCHDOGS AND HOUSE-DOGS. The Bulldog—The Mastiff: (a) English; (8) Cuban—The Mount St. Bernard : (4) Rough ; (B) Smooth—The Lion-Dog—The Shock-Dog are Thibet Dog ' 5 CHAPTER. VIL TOY-DOGS. The King Charles and Blenheim Spaniels—The Maltese ae Terriers—T he Italian Greyhound—The Pug-Dog . . CHAPTER VIII. CROSSED BREEDS.: Retriever : (a) The Curly-Coated ; (B) The Wavy-Coated—Bull Terrier: —Lurcher—Dropper—Dog and Fox Cross. : ¥ PAGE 127 168 188 CONTENTS. xill BOOK IL. THE BREEDING, REARING, BREAKING, AND MANAGEMENT OF THE DOG, IN-DOORS AND OUT. é ae CHAPTER I. BREEDING. | PAGE Principles of a oe for the Breeder's Use—Crossing and Crossed Breeds—Importance of Health in both Sire and Dam—Best Age to Breed from—[n-and-in Breeding—Best Time of Year—Dura- tion of Heat—Management of the Bitch in Season—The Bitch in Whelp—Preparation for Whelping—Healthy Parturition—Destruc- tion or Choice of Whelps at Birth . . 233 CHAPTER II. REARING. Management in the Nest—Choosing—The Foster-Nurse—Feeding before Weaning—Choice of Place for Whelping—Removal of Dew-Claws, &c.— Weaning— Lodging — Feeding —Exercise—Home Rearing v. Walking—Food—General ‘Treatment—Choice of Puppies alter Weaning—Cropping, Branding, and Rounding i F : = 253 CHAPTER III. KENNELS AND KENNEL MANAGEMENT. Greyhound Kennels—Foxhound Kennels—Pointer Kennels—Kennels for Single Dogs—House-Dogs . . a . ‘ » « 271 CHAPTER IV. BREAKING AND ENTERING. The Entering of the Greyhound and Deerhound—Of Foxhounds and Harriers—Breakine the Pointer and Setter—The Retriever (Land and Water)—The Spaniel—The Vermin Dog. -- » + « 282 CHAPTER V. THE EMPLOYMENT OF THE DOG IN COURSING, HUNTING, SHOOTING, ETC. Coursing—Deerstalking—Hunting—Partridge and Grouse Shooting— Snipe-Shooting—Covert-Shooting—Wildfow]-Shooting—Ferreting :, 309 xiv CONTENTS. BOOK ITI. THE DISEASES OF THE DOG AND THEIR TREATMENT. CHAPTER I. PECULIARITIES IN THE ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY OF THE DOG, The Skeleton, including the Teeth—The Muscular System—The Brain and Nervous System—The Digestive System—The Heart and Lungs —The Skin F : . CHAPTER II. THE REMEDIES SUITED TO THE DOG, AND THE BEST MEANS OF ADMINISTERING THEM, Alteratives —Anodynes — Anti-spasmodics — A perients — Astringents— Blisters—Caustics—Charges—Cordials—Diuretics—Embrocations— Emetics — Expectorants— Fever Medicines — Clysters—Lotions— Ointments — Stomachics — Styptics —Tonics— Worm Medicines— Administration of Remedies CHAPTER III. FEVERS, AND THEIR TREATMENT. Simple Ephemeral Fever, or Cold—Epidemic Fever, or Influenza— Tyhus Fever, or Distemper—Rheumatic Fever—Small-Pox—Sym- pathetic Fever . ay CHAPTER IV. INFLAMMATIONS, Definition of Inflammation —Symptoms and Treatment of Rabies, Tetanus, and Turnside—Of Inflammation of the Eye, Ear (canker), Mouth, and Nose—Of the Lungs—Of the Stomach—Of the Bowels— Of the Liver—Of the Kidneys and Bladder—Of the Skin ‘ CHAPTER V. DISEASES ACCOMPANIED BY WANT OF POWER. Chorea—Shaking Palsy—Fits—Worms—General Dropsy or Anasarea CHAPTER VI, DISEASES ARISING FROM MISMANAGEMENT OR NEGLECT. Anemia—Rickets—Indigestion CHAPTER VII. DISEASES AND ACCIDENTS REQUIRING SURGICAL AID, ‘Tumours—Cancer—Encysted Tumours—Ahscesses—Unnatural Parturi- tion—Accidents and Operations . . .' PAGE. & we rs) 367 405 419 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. —<>__ Smooth and Rough St. Bernards, , ; ‘ ‘ Frontispiece PAGE The Wolf, from a specimen in the Zoological Gardens, ‘ 3 Skull of Dingo, =. : 8 Skull of Spaniel, ; 9 Skull of Mastiff, . : 9 ‘The Dingo (Youatt), j ee . ir Captain Daintree’s “ King Co hae 17 “Cader,” a Deerhound of the ‘pure Glengarry breed, 28 inches high, 34 = inches in girth, bred by W. Meredith, oe Tortish, Sutherland, 28 The Irish Wolfhound, x ‘ 37 The Indian Hare-Dog (Youatt), . 4" The Grecian Greyhound (Youatt), : 41 The Southern Hound (Youatt), , : ee yo a Head of the Bloodhound (Youatt), ‘ 47 “Druid,” the property of the Hon. Grantly Berkeley, ‘ 4s Hermit, ” a High-bred Modern Foxhound, 2 51 “ Grasper.” a Harrier, and “ Trueman.” a Foxhound- Harrier, 57. “ Dahlia,” a pure Foxhound, used as Harrier, . : ; 58 “Barmaid,” a Dwarf Beagle, bred by Lord Gifford, ; 61. ‘ Bellman,” an Otter-Hound ; Beales unknown, : 64 The Great Dane. : : 667 The Basset-Hound . ‘ 71 The Dachshund, . 74 The Fox- Terrier, Smooth and Rough, 80 “Peto,” a Scotch Terrier, . ‘ : 89° The, Hard-Haired Scotch Terrier, j i ; go The Irish Terrier, . ‘ 95 Skyes—Prick- Eared and Drop-Eared, ; . 10n The Dandie Dinmont Terrier, ; i : : : 104 The Manchester Terrier and the Toy, 114 “Lady,” an English Terrier, the property of the late Mr. C. Morrison : of Walham ' Green, . 115 “Tyneside,” Bedlington Terrier, the property of T. J. Pickett, N: ew- : castle-on-Tyne, 11g “ Dundreary,” Blue Fawn Terner,t the property of Mrs. Foster, Bradford. 123 The Airdale Terrier, . - 126 The Spanish Pointer, a ; » 128 “ Sancho,” a Modern English Pointer, j 131 The Dalmatian Dog, j 4 i ' ; j 137 xvi LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. The English Setter, The Irish Setter, The Black and Tan Setter, A Russian Setter slightly Crossed with English Blood, The Clumber Spaniel, ‘ “George” and “Romp,” Sussex Spaniels, the property of E. ‘Soames, Esq., of London, “. . English and Welsh Cockers, The Southern Irish Water-Spaniel, Lady Di Huddleston’s “ Mossoo,” . The English Sheep-Dog, The Collie (Youatt), The Sinooth Collie, Pomeranian or Spitz Dog, The Larger N ewfoundland Dog (Youatt) The St. John’s or Labrador Dog, ‘ The Esquimaux Dog (Youatt), . The Chow-Chow or Chinese Edible Dog The Crested Chinese Dog . The Bulldog : “ Wallace,” an English. Mastiff, the property of T. Lukey, Esq... The Cuban Mastiff (Youatt), The Mount St. Bernard Dog (Youatt), ‘The Thibet Dog (Youatt), . ; King Charles and Blenheim Spaniels, . Psyche, ” a Maltese Bitch, the property of Miss Gibbs of Morden, Italian Greyhounds, « Billy ” and “ Minnie,” “Punch” and “Letty,” Pugs, the propery of Mr. C. Morrison of Wal- - ham Green, . The Curly-Coated Retriever, Retriever (Crossed with Setter), “ Madman,” Bull-Terrier, A Dog and Fox Crosssd Bitch, the property of Mr. Hewer of Reading “ Half-and- Half,” First Cross from the Bulldog, “ Hecate,” Second Cross from the Bulldog, s Heeuba, ” Third Cross from the Bulldog, Ks Hysterics; ” Fourth Cross trom the Bulldog, Ground Plan of Greyhound Kennel, Elevation of Greyhound Kennel, Plan of Kennel Bench for Hounds, Muir’s Ventilating i aan Diagram, Puzzle- Peg for Young Do es, ee ote The Skeleton of the Dog (Youatt), Téeth of the Dog at Various Ages, The Maw-worm, » ; The Round-worm, Tape-worms, * ig 410, 41 2, 413). 169- 170 173° 176, 1787 182 1847 186 186 189 196" 201 202 206 208° 211. _ 214 216 221, 224 2257 230 239 ~ 241 242° 243, 272 273 276 278, 292 296, 346 ‘349, 409 409. THE DOG. BOOK I. THE NATURAL HISTORY, ZOOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION, AND VARIETIES OF THE DOG. lweLlt. The Wolf, from a specimen in the Zoological Gardens, INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER. Origin—General Characteristics—Habitat—Varieties—F. Cuvier’s Divisional Arrangement—Arrangement adopted by the Author. From the earliest times we have reason to believe that the dog has been the faithful companion and assistant of man in all parts of the world, and his fidelity and attachment are so remarkable as to have become proverbial. Before the introduction of agriculture, it was by means of the hunting powers of this animal that man was enabled to support himself by pursuing the wild denizens of the forest ; for though now, with the aid of gunpowder, he can in great measure dispense with the services of his assistant, yet, until the invention of that destructive agent, he was, in default of the dog, reduced to the bow and arrow, the snare, or the pitfall, The dog 4 INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER. was also of incalculable service in guarding the flocks and herds from the depredations of the Carnivora, and even man himself was often glad to have recoursé’to his courage and strength in resist- ing the lion, the tiger, or the wolf. Much has been written on the origin of the dog, and Pennant, Buffon, and other naturalists, have exhausted their powers of re- search and invention in attempting to discover the parent stock from which all are descended. The subject, however, is wrapped in so much obscurity as to baffle all their efforts, and it is still a disputed point whether the shepherd’s dog, as supposed by Buffon and Daniel, or the wolf, as conjectured by Bell, is the progenitor of the various breeds now existing. Anyhow, itis a most unprofit- able speculation, and, being unsupported by proof of any kind, it can never be settled upon any reliable basis. We shall not, there- fore, waste any space in entering upon this discussion, but leave our readers to investigate the inquiry, if they think fit, in the pages of Butfon, Linnzus,; Pennant, and Cuvier, and our most recent investigator, Professor Bell. It may, however, be observed" that the old hypothesis of Pennant, that the dog is only a domesticated jackal, crossed with the wolf or fox, though resuscitated by Mr. Bell, is now almost entirely exploded; for while it accounts some- what ingeniously for the varieties which are met with, yet it is contradicted by the stubborn fact that, in the present day, the cross of the dog with either of these animals, if produced, is incap- able of continuing the species when paired with one of the same cross. breed. Nevertheless, it may be desirable to give Mr. Bell’s reasons for thinking that the dog is descended from the wolf, which are as follows :— “In order to come to any rational conclusion on this head, it will be necessary to ascertain to what type the animal approaches most nearly, after having for many successive generations existed in a wild state, removed from the influence of domestication and of association with mankind. Now we find that there are several different instances of the existence in dogs of such a state of wild- ness as to have lost even that common character of domestication, variety of colour and marking. Of these, two very remarkable ones are the dhole of India and the dingo of Australia. There is, besides, a half-reclaimed race amongst the Indians of North ‘America, ORIGIN OF THE DOG. 5 and another also partially tamed in South America, which deserve attention. And it is found that these races, in different degrees, and in a greater degree as they are more wild, exhibit the lank and gaunt form, the lengthened limbs, the long and slender muzzle, and the great comparative strength which characterise the wolf; and that the tail of the Australian dog, which may be considered as the most remote from a state of domestication, assumes the slightly bushy form of that animal. ‘“We have here a remarkable approximation to a well-known wild animal of the same genus, in races which, though doubtless descended from domesticated ancestors, have gradually assumed the wild condition ; and it is worthy of especial remark that the anatomy of the wolf, and its osteology in particular, does not differ from that of the dog in general, more than the different kinds of dogs do from each other. The cranium is absolutely similar, and so are all, or nearly all, the other essential parts; and, to strengthen still further the probability of their identity, the dog and wolf will readily breed together, and their progeny is fertile. The obliquity of the position of the eyes in the wolf is one of the characters in which it differs from the dog; and although it is very desirable not to rest tco much upon the effects of habit on structure, it is not perhaps straining the point to attribute the forward direction of the eyes in the dog to the constant habit, for many successive genera- tions, of looking forward to his master, and obeying his voice.” * Such is the state of the argument in favour of the original descent. from the wolf, but, as far as it is founded upon the breed- ing together of the wolf and dog, it applies also to the fox, which is now ascertained occasionally to be impregnated by the dog; but in neither.case, we believe, does the progeny continue to be fertile if put to one of the same cross, and as this is now ascertained to be the only reliable test, the existence of the first cross stands for nothing. Indeed, experience shows us more and more clearly every year, that no reliance can be placed upon the test depending upon fertile intercommunion, which, especially in birds, is shown to be liable to various exceptions. Still it has been supported by respectable authorities, and for this reason we have given insertion to the above extract. * Bell’s British Quadrupeds, pp. 196, 197. 6 INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER. GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS. In every variety the dog is more or less endowed with a keen sight, strong powers of smell, sagacity almost amounting to reason, and considerable speed, so that he is admirably adapted for all purposes connected with the pursuit of game. He is also furnished with strong teeth, and courage enough to use them in defence of his master, and with muscular power sufficient to enable him to draw moderate weights, as we see in Kamtschatka and Newfoundland. Hence, among the old writers, dogs were divided into Pugnaces, Sagaces, and Celeres ; but this arrangement is now superseded, various other systems having been adopted in modern times, though none perhaps much more satisfactory. Belonging to the division Vertebrata, class Mammalia, order Fere, family Felide, and sub-family Canina, the species is known as Canis familiaris, the sub-family being distinguished by having two tubercular teeth behind the canines on the upper jaw, with non- retractile claws, while the dog itself differs from the fox with which he is grouped in having a round pupil in the eye instead of a perpendicular slit, as is seen in that animal. The attempt made by Linnzus to distinguish the dog as having a tail curved to the left is evidently without any reliable founda- tion, as, though there are far more with the tail on that side than on the right, yet many exceptions are to be met with, and among the pugs almost all the bitches wear their tails curled to the left. The definition, therefore, of Canis familiaris caudd (sinistrorsum) recurvatd, will not serve to separate the species from the others of the genus Canis, as proposed by the Swedish naturalist. HABITAT. In almost every climate the dog is to be met with, from Kam- tschatka to Cape Horn, the chief exception being some of the islands in the Pacific Ocean; but it is only in the temperate zone that he is to be found in perfection, the courage of the bulldog and the speed of the greyhound soon degenerating in tropical countries. In China and the Society Islands dogs are eaten, VARIETIES OF THE DOG., 7 being considered great delicacies, and by the ancients the flesh of a young fat dog was highly prized, Hippocrates even describing that of an adult as wholesome and nourishing. In a state of nature the dog is compelled to live on flesh, which he obtains by hunting, and hence he is classed among the Carnivora ; but when domesticated he will live upon vegetable substances alone, such as oatmeal porridge, or bread made from any of the cereals, but thrives best upon a mixed diet of vegetable and animal substances ; and, indeed, the formation of his teeth is such as to lead us to suppose that by nature he is intended for it, as we shall hereafter find in discussing his anatomical structure. VARIETIES OF THE DOG. The varieties of the dog are extremely numerous, and, indeed, as they are apparently produced by crossing, which is still had recourse to, there is scarcely any limit to the numbers which may be described. It is a curious fact that large bitches frequently take a fancy to dogs so small as to be incapable of breeding with them ; and in any case, if left to themselves, the chances are very great against their selecting mates of the same breed as them- selves. The result is, that innumerable nondescripts are yearly born, but as a certain number of breeds are described by writers on the dog or defined by “ dog-fanciers,” these “mongrels,” as they are called from not beloriging to them, are generally despised, and, however useful they may be, the breed is not continued. This, however, is not literally true, exceptions being made in favour of certain sorts which have been improved by admixture with others, such as the cross of the bulldog with the greyhound, the foxhound with the Spanish pointer, the bulldog with the terrier, &c., &c., all of which are now recognised and admitted into the list of valuable breeds, and not only are not considered mongrels, but, on the contrary, are prized above the original strains from which they are descended. An attempt has been made by M. F. Cuvier to arrange these varieties under three primary divisions, which are founded upon the shape of the head and the length of the jaws; these being supposed by him to vary in accordance with the degree of cunning and scenting powers 8 INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER. which the animal possessing them displays. The following is his classification, which in the main is correct, and I shall adhere to it with trifling alterations in the pages of this book. FF, Cuvier's Divisional Arrangement. L—MATINS. Characterised by head more or less elongated ; parietal bones insensibly approaching each other; condyles of the lower jaw placed in a horizontal line, with the upper molar teeth, exempli- fied by— Skull of Dingo. Sect. 1. Half-reclaimed dogs, hunting in packs; such as the dingo, the dhole, the pariah, &c. Sect 2. Domesticated dogs, hunting in packs, or singly, but using the eye in preference to the nose; as, for instance, the Albanian dog, deerhound, &c. SEcT. 3. Domesticated dogs, which hunt singly, and almost en- tirely by the eye. Example: the greyhound. IL—SPANIELS. Characteristics.—Head moderately elongated ; parietal bones do not approach each other above the temples, but diverge and swell out, so as to enlarge the forehead and cavity of the brain. Sect. 4. Pastoral dogs, or such as are employed for domestic purposes. Example: shepherd’s dog. Sect. 5. Water dogs, which delight in swimming, Examples: Newfoundland dog, water-spaniel, &c. DIVISIONAL ARRANGEMENT OF DOGS. 9 Sect. 6. Fowlers, or such as have an inclination to chase or point ‘birds by scenting only, and not killing. Examples: the setter, the pointer, the field-spaniel, &c. Skull of Spaniel. Sect. 7. Hounds, which hunt in packs by scent, and kill their game. Examples: the foxhound, the harrier, &c. Sect. 8. Crossed breeds, for sporting purposes. Example: the retriever. , IIT.—HOUSE DOGS... ‘Characteristics.—Muzzle more or less shortened; skull high; frontal sinuses considerable; condyle of the lower jaw extending above the line of the upper cheek teeth. Cranium smaller in this group than in the first and second, in consequence of its peculiar formation. Skull of Mastiff. Sect. 9. Watch dogs, which have no propensity to hunt, but are solely employed in the defence of man or his property. Examples : the mastiff, the bulldog, the pug dog, é&c. Io INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER. As before remarked, this division is on the whole founded on natural laws, but there are some anomalies which we shall en- deavour to remove. For instance, the greyhound is quite as ready to hunt in packs as any other hound, and is only prevented from doing so by the hand of his master. The same restraint keeps him from using his nose, or he could soon be nearly as good with that organ as with the eye. So also Cuvier defines his sixth section as “having an inclination to chase and point birds,” whereas they have as great, and often a greater, desire for hares and rabits. Bearing, therefore, in mind these trifling defects, we shall consider the dog under the following heads :— Cuap. I, Wild and half-reclaimed dogs, hunting in packs. Cuap. II. Domesticated dogs, hunting chiefly by the eye, and killing their game for the use of man. Cuap. III. Domesticated dogs, hunting chiefly by the nose, and both finding and killing their game. Cuar. IV. Domesticated dogs, finding game by scent, but not killing it; being chiefly used in aid of the gun. Cuar. V. Pastoral dogs, and those used for the purposes of draught. Cuar. VI. Watch dogs, house dogs, and toy dogs. Car. VII. Crossed breeds, retrievers, &c. The Dingo (Youatt). CHAPTER I. WILD AND HALF-RECLAIMED DOGS, HUNTING IN PACKS. 1. The Dingo—2, The Dhole—3. The Pariah—4. The Wild Dog of Africa— 5. The North and South American Dog—6, Other Wild Dogs. I.—THE DINGO. Ir is upon the great similarity between these wild dogs and the wolf or fox that the supposition is founded of the general descent of the domesticated dog from either the one or the other. After examining the portrait of the dingo, it will at once be seen that it resembles the fox so closely in the shape of its body, that an ordinary observer could readily mistake it for one of that species, while the head is that of the wolf. The muzzle is long and 12 WILD AND HALF-RECLAIMED DOGS. pointed, the ears short and erect. Height about 24 inches, length 30 inches. His coat is more like fur than hair, and is composed of a mixture of silky and woolly hair, the former being of a deep yellow, while the latter is grey. The tail is long and bushy, and resembles that of the fox, excepting in carriage, the dingo curling it over the hip, while the fox trails it along the ground.* While in his unreclaimed state this dog is savage and unmanageable, but is easily tamed, though even then he is not to be trusted, and when set at liberty will endeavour to escape. Many dingoes have been brought to this country, and some of its crosses with the terrier have been exhibited as hybrids between the dog and fox, which latter animal they closely resemble, with the single excep- tion of the pendulous tail. Whenever, therefore, a specimen is prodtced which is said to be this hybrid, every care must be taken to ascertain the real parentage without relying upon the looks alone. Il—THE DHOLE. The native wild dog of India, called the dhole, resembles the dingo in all but the tail, which, though hairy, is not at all bushy. The following is Captain Williamson’s description, extracted from his “Oriental Field Sports,” which is admitted to be a very accurate account by those who have been much in India :—‘ The dholes are of the size of a small greyhound. Their countenance is enlivened by unusually brilliant eyes. Their body, which is, slender and deep-chested, is thinly covered by a coat of hair of a reddish_brown or grey colour. The tail is dark towards its ex- tremity. ‘The limbs are light, compact, and strong, and equally calculated for speed and power. ‘They resemble many of the common pariah dogs in form, but the singularity of their colour and marks at once demonstrate an evident distinction. These dogs are said to be perfectly harmless if unmolested. They do not willingly approach persons, but, if they chance to meet any in their course, they do not show any particular anxiety to escape. They view the haman race rather as objects of curiosity than either of apprehension or enmity. The natives who reside near * The engraving of the dingo was taken from an animal in confinement, in which state the tail is seldom curled upwards. ‘ THE PARIAH. 13 the Ranochitty and Katcunsandy passes, in which vicinity the dholes may frequently be seen, describe them as confining their attacks entirely to wild animals, and assert that théy will not prey on sheep, goats, &c.; but others, in the country extending south- ward from Jelinah and Mechungunge, maintain that cattle are frequently lost by their depredations. I am inclined to believe that the dhole is not particularly ceremonious, but will, when opportunity offers and a meal is wanting, obtain it at the expense of the neighbouring village. The peasants likewise state that the dhole is eager in proportion to the animal he hunts, preferring the elk to any other kind of deer, and particularly seeking the royal tiger. It is probable that the dhole is the principal check on the multiplication of the tiger; and although incapable individually, or perhaps in small numbers, to effect the destruction of so large and ferocious an animal, may, from their custom of hunting in packs, easily overcome any smaller beast found in the wilds of India.” Unlike most dogs which hunt in packs, the dholes run nearly mute, uttering only occasionally a slight whimper, which may serve to guide their companions equally well with the more sonorous tongues of other hounds. The speed and endurance of these dogs are so great as to enable them to run down most of the varieties of game which depend upon flight for safety, while the tiger, the elk, and the boar diminish the numbers of these animals by making an obstinate defence with their teeth, claws, or horns, so that the breed of dholes is not on the increase. IIL—THE PARIAH. This is the general name in India for the half-reclaimed. dogs which swarm in every village, owned by no one in particular, but ready to accompany any individual on a hunting excursion. They vary in appearance in different districts, and cannot be described very particularly; but the type of the pariah may be said to resemble the dhole in general characteristics, and the breed is most probably a cross with that dog and any accidental varieties of domesticated dogs which may have been introduced into the respective localities. They are almost always of a reddish brown 14 WILD AND HALF-RECLAIMED DOGS. eolour, very thin and gaunt, with pricked ears, deep chest, and tucked-up belly. The native Indians hunt the tiger and wild boar, as well as every species of game, with these dogs, which _ have good noses and hunt well; and though they are not so high- couraged as our British hounds, yet they often display considerable avidity and determination in “going in” to their formidable opponents. IV._THE EKIA, OR WILD AFRICAN DOG. The native dogs of Africa are of all colours, black, brown, and yellow, or red; and they hunt in packs, giving tongue with con- siderable force. Though not exactly wild, they are not owned by any individuals among the inhabitants, who, being mostly Mahometans, have an ahhorrence of the dog, which by the Koran is declared to be unclean. Hence they are complete outcasts, and obtain a scanty living either by hunting wild animals where they abound, or, in those populous districts where game is scarce, by devouring the offal which is left in the streets and outskirts of the towns. The kia, also called the Dead, is of considerable size, with a large head, small pricked ears, ‘and round muzzle. His aspect in general sosambles that of the wolf, excepting in colour, which, as above remarked, varies greatly, and i in the tail, which is almost always spotted or variegated. These dogs are extremely savage, probably from the constant abuse which they meet with, and they are always ready to attack a stranger on his entrance into any of the villages of the country. They are revolting animals, and unworthy of the species they belong to, V.—THE NORTH AND SOUTH AMERICAN DOGS, A great variety of the dog tribe is to be met with throughout the continent of America, resembling in type the dingo of Australia, but appearing to be crossed with some of the different kinds intro- duced by Europeans. One of the most remarkable of the South American dogs is the Alco, which has pendulous ears, with a short tail and hog-back, and is supposed to be descended from the native dog found by Columbus; but, even allowing this to be the case, it OTHER WILD DOGS, 15 is of course much intermixed with foreign breeds. The North American dogs are very closely allied to the dingo in all respects, but are generally smaller in size, and are also much crossed with European breeds. In some districts they burrow in the ground, but the march of civilisation is yearly diminishing their numbers throughout the continent of America. VI.—OTHER WILD DOGS. Many other varieties of the wild dog are described by travellers, but they al] resemble one or other of the above kinds, and are of little interest to the general reader. ( 16.) CHAPTER II. DOMESTICATED DOGS, HUNTING CHIEFLY BY THE EYE, AND KILLING THEIR GAME FOR THE USE OF THEIR MASTERS. 1. The Smooth English Greyhound—z. The Deerhound and Rough Grey- hound—3. The Irish Greyhound or Wolf-Dog—4. The Gazehound—s. The French Matin—6. The Hare-Indian Dog—7. The Albanian Grey- hound—8. The Grecian Greyhound—g. The Russian Greyhound—tro. The Turkish Greyhound—11. The Persian Greyhound—12. The Italian Greyhound. I.—THE SMOOTH ENGLISH GREYHOUND. i Tuis beautiful animal is by many considered to be the original of all our domestic breeds, dividing that honour with the bulldog and mastiff. The authorities for these theories are chiefly founded on ancient statues and paintings, aided by written descriptions. At all events, the greyhound of these islands can be traced to the time of King Canute, who confined his use to the nobility by statute. Buffon considers him to be identical with the French matin, and very probably there was little difference between the two breeds; but we possess no reliable painting or statue of either of a very early date, and a written description will seldom serve to identify a species, while a definition of the variety is generally wholly beyond its powers. For these reasons, therefore, I shall not attempt to go into the history of the greyhound, nor shall I claim for it any greater antiquity than justly belongs to the bull- dog, the mastiff, the terrier, or the turnspit. Until the passing of the present game-laws, the use of the grey- hound in coursing the hare was confined in England to the class who could qualify for that purpose by the possession of £100 a year in land; and meetings for that purpose were held only at Swaffham, Lowth, and Ashdown, where clubs were formed, con- THE SMOOTH ENGLISH GREYHOUND. 17 sisting of a limited number of noblemen and county gentlemen. Between 1840 and 1850, however, the public at large began to think themselves entitled to share in the sport, many tenant: farmers and professional men, without possessing the fee-simple of a single acre, beginning to keep-and use the greyhound. Gradually coursing has become more and more general and popu- iy it | oh : : i a i Captain Daintree’s “ Kine Cos.” lar, and, in the present day, wherever there is an area of tolerably level country suited to the preservation and coursing of hares, meetings are instituted, either for the use of the public in general, or for clubs, which almost in all cases are open to all classes of good sportsmen. As a consequence, fully five thousand greyhounds are B 18 DOMESTICATED DOGS, now kept in the United Kingdom, independently of the rising generation of saplings, which is almost as numerous. This in- crease of the popularity of coursing is due—(1) to the small cost of keeping the greyhound in comparison with that of the racehorse; (2) to the love of competition which is inherent in the “ Britisher;” (3) to the modern style of farming, which, by throwing number- less small fields into large ones, and abolishing high “ridge and furrows,” has facilitated the pursuit of the hare in proportion to the retrogression in the elements necessary for partridge shooting. The result is, that in almost all districts even those tenant farmers who are forbidden to shoot are allowed to course, but generally they avail themselves of this permission not to kill the hares for direct “currant jelly” objects, but to afford practice in private for the greyhounds, which require it before being submitted to the eye of the public coursing judge. No one who enters keenly into the rivalry existing at Newmarket, Altcar, or Ashdown will condescend to attend a “private day,” but will gladly kill a few hares when he is getting his dogs ready for either of these meetings or their less fashionable rivals; and hence, though there is some little difference between the public and the private greyhound, I shall mainly confine my description to the former. The Public Greyhound, then, should combine a frame capable of giving the highest degree of speed which is consistent with the form to “stay a course,” and with the capability of stopping this speed sufficiently quickly to follow the turns of the hare without too great a loss of ground. These three qualities must be com- bined in the dog to obtain success, for if any one is absolutely absent, or even proportionately so as compared with the best average, the chance of winning the series of courses necessary to get through a stake is extremely small. Beyond these qualities, to the possession of which the shape of each individual is to a great extent a reliable guide, there must also be an inherent ner- vous or mental power which shall give the desire to display them. These nervous qualities are, without doubt, to a limited extent dependent on the size of certain parts of the brain; but we are not, I think, in possession of sufficient data to lay down laws with reference to these organs, and in practice we must be content with apportioning a smaller value to the form and shape of the head THE SMOOTH ENGLISH GREYHOUND, 19 than it deserves from theoretical principles. Undoubtedly a bad shape is more likely to succeed, in competition with an average dog, when combined with a highly organised brain and a deter- mined will, than the very best form of propelling powers if there is no desire accompanying them to lay these powers out. But practically no one can with certainty foretell from the examina- tion of the head whether or not, in any particular instance, its possession will develop a strong will or not; and consequently it is idle to lay too great a stress upon that which cannot be defined with exactitude. The following points are therefore laid down on the above basis :— VALUE VALUE Head, : é 10 Hind-quarters and legs, . 20 Neck, ; : : : 10 Feet, ge hae . 15 Chest, shoulders, an forelegs, 20 Tail, : é ‘ ‘ 5 Loin, side, and back ribs, . 15 | Colour and coat, : : 5 | Total, . - 100 The head should be wide between the ears, measuring in a full- sized dog 144 inches in circumference between the eyes and ears. It is generally described as snake-like, that is to say, it should be broad and flat, not arched or domed, as is the case with many other breeds. Many of the old-fashioned strains had very narrow heads, but either the cross with the bulldog or the selection of wide- headed sires and dams has led to the general possession of wide heads by the best strains of modern times. As a consequence, great determination and cleverness are displayed, and the puppy now is often at his best before the end of his first season, whereas in olden times-it was often two or three years before the old- fashioned dog could be relied on either for working or killing powers. Those celebrated bitches ‘ Mocking Bird” and “ Cerito” were useless in their first seasons, but such an occurrence is now very rare, and at the end of half a dozen courses the young grey- hound is as clever in turning and killing as he ever will be. This is especially the case with the bitch puppy, who is generally at her best some months before her brother of the same litter. The jaws should be long and lean, tapering to a point, and of even length, neither “pig-jawed” nor underhung. Good strong teeth, 20 DOMESTICATED DOGS. meeting level together, are also to be desired. As to the eye, it should be keen, bright, and of moderate size, the colour varying according to that of the coat. The ears are now always falling, small in size, thin and soft in texture. Formerly several good strains were noted for prick ears, but such a formation is now extremely rare, and as no fashionable strain exhibits it, breeders ignore it altogether. The last strain of note in which the prick ear was shown was that of Dr. Brown, the celebrated Scotch owner of “ Heather Jock,” “ Rufus,” &c. The neck, like the head, has been compared to that of another animal, but here a bird was selected, the choice falling on the long, smooth, and rounded neck of the drake. The resemblance is not very striking, as the greyhound never displays anything approaching to such a formation; and, indeed, with the exception of the camelopard, there is no well-known quadruped whose neck is at all like that of the drake. Very little, therefore, is learnt by this simile; and all that can be said is, that in a well-formed grey- hound the neck should be long, thin, and rounded towards its junction with the head, as compared with tts fellows ; but to expect in reality a drake’s neck is out of the question. The length should be as nearly as may be the same as that of the head, but it is difficult to measure either to half an inch; two persons seldom agree as to the exact point of demarcation between the head and neck, and there is still greater difficulty in defining the point of junction of the neck with the shoulders. The chest, shoulders, and forelegs must be considered together, as they are all dependent on one another for their respective actions. The chest must have a sufficient volume to contain the lungs and heart in full development, since these organs are required for staying power; but this volume must be obtained in depth rather than in width, because a very wide chest impedes the play of the shoulders on the thereby necessarily rounded ribs, and makes the gallop short, and the power of turning limited and slow. Hence the breeder selects his sires and dams with the chest of this forma- tion, that is to say, moderately wide and deep, without being so keel-shaped as to strike any slightly prominent part of the ground, such ag a large stone or heavy, rounded, and hard clod of earth. The shoulder, arm, and leg constitute what is called the Jore- THE SMOOTH ENGLISH GREYHOUND. 21 quarter, and it will be found that these generally go together in shape. ‘Thus, if the shoulder-blade is long and placed obliquely (or at an angle of 45 degrees with the ground), the true arm is also long and slanting, and the lower arm of average length. ‘This is the desired shape, combined with the middle position of the elbow, that is to say, neither turned in nor out; and with this shape it ' may be expected that the forelegs will be well thrust forward in the gallop, and the shoulder-blade will play freely on the ribs, not being confined by an inturned elbow, while an elbow turned out is almost as bad, by leading to a weak support during the time that the hind-legs are brought forward, and to a scrambling action in consequence of this defect. A greyhound “ tied at the elbow,” as the former malformation is technically named, is almost invari- ably useless, and is to be carefully avoided, as indeed is one with an out-turned elbow, but the latter is most frequently the result of muscular rheumatism, and is not often congenital, as is the case with the former. Let the courser, therefore, be careful to choose his greyhound with long oblique shoulder-blades, well clothed with muscle, but not too heavily so, and with long true or upper arms; this combination ensuring that the joint of the shoulder shall be high and prominent, though not abnormally so. Then, again, let him see that the elbows are so set as to work in a plane parallel with that of the whole body, and that the lower (or fore) arm is long, strong in bone, and well clothed with muscle. The knee answers to the wrist of man, and should be wide and deep, that is to say, of full size, without being enlarged by disease, as is often seen in rickety puppies. Lastly, the pastern bones should be short and strong, not quite so large as the knees, but very nearly so. This is a point of the greatest importance, as the small and weak pastern very often gives way in a severe turn. Many coursers require this joint to be nearly or quite upright, but this is, I think, a mistake, for there is then a want of elasticity, which increases the risk of accident, and a slight departure for- wards from the straight line of the arm is the desirable formation of the pastern, in my judgment. The loin, side, and back ribs consist of the bony frame com- pounded of the vertebree and the vertebral ends of the ribs, together with the muscles attached to them, constituting a more or less 22 DOMESTICATED DOGS. square mass, which has been compared to a beam, supported on sides very slightly rounded outwardly, or nearly flat like the bream. These two comparisons with other objects in nature are more correct than those to which J have already alluded, because the old- fashioned beam-like back, now very seldom seen, is really almost as if cut out of wood, so square and straight are the edges. With- out doubt this beam-like back gives enormous strength, and when coursing was generally carried on in enclosed districts with high hedges, such a back was required for the enormous jumps which were often required to be cleared. Now-a-days, however, even when a fence does intervene, it is so low as almost to be taken in the dog’s stride; and if the back is strong enough to give and maintain high speed on the flat, all the muscles beyond the amount necessary for that strength is so much dead weight, while experi- ence tells the courser that the extra bulk interferes with rather than encourages great pace. With the solitary exception of “The Czar,” son of “Foremost,” and of a daughter of his owned by myself, I never saw great speed combined with a really beam- like back, but the combination in them was so marked as to show that the two may co-exist. Still the above cases must be regarded as exceptional, and the courser should in preference select a moder- ately wide and beam-like back, in which the muscles of the loin are strongly attached to the ribs above the shoulders, showing a prominent edge at the junction with the side. A very slight arch in the loin is, I think, to be desired, rather than a perfectly straight back, which again causes a departure from the type of the beam. As to the side, no comparison can be more true than that with the bream, which exactly resembles the amount of convexity required. The back ribs are only wanted to be deep for constitutional reasons, and regardless of locomotive purposes, for they are always deep enough for the attachment of muscles. It is, however, found by experience that a dog of any kind—and indeed a horse also— with short back ribs is almost always delicate in constitution, and hence deep back ribs are demanded in both of these animals, and with excellent reason. The hind-quarters consist of the upper or true thigh, the lower thigh, connected together by the stifle-joint, the mass of muscle known as the quarter or buttock, the hock-joint, and the leg. THE SMOOTH ENGLISH GREYHOUND. 23 Between the hind-quarters and the loin are the hips or “ couples,” and these in fact constitute the posterior attachment of the muscles of the loins, whose volume is in great measure determined by the width of the hips. For this reason wide ragged hips are to be desired, and especially in the dog, whose body, being heavier alto- gether than that of the bitch, must have proportionately stronger propellers. A slight fall from the top of the hip to the haunch- bone on each side of the tail is, I think, the most desirable line of formation. Proceeding with our examination of the hind-quarters, we find that for high speed there must be an increase of length in the upper and lower thighs beyond the average, constituting what is called “well-bent hind-legs;” but.not only must this shape exist, but the stifle-joints must also be set widely apart, or the hind-legs cannot be thrust forward in the gallop, which will be consequently weak and scrambling. “King Cob,” whose portrait illustrates this breed, was remarkable for the possession of widely- spread stifles, and his grandson, “ Bedlamite,” possessed them in a still higher degree. To this probably was owing the extraordinary combination of working power and high speed possessed by “ King Cob” and “ Bedlamite,” notably the latter, and most of their descendants; while “ Figaro,” son of “ King Cob,” and “ Jacobite,” son of “ Bedlamite,” in whom the stifles were not so widely set, both displayed even greater speed, but their working powers were so limited that they ran out many yards at every turn. After insisting on the length of the thighs, both upper (or true) and lower, the next thing is to see that they are well clothed with muscle; but in the upper thigh-bone, the mass covering the bone, and called the quarter or buttock, is often too bulky, leading to a dull, heavy style of gallop, and as a consequence to low compara- tive speed. This mass should naturally be wiry and firm rather than soft and spongy, though even this quality may be exaggerated by over-training; for a very hard, unyielding quarter is often an indication of the trained dog being ‘‘ overworked.” But the lower thigh can scarcely be too muscular, and this point should be care- fully examined by the connoisseur. The hocks, again, should be long and strong. They should be set and move in the same plane ag the elbows, and should be nearly but not quite upright. Great length of hock is by no means conducive to a very high speed, but 24 DOMESTICATED DOGS. it enables its possessor to maintain a high rate for a longer time than a short hock will allow. The leg or part between the hock and foot, sometimes called the pastern, should be large in bone and sinew, and following the line of the back very slightly out of the perpendicular. I need scarcely remark that the hind-quarter is the chief propelling power, but it is greatly assisted by the loin in the stroke which it gives, the two together being really almost equally engaged in the thrust of the body forward, which is the essential feature in propulsion. The feet are all equally important to propulsion, for if there are any of them defective, so as to give pain to their possessors, slight though it may be, during the gallop, the muscular powers are not duly exerted, even if that pain does not amount to the extent necessary to produce actual lameness. Before the time of training and actual coursing, the feet seldom are called on sufficiently to test their capabilities in this direction, but as soon as work begins and is carried to the required extent, the thin sole wears away and the dog becomes footsore. Hence the first desideratum is a hard horny covering to the pads and stopper, which latter should also be strongly connected to the back of the pastern, or it will be torn away during the turns, in which it greatly assists by grasping the earth. On this point, therefore, there is a full agreement among greyhound breeders, but on the exact shape of the foot most desirable there is a considerable difference of opinion, The question is, whether a cat-like foot with the toes well arched, and a set of pads arranged almost in a circle, as in the cat, is to be aimed at, or a more oval formation, with the toes less arched, such as exists in the hare. Most coursers prefer the former, but a long experi- ence leads me to think that they have often carried their desires in this direction too far, and that a foot supported almost entirely on the toes will break down sooner than one in which the central pad takes its due share of weight. Anything, however, is better than a flat, widely sprawling foot, such as generally is met with in puppies reared without a proper amount of liberty and its accom- panying exercise. The tad in @ well-bred greyhound is even more thin, taper, and bony than that of the rat, to which it is compared in the old rhyme. It should be large at the root, then suddenly tapering for THE SMOOTH ENGLISH GREYHOUND. 25 an inch or two till it attains the size of a large thumb, after which it should gradually be reduced till it becomes as small as an average little finger. In its whole length it should be covered with short hair, so as to show no fringe whatever. It should fall close to the quarters for three-quarters of its length, after which it turns away from them and curves more or less upwards, sometimes forming a full circle, but generally less than three-fourths. These points are only regarded as indications of a good breed. The colour and coat are of so little importance as to be together only valued as equal to the tail, which is a higher indication of breeding than either of those points now under consideration. Whole colours are generally preferred, as being more pleasing to the eye, and not interfering with the apparent shape ; but the pre- ference is seldom to such an extent as to cause the rejection of a well- made puppy because of its markings. In the present day, white, more or less marked with black or blue, is very often met with on account of the successes of Mr. Campbell’s “ Scotland Yet,” which celebrated bitch produced ‘“Canaradzo,” “Sea Foam,” and “Sea Pink,” and was grandam of “ King Death,” all white, or very nearly so, besides in a more remote degree scores of other winners of a similar colour. Jor many years previously the prevailing colours were black, red, fawn, brindled or blue, with a small admixture of white, but since then the last-named colour has taken its full share of the honours of each year. Brindle is, however, somewhat at a discount, in spite of the successes of “ Patent” (a celebrated brindled sire) and his descendants; but still no one dreams of dis- carding a brindled puppy from his kennel simply for his colour. It has sometimes been alleged that the brindled greyhound owes his colour to a descent from the bulldog, but there is not the slightest reason for this opinion; indeed, the reverse is rather to be held, since in those cases where a bulldog cross is known to have been used, as in Sir James Boswell’s “Jason,” Mr. Loder’s “Czar,” and Mr. Hanley’s dogs, which are fully described in Book II., Chapter I., under ‘“ Crossed Breeds,” the brindled colour very rarely has appeared. With regard to coat, a very high breed is evidenced by its shortness and silkiness of coat, and also by its total absence in the under parts; but these qualities are generally combined with softness and delicacy of constitution, and I regard 26 DOMESTICATED DOGS. with suspicion on that account their presence to any remarkable extent, preferring a moderately hard but short coat, generally diffused over the whole body except the belly, and protecting it from wet and cold. Having now considered in detail the formation of every part of the body, it may impress their peculiar shapes upon the mind of the tyro if the old doggerel rhymes of the fifteenth century’s date are once more quoted, subject to the modification which I have already suggested— “The head of a snake, The neck of a drake, A back like a beam, A side like a bream, The tail of a rat, And the foot of a cat.” Up to within the last thirty years each coursing district had its peculiar breed of greyhounds, best suited to the country over which it was used. Thus the Newmarket country required a fast and yet stout greyhound to run over its flats, great part of which was arable land, with coverts two or three miles apart. The undulating downs of Wiltshire and Berkshire, again, being almost entirely of grass, allowed a smaller and somewhat slower dog to succeed better than a larger and faster one over plough, which could not get up the severe slopes of Beacon Hill at Amesbury, or even the lower ones constantly met with at Ashdown, from Compton Bottom and other spots favoured in the memory of the courser. In Lancashire, again, the courses until lately were seldom severe, partly from the nature of the food of the hares, and partly from the short distance to covert. But now-a-days all this is altered, and a two or three mile course may be reckoned on at Altcar or Southport almost as certainly as at Ashdown or Newmarket, partly from the better feeding of the hares and partly from the introduction of fresh blood through the hares of the latter counties. As a consequence of these changes, and of the facilities afforded by the railways to the breeders of all parts of the country, such an interchange of these breeds has taken place that there is really no locality in which a strain peculiar to itself can be said to exist. Whether we take “Master M‘Grath,” as representing THE SMOOTH ENGLISH GREYHOUND. 27 Ireland, “‘ Coomassie,” as the best Newmarket winner, or “Cana- radzo” and “ King Death,” as the most successful from Scotland and the North of England, all are alike combinations of two or more different strains. The last-named are, it is true, only made up of two distinct strains, namely, the Lancashire in “ Beacon” and the Scotch in “Scotland Yet,” but the others are compounded of a much greater variety, chiefly, however, traceable to “ King Cob,” who was of true Newmarket and Bedfordshire blood. In making his choice, the young courser may, therefore, entirely dis- regard all but the individual greyhound from which his selections take their descent. Since the passing of the Ground Game Act hares have become so scarce in many of the old countries used for public coursing that a new plan has been adopted in order to keep these meetings up. This consists in enclosing by a hare- proof fence two or more hundred acres of grass, and supplying this area with hares bred in districts where coursing cannot be, or is not, carried on. This has encouraged the breeding of a very fast yet clever greyhound, generally descended in many lines from “King Cob,” and in almost or quite as many from Scotch and. Lancashire strains united in the late Mr. J. Campbell’s kennel, by the union of Mr. Borron’s “ Bluelight” with his “Scotland Yet,” of nearly pure Scotch blood. No modern dog has, however, pre- sented this union to a greater extent than “Master M‘Grath,” who had three lines of “ King Cob” united with about equal pro- portions of the Scotch and Lancashire strains. Most of the win- ning dogs at these enclosed meetings are descended from “Cardinal York,” a great grandson of “King Cob,” combined with similar strains to those united to form “Master M‘Grath.” They have come chiefly through “Bab at the Bowster,’ descended from “ Canaradzo,” one of Mr. Campbell’s best dogs—to produce “ Bed- fellow,” “ Misterton,” “ Ptarmigan,” ‘Marshal MacMahon,” and “ Bothel Park.” Whether or no these dogs would have been able to compete with success in a more severe country cannot be settled, but there is, no doubt that the fast Lancashire and Scotch strains of the members of the Altcar Club were able to hold their own at Amesbury and Ashdown twenty-five years ago, and there- fore it may be presumed that they would be able to do so now. The further consideration of this variety of the dog, relating 28 DOMESTICATED DOGS. to its breeding, management, and use, will be considered under Part IT. IIl.—THE DEERHOUND AND ROUGH GREYHOUND. The deerhound is a magnificent animal in size and symmetry of _ frame, the dog often standing 28 inches high at the shoulder; and though possessing almost as much lightness and elegance WAS VGyy ii es 2%. =~} L.WELLS va “ CADER,” a Deerhound of the pure Glengarry breed, 28 inches high, 34 inches in girth, bred by W. Meredith, Esq., Torrish, Sutherland. of proportion as its congener the smooth greyhound, yet often weighing from 80 to go lbs., whereas the latter seldom exceeds 65 Ibs. Until very recently the deerhound was invariably employed in aid of the deerstalker, but in modern days he is comparatively seldom so used, his place being taken by a collie or some nonde- THE DEERHOUND AND ROUGH GREYHOUND. 29 script, capable of being kept under such complete control as never to alarm the deer while being stalked. In most cases no dog whatever is taken out by the deerstalker, so that the deerhound has now become more ornamental than useful. But his magnifi- cent shape and symmetry entitle him to be ranked among the dogs most suited to be chiens de luxe. The deerhound follows the wounded deer, like all other dogs, by the eye in preference to the nose, but the moment he loses sight he drops his head and feels for the foot scent, which is generaily aided by the blood which flows from the hit of the rifle-ball. Like the greyhound, he is silent in his pursuit, occasionally, like many of that variety, giving a low whimper, totally unlike the bell-like note of the true hound. When pure, he never attacks the head of his quarry, but lays hold of the hind-leg, or fastens on the flank, his instinct warning him that the horns of the deer are dangerous to him; but when crossed by:the bull-dog, as was attempted by several breeders for the purpose of giving courage, the peculiar propensity of the latter “to go at the head” is displayed, and leads so frequently to the death of the dog that the cross has been abandoned. There is an unusual disparity in size between the sexes, amounting to nearly one-half in weight and to fully one- quarter in height. In general shape the deerhound closely resembles the greyhound, but there are a few points of difference which I shall proceed to describe. The value of his points is as follows :— VALUE | VALUE Head, nose, and jaw, . 15 Quarters and legs, : 7 Ears and eyes, ‘ 2° 5 Feet, . . F : 7% Neck, . ; : . 10 Colour and coat, . 10 Chest and shoulders, . Io |° Symmetry, . i > § Loin and back ribs, . « Io Quality, a oe, 65 Elbows and stifles, : . lo Tail, . : : =. 16 Total, : . 100 The head is slightly larger in proportion than that of the smooth greyhound, with larger and coarser jaws, but this latter part is rendered more striking by the coarser hair which covers the nose. The eyebrows also rise less than in the greyhound, the skull and 30 DOMESTICATED DOGS. nose in their upper outlines being nearly, though not quite, one straight line. The jaws are long and tapering, but not “ snipey,” the teeth being properly level, or very nearly so. The nose should be black at its tip, with open nostrils, but not widely so. There should be no fulness of the jaws below the eyes, and the muscles of the jaws must be well developed. The ears of the deerhound should be like those of the greyhound, but they are usually carried a little higher than by that dog. As in him, pricked ears are sometimes seen, but they are to be con- sidered as a defect. They are coated with fine, short, soft hair, except at the edges, which are fringed with longer hair. The eyes are fuller than those of the smooth greyhound. In the best strains they are hazel or blue. The neck must be long enough to allow of the nose being carried low when the dog is at a fast pace, but not so “drake-like” as in the greyhound. It should be fine: and lean at the setting on of the head, but it soon widens to the depth of the shoulders. The chest should be framed like that of the greyhound, the necessary capacity being obtained by depth rather than width. Still, as high speed is not so all-important, a little more width may be permitted. The girth is generally rather less in proportion to the height, a dog of 28 inches seldom girthing quite 32 inches, while a well-made greyhound of 26 inches will always measure 30 inches round the chest. The shoulders must be long, oblique, and muscular. The doin is required to be of great strength, as the deerhound often has to hold a wounded stag by sheer force. Hence this is a most important point, and both width and depth should be regarded as all-important. Wide and somewhat ragged hips are necessitated for this development. The back ribs are seldom deep, and though, when present, they should be regarded with favour, their absence must not be penalised to the same extent as in those breeds where they may be expected as the rule rather than the exception, A straight back is often met with, but an arched loin is to be preferred. The elbows should be set low down, so as to give a long true arm. They should neither be turned in nor out; but this extends to all breeds, The stifles should be set widely apart, and should be large THE IRISH GREYHOUND OR WOLF-DOG. 31 both in width and depth. They should be set on high, so as to coincide with long upper thighs. The quarters should be muscular, but not heavily so; in this part, however, the deerhound is seldom overdone. The lower thighs should be well clothed with muscle, exhibiting a large “calf.” The legs, both before and behind, should be straight and bony, the pasterns being required to be large and strong. The feet are generally rather long than cat-like, but the latter formation is generally desired by the deerstalker. My own opinion, as in the greyhound, is against the very round foot, with extremely arched toes. There should be plenty of hair on them, in any case. ‘ The colours preferred by breeders are dark blue, fawn, grizzle, and brindled, especially the blue brindle in the order given above. There should be no white; but a small white star on the chest, or a white toe or two, should not be regarded as considerable defects. The fawn-coloured dog is preferred with dark brown tips to his ears, but many excellent strains are without this shade. The coat varies greatly in different strains, some having it as hard as in the wire-haired terrier, while in others it is intermediate between wool and silk, with a few hairs showing through. The body generally is clothed with this rough and almost shaggy coat, but there is no fringe on the legs and very little even on the tail. The jaws are furnished with a decided moustache, but the hair composing it should be so soft as to stand out in tufts, and not like a brush, as it is when the hair is hard, stiff, and wiry. The tail should be long and tapering, slightly curved, but with- out any corkscrew twist. JIL—THE IRISH GREYHOUND OR WOLF-DOG. This grand variety is now extinct, no one in the present day maintaining that he possesses a strain actually descended from the old stock. An attempt has, however, been made by several gentle- men to “resuscitate it,” which appears to me a most absurd one ; for whatever may be the result, the produce cannot be regarded as Trish deerhounds, but rather as a modern breed, to which any other name may be given except the one chosen for it. Of course the 1 32 DOMESTICATED DOGS. Scotch deerhound is taken as the stock on which to graft greater size and power, and most probably this has been done, partly by the selection of very large specimens, and partly by crossing with the mastiff, or recently with the Great Dane. The result is, no doubt, the attainment of a small number of very fine animals, but - there is great difficulty in keeping up the breed, even for the short time during which it has existed, as is generally the case with manufactured strains. Some of my readers may, however, like to see what is to be said by the most ardent of the breeders of this new. strain, and I therefore insert a description published by Captain Graham in “The Country” of February 24, 1876, in extenso, a8 follows:— Tue IntsH WonrHounp, By Capr. Grorae A. GRAHAM. ‘ To do full justice to this subject is almost impossible, owing to the fact that there has been a generally received impression amongst modern writers that this noble breed of dog is entirely extinct. That the breed in its “original integrity” has apparently disappeared cannot be disputed, yet there can be equally little doubt that so much of the true breed is forthcoming, both in the race still known in Ireland as the “Irish wolfhound” (to be met with, how- ever, in one or two places only) and in our modern deerhound, as to allow of the complete recovery of the breed in its pristine grandeur, with proper manage- ment, in judicious hands. It is a fact well known to all modern mastiff breeders who have thoroughly studied the history of their breed, that, until within the last thirty or forty years, mastiffs, as a pure race, had almost become extinct, Active measures were taken by various spirited individuals, which resulted in the complete recovery of the breed, in a form at least equal, if not superior, to what it was of yore. Why should not, then, such measures be taken to recover the more ancient, and certainly equally noble, race of Irish wolfhounds? It may be argued - that, the services of such a dog no longer being required for sport, his existence . is no longer to be desired ; but such an argument is not worthy of considera- | tion for a moment, for how many thousands of dogs are bred for which no _ work is provided, nor is any expected of them, added to which, the breed would be admirably suited to the requirements of our colonies. One after another the various breeds of dogs which had of late years more or less degene- *’ rated, as, for instance, mastitis, fox-terriers, pugs, St. Bernards, collies, have 7 become “the rage,” and, in consequence, a vast improvement is observable in the numerous specimens shown from time to time. Let us, then, hope that steps may be taken to restore to us such a magnificent animal as the Irish wolfhound. That we have in the deerhound the modern representative of the old Irish THE IRISH GREYHOUND OR WOLF-DOG. 33 dog is’ patent; of less stature, less robust, and of slimmer form, the main characteristics of the original breed remain, and in very exceptional instances specimens “crop. up” that throw back to and resemble in a marked manner the old stock from which they have sprung ; for instance, the dog well known at all the leading shows (now for some years lost to sight) as champion Torrum. Beyond the facts that he required a somewhat lighter ear and still more massive proportions; combined with greater stature, he evidently approximated more nearly to his distant ancestors than to his immediate ones. The matter of ear here alluded to is probably only a requirement called for by modern and more refined tastes, as it is hardly likely that any very high standard as to quality or looks was ever aimed at or reached by our remote ancestors in any breed of dogs. Strength, stature, and fleetness were the points most care- fully cultivated—at any rate, as regards those used. in the pursuit and capture of large and fierce game. It is'somewhat remarkable that, whilst we have accounts of almost all the noticeable breeds, including the Irish wolfhound, there is no allusion to any such dog as the deerhound save in writings of a comparatively recent date. The article or essay on the Irish wolfhound, written by Richardson in 1842, is, it is supposed, the only one on this subject in existence ; and whilst it is evident to the reader that the subject has been most ably treated and thoroughly sifted by him, yet some of his conclusions, if not erroneous, are at least open to question. It is a matter of history that this dog is of very ancient origin, and was well known to and highly prized by the Romans, who frequently used him for their combats in the arena ; and that he was retained in a certain degree of purity to within a comparatively recent period, when, owing to the extinction of wolves, and presumably to the indifference and carelessness of owners, this most superb and valuable breed of dog was unaccountably suffered to fall into a very neglected and degenerate state. , From the general tenor of the accounts.we hear of this dog’s dimensions and appearance, it is to be gathered that he was of considerably greater stature than any known race of dogs existing at present, and apparently more than equal to the destruction of a wolf. It is an incontestable fact that the domestic dog, when used for the pursuit of ferocious animals, should be invariably larger and apparently more power- ful than his quarry, as the fierce nature, roving habits, and food of the wild animal render him usually more than a match for his domesticated enemy, if only of equal size and stature. We know that the Russian wolfhounds, though equal in stature to the wolf, will not attack him single-handed ; and wisely, for they would ¢ertainly be worsted in the combat. The Irish wolfhound being used for both the capture and despatch of the wolf, it would necessarily have been of greyhound conformation, besides being of enormous power. When caught, a heavy dog such as a mastiff would be equal to the destruction: of the wolf; but to obtain a dog with greyhound speed and the strength of the mastiff, it would stand to. reason that his stature should considerably exceed that. of the.mastiff—one of our tallest as well as Cc 34 DOMESTICATED DOGS. most powerful breeds. The usual height of the mastiff does not exceed 30 inches ; and, arguing as above, we may reasonably conclude that, to obtain the requisite combination of speed and power, a height of at least 33 inches would have been reached. Many writers, however, put his stature down as far exceeding that, Goldsmith states he stood 4 feet ; Buffon states one sitting measured 5 feet in height ; Bewick, that the Irish wolfhound was about 3 feet in height ; Richardson, arguing from the measurements of the skulls of the Irish wolfhound preserved at the present time in the Royal Irish Academy, pronounced it his opinion that they must have stood 4o inches. It is perfectly certain, from these and many other accounts, allusion to which want of space renders impossible, that the dog was of vast size and strength, and all agree in stating that, whilst his power was that of the mastiff, his form was that of the greyhound. The “Sportsman’s Cabinet,” a very valuable old book on dogs, published in 1803, which is illustrated. with very good engrav- ings after drawings from life by Renaigle, R.A., says—“ The dogs of Greece, Denmark, Tartary, and Ireland are the largest and strongest of their species. The Irish greyhound is of very ancient race, and still to be found in some few remote parts of the kingdom, but they are said to be much reduced in size even in their original climate ; they are much larger than the mastiff, and exceed- ingly ferocious when engaged.” A very good and spirited drawing of this dog is given, which almost entirely coincides with the writer’s conclusion as to what the Irish wolfhound was and should be, though a rougher coat and somewhat more lengthy frame are desirable. The dogs described in “Ossian” are evidently identical with the Irish wolfhound, being of much greater stature and power than the present deerhound. From these descriptions, and those given elsewhere, we may conclude that, in addition to the dog’s being of great stature, strength, and speed, he was also clothed in rough hair. In support of this we find that in the present day all the larger breeds of greyhound are invariably rough and long as to coat. Many writers have incorrectly confounded the Irish wolfhound with the Great Dane, though the two dogs vary entirely in appearance, if not so much in build. It seems more than probable, however, that the two breeds were frequently crossed, which may account for these statements. The late Marquis of Sligo possessed some of this breed, which he was in the habit (erroneously) of considering Irish wolfhounds. Richardson was at very great trouble to get every information as to the pro- bable height of this dog, but the conclusions arrived at by him (chiefly based on the lengths of the skulls measured by him) would seem to be decidedly wrong, for the following reasons :—He states “the skull is 11 inches in the bone ;” to that he adds 3 inches for nose, skin, and hair, thus getting 14 inches as the length of the living animal’s head. The head of a living deerhound, measured by him, is 10 inches, the dog standing 29 inches ; he then calculates that the height of the Irish wolfhound would have been 4o inches, taking for his guide the fact that the 29 inches dog’s head was 1o inches. This would appear to be correct enough, but the allowance of 3 inches for extras is absurd - THE IRISH GREYHOUND OR WOLF.DOG. 35 1} inches are an ample allowance for the extras, and if the head is taken at 12} inches the height of the dog will be reduced to 36 inches, Moreover, the measurement of 10 inches for the head of a 29 inches deerhound’s head is manifestly insufficient, as the writer can testify from ample experience and frequent measurements, A’ deerhound of that height would have a head at least 11 inches ; so, calculating on the same principles, the Irish skulls would have been from dogs that only stood 33} inches. Richardson says that this skull is superior in size to the others, which would prove that the average must have been under 333 inches, and we may safely conclude that the height of these dogs varied from 31 inches to 34 inches. In support of this view the writer would point to the German boarhound; this dog: has retained his character from a very remote age, and as he is still used for the capture of fierce and large animals, the breed is not likely to have been allowed to degene- rate. The height of this breed varies from 28 inches to 33 inches, the latter being probably the limit to which any race of dogs has been known to arrive. . The writer has numerous extracts from various authors, and many engrav- ings from pictures by artists, dating from the middle of the sixteenth century to the commencement of the present century ; but want of space will not allow of their being introduced, though of much interest. From these sources it is gathered clearly that the dog was such as has been above stated; and from these varied accounts the following detailed conclusions as to the appearance and dimensions of the breed are arrived at, though perhaps they may not be considered as absolutely conclusive. , General Appearance and Form.—That of a very tall, heavy Scotch deerhound ; much more massive and majestic looking; active, and tolerably fast, but somewhat less so than the present breed of deerhound; the neck thick in comparison to his form, very muscular and rather long. Shape of Head.—Very long, but not too narrow, coming to a comparative point ; nose not too small, and head gradually getting broader from the same evenly up to the back of the skull; much broader between the ears than that of present deerhound. . 3 Coat.—Rough and hard all over body, tail, and legs, and of good length ; hair on head long, and rather softer than that on body ; that under-the jaws to be long and wiry, also that over eyes. Colour.—Black, grey, brindle, red, and fawn, though white and parti- coloured dogs were common, and even preferred in olden times. Shape and Size of Ears—Small in proportion to size of head, and half erect, resembling those of the best deerhounds ; if the dog is of light colour a dark ear is to be preferred. Dogs. Bitches. Probableh eight at shoulder, x ‘ a g2in. to 35in. 28in. to 30 in. Girth of chest, .» .« +» «+ eb 38 oy 44 32 gg 354 Round fore-arm, . » . : F . Io ,, 12 8 4, of Length of head, . ‘ ; . . : wake, «14 rok 4, «11d Total length, ‘ : : ‘ Fi j 84 ,, 100 jo 4, 80 Weight in lbs. . r “ i . ¥ IIo} 4, 140 go » II0 36 DOMESTICATED DOGS. When Sir Walter Scott lost his celebrated doy Maida'(which, by the way, was by a Pyrenean dog out of a Glengarry deerhound bitch), he was presented with a brace of dogs by Glengarry and Cluny’ Macpherson, both. of gigantic size. He calls them “wolfhounds,” ‘and says, “There is no occupation . ae them, as there is only one wolf near, and that is confined in a menagerie.” He was offered a fine Irish greyhound by Miss Edgeworth, who owried some of this breed, but declined, having the others. Richardson ‘says—* Though I have separited the Irish wolf-dog from the Highland deethound aud the Scottish greyhound, I have only done so partly in conformity with general. opinion, that I have yet to correct, and partly because these. dogs, though originally identical, are now’ unqnestionably distinct in many particulars.” ' As the rough Scotch greyhound is to the present deerhound, so is the deer- hound to what the Irish wolfhound was! “It may be of interest to mention here that the last wolf is said to have been killed in 1710, but there is no accurate information as to the date. The height of the European wolf varies from 28 in. to 30 in., and he is, though of com- paratively slight form, an animal of very great power and activity. Richardson, being an enthusiast on the subject, and not content with simply writing, took measures to recover the breed. With much patience and trouble, he hunted up all the strains he could hear of, and bred dogs of gigantic size to which the strains now in existence can be distinctly traced. A gentleman of position and means in Ireland, deceased some six or eight years, possessed a kennel of these dogs, on the breeding of. which he expended both time and fortune freely. They were, though not equal to the original dog, very fine animals.. It has been ascertained beyond all question: that there are a few specimens of the breed still in Ireland and England that have well-founded. pretensions to be considered Irish wolfhounds, though falling far short of the requisite dimensions ; and, in concluding this paper, the writer would again earnestly urge that some decided action may be taken by gentlemen posséss- ing both leisure and means to restore to us that most noble of the canine race —the Irish wolfhound. Repnock, Dursiey. : Since the year 1876 a club has been specially formed for the sosuacitabion of this breed, under the auspices of Captain Graham, and in the present year (1886) a class was made for their ex- hibition by the Kennel Club at their summer show—divided, as usual, between the two sexes. or these there were eighteen entries, but most of the male exhibits resembled the deerhound : go closely, both in size and appearance, that they might. just as well have appeared in that class. The bitches were generally of. larger size than the corresponding sex of the deerhound, which is very much smaller than the dog,.and this is probably due to.the THE IRISH GREYHOUND OR WOLF-DOG. 37 cross with the Great Dane, admittedly used for the purpose of mereasing size. Thus Colonel Garnier’s “Hecla” and Mr. Town- send’s. “ Lufan of Ivanhoe” are by ‘Cedric the Saxon,” a fine fawn-coloured Dane, both very large. bitches; while Mr. Laloe’s ““M‘Mahon,” an own brother to them, is very little higher or heavier. With regard to their claim to be really descended from the old Irish wolf-dog, Captain Graham writes me that “the late Sir John Power of Kilfane had his breed in 1842, and that “The Irish Wolf-hound. Mr. Maliony hail the same strain about that'time—that they were descended closely-from Hamilton Rowan’s celebrated ‘ Brian,’ which he claimed to be the dast of the old Irish wolf-dogs, descended, it is believed, from the O’Toole’s dogs of 1815 or so. I knew Sir John Power well, and he remembered H. Rowan’s dog, a great, rough, dark dog of the massive deerhound character. ‘Of ‘ Kilfane Oscar’ I now have a grandson, and there are. one or two more in 38 DOMESTICATED DOGS. other parts of the country bred by me. ‘Oscar’ came to me from Sir Ralph Galway, who had him from Sir J. Power's son.” It will thus be seen that Captain Graham claims to have in his possession lineal descendants of the genuine breed, but not pure, since they are of necessity crossed with the deerhound, or Great Dane, he not having possessed an example of each sex. If he could produce the breed in its purity, it would be extremely interesting from a natural history point of view; but as he cannot, it must be regarded as the nearest approach milieh he is able to make, Both the winners at the Kennel Club Show were bred by Captain Graham, and I have obtained an excellent portrait of the dog, from which my readers will be able to form their own opinions. Pornts oF THE IRIsH WoLFHOUND. The following are the points of this breed as settled by the special club :— 1. General. Appearance—The Irish wolfhound should not be quite so heavy or massive as the Great Dane, but more so than the deerhound, which in general'type he should otherwise resemble. Of great size and commanding appearance, very muscular, strongly though gracefully built, movements easy and active; head and neck carried high; the tail carried with an upward sweep, with . a slight curve towards the extremity. The minimum height and weight of dog should be 31 inches and 120 Ibs.; of bitches, 28 inches and go lbs. Anything below this should be debarred from competition. Great size, including height at shoulder and pro- portionate length of body, is the desideratum to be aimed at; and it is desired to firmly establish a race that shall average from 32 to 34 inches in dog, showing the requisite power, activity, courage, and symmetry. 2. Head.—Long, the frontal bones very slightly raised, and very little indentation beiwoct the eyes. Skull not too broad, Muzzle long and moderately pointed. ars small, and greyhound-like in carriage. a Neck. —Rather long, very strong and muscular, well arohad, with a dewlap or loose skin about the throat. 4. Chest very deep. Breast wide. THE GAZEHOUND—THE FRENCH MATIN, 39 5. Back.—Rather long than short. Some arched. 6. Tatl.—Long and slightly curved, of moderate thickness, and well covered with hair. 7. Belly well drawn up. 8. Forequarters—Shoulders muscular, giving breadth of chest, set sloping. Elbows well under, neither turned inwards nor out- wards. Leg forearm muscular, and the whole leg strong and quite straight. 9. Hindquarters—Muscular thighs, and second thigh long and strong as in the greyhound, and hocks well let down and turning neither in nor out. 10. Feet.—Moderately large and round, neither turned in nor out. Toes well arched and closed. Nails very strong and curved. : 11. Hair.—Rough and hard on body, legs, and head, especially wiry and long over eyes and under jaw. 12. Colour and Markings——The recognised colours are grey, brindle, red, black, pure white, fawn, or any colour that approaches the deerhound. 13. Faults—Too light or heavy a head, too highly arched frontal bone ; large ears, and hanging flat to the face; short neck ; fall dewlap ; too narrow or too broad a chest; sunken or hollow or quite straight back; bent forelegs, overbent fetlocks, twisted feet, spreading toes; too curly a tail, weak hindquarters, and general want of muscle; too short in body. IV._THE GAZEHOUND. The gazehound of old writers is now-extinct, and most probably has merged in the greyhound, if it ever differed from that breed of dogs. At all events, the accounts, both ancient and modern, of the gazehound are so indefinite as to be of little interest to any one. For myself, I confess that I am wholly ignorant of the subject. V.—THE FRENCH MATIN. In France, as well as in the neighbouring countries, a great variety of more or less greyhound-like dogs is kept for killing 40 . DOMESTICATED DOGS. hares, in the most poaching way, as regarded from our point of view, coursing in English style not being carried on there, and also for aiding in killing the wolf. These, dogs we should here. regard as lurchers, but on the Continent they are called’ mdtins. It is admitted to be a very old breed, and is considered by F. Cuvier to be the originator of the greyhound and, the deer- hound, but without affording the slightest proof. Pennant, on the contrary, regards it as a modern breed descended from, the Trish wolf-dog. x VI.—THE INDIAN HARE-DOG. ‘ This variety of the coursing division of dogs is thicker in shape than any of the others, and probably therefore not. so fast, though from the quantity of hair covering the body it may be more, grey- hound-like when stripped ‘than at first sight appears to be the Menpeta F 2 * ' a Wear ne ate SS : The Indian Hare-Dog (Youatt). ' case. It is rarely found in the present day in a state of purity, and I believe no specimen has been imported’ into England for the last forty years. Its height is about that of the English grey- hound, and in shape. it.closely. resembles the collie, except ‘in the i THE GRECIAN GREYHOUND. 4 ears, which are pricked like that of the spitz or Pomeranian: dog ; the character of head is also fox-like as in that dog, but the coat is not so long, nor is the tail curved over the back. This dog was greatly used by the Indians of the Northern parts of Americar to hunt the moose and reindeer, and being required to do this in deep snow, those puppies were selected with spreading feet, which in other breeds would be rejected as unfitted for hard ground. ~The colour is peculiar, being composed of a light ground tipped with dark brown in irregular patches verging into black, so as to give an appearance of mottle. a: VIL—THE GRECIAN GREYHOUND. The Grecian Greyhound (Youatt), This dog is probably as old as any breed in existence, and no doubt closely resembles the greyhound of Xenophon. In the 42 DOMESTICATED DOGS. present day he is met with throughout the islands of Greece, where he is extensively used for coursing hares, either by sight or nose, or both, at the discretion of the owner. The hair covering the body is moderately long and silky, while that of the tail resembles our English setters. With the exception of the ears, which are wholly pendant, this dog resembles the smooth grey- hound of this country. VITI.—THE ALBANIAN GREYHOUND. A very large and magnificent animal of the greyhound or deer- hound type is met with in Albania, coarser in shape and in the hair of his tail than the Grecian greyhound, but with a finer coat on the body. He is specially used as a guard against wolves, but also for hunting them. The varieties are too great to allow of any very definite description of this dog. IX.—THE RUSSIAN OR SIBERIAN GREYHOUND. Like all the dogs met with in Russia, this variety of the grey- hound is covered with a coarse but silky coat. He is slightly larger than his English congener, but not nearly so fast. Though he is used for attacking bears and wolves, he is said to be so deficient in courage as only to hold them at bay till the hunter comes up sae his gun or axe and despatches them. He hunts by nose as well as sight, and is said to have considerable power of scent. The coat on the body is very woolly, but not long; that on the tail is hairy and fan-like in form. Several of this breed have lately been introduced into England by Lady Peel and others. X.—THE TURKISH GREYHOUND, This little dog approaches the Italian greyhound in size, but is considerably stouter in his proportions. He is very thinly coated with hair, and is seldom met with in a state of purity, being generally crossed with some of the many varieties which are supposed to be the scavengers of all Turkish cities, PERSIAN GREYHOUND—ITALIAN GREYHOUND. 43 XI.—THE PERSIAN GREYHOUND. In Persia, coursing the hare and antelope is a royal sport in high esteem, and the greyhound kept for the purpose is of very elegant proportions. He closely resembles the Grecian greyhound above described, but his ears and nose are hairy, as also is his tail. The body, on the contrary, is somewhat smoother, but still not so smooth as that of the English dog. This greyhound is fast, but not capable of pulling down an antelope single-handed, and in coursing it is so managed that relays may be slipped after those in possession are nearly exhausted. XIL—THE ITALIAN GREYHOUND Is so small and delicate as to be solely used in this country as a pet. I shall therefore postpone its description till I come to consider that division of the canine race. ( 44 ) CHAPTER III. DOMESTICATED DOGS, HUNTING BY THE NOSE,“ AND BOTH FINDING AND KILLING THEIR GAME, COMMONLY KNOWN EITHER’ AS HOUNDS OR TERRIERS. 1. The Southern Hound—z. The Bloodhound—3. The Staghound—4, The Foxhound—s. The Harrier—6. The Beagle—7. The Otter-hound—8. The Great Dane—g. The Basset and other French Hounds—1o. The Modern Basset Hournd—z1. The Dachshund—12. The Fox-Terrier (Rough and Smooth)—13. The Hard-Haired Scotch Terrier—14, The lrish Terrier—15.. The Welsh Terrier—16. The Skye Terrier—17. The Dandie Dinmont Terrier—18, The Smooth English Terriers—19. The Bedlington Terrier—2o: The Halifax Blue’Fawn or Yorkshire Terrier —21. The Airdale Terrier. I—THE SOUTHERN HOUND. Tats hound is now extinct in its purity, all now existing being more or less crossed with other breeds to increase the pace required by modern fashion. Until fox-hunting began to be regarded as a national sport, our hounds were divided into two kinds—the Southern hound and the Northern hound, of which the latter was the faster of the two, but still not approaching our modern foxhound in that respect. Hundreds of portraits exist of the several old-fashioned hounds under the name of talbots, blood- hounds, &c.; but they differ so much among themselves as to be clearly unreliable. It is currently believed that these hounds were possessed of noses more tender than those of the foxhound, and this opinion is supported by the accounts of chases lasting for many hours, and as having been maintained on colder scents than would be owned in the present day. It is, however, probable that the alterations in agriculture will account in great measure for this apparent change, for there is no doubt that drainage, now almost universal, diminishes scent very considerably. Both the Northern and Southern hound were large, “ throaty ” THE SOUTHERN HOUND. 45 animals, with huge pendant ears like those of our modern blood- hound. The Southern hound had a dewlap almost like that of the cow, as is shown in the portrait which Mr. Youatt gives’ of him, and which is by permission transferred to these pages. In addition to this heaviness of shape, and consequent slow pace, these hounds had a habit of dwelling on a scent which is exhibited in a marked, The Southern Hound (Youatt).. manner by those descendants who resemble them the most closely, namely, the modern otter-hound. If the scent is only moderate, this hound tries on with. steadiness and perseverance; but if he suddenly comes upon a stronger one, he stops, throws his tongue with. his head in the air, and even sits on his haunches in the most. provoking :manner.: The. bloodhound: of the present day;. when 46 DOMESTICATED DOGS. quite pure, shows this same peculiarity. In Wales several packs are still kept approaching the Southern hound in shape and other peculiarities, but I believe they are all more or less crossed with the foxhound, even though their masters deny the fact. Markman, who lived three hundred years ago, describes the Northern hound as follows :—‘“ He has a head more slender, with a longer nose, ears and flews more shallow, back broad, belly gaunt, joints long, tail small, and his general form more slender and greyhound like; but the virtues of these Northern hounds I can praise no further than for scent and swiftness, for with respect to mouth, they have only a little shrill sweetness, but no depth of tone or music.” In the present day, with the solitary exception of the Devon and Somerset Staghounds, no hound is used but the foxhound, harrier, beagle, and otter-hound. The bloodhound is kept almost entirely for ornamental purposes, and the Southern hound, as I have already mentioned, is altogether extinct in a pure shape. As the Southern hound may be considered extinct, I cannot pretend to give his points, as is done with all existing breeds. : Il—THE BLOODHOUND. This breed is so named because it is supposed to possess peculiar powers of scenting the blood flowing from the wounds made in its quarry. Before the invention of the rifle, the arrow was used to give the first wound, and this was sufficient to enable the forester to make his pick from the herd, because though the arrow would seldom cause immediate death, yet it would lead to a flow of blood sufficient to induce the bloodhound to hunt that one deer in pre- .. ference to the rest of the herd. He was also employed to track — the sheep-stealer, in which occupation his tendency to follow blood was developed in a similar manner. At present the deadly rifle has taken one occupation from him,.and the law, by preventing sheep-stealing, has deprived him of the other. Hence it has come to pass that the bloodhound is now kept for ornamental purposes only. Many breeders of this dog, however, still contend that he might be made useful in tracking criminals if laid on the trail of one shortly after a crime is committed. In Cuba, no doubt, a dog of more or less pure breed was used to hunt slaves, and as the THE BLOODHOUND. 47 African is well known to emit a strong scent, it is probable that this was taken advantage of by the white slave-owner. But it seems impossible that any dog can be taught to hunt a white man (supposing him to be a stranger) without exciting him to hunt all of the same colour. The matter was publicly tested at Warwick Head of the Bloodhound (Youatt). this year, but in a most, imperfect manner, and it still remains unsettled. Having myself seen it tested several-times, in private and public, I am altogether incredulous; but of course I do not pretend to say that the claim cannot possibly be supported. As a companionable dog he is not quite safe, since he does not readily bear control, and when his temper is roused he is apt to be dangerous even to his best friends. This character is disputed by Mr. Ray and other modern breeders, but from my own experience, and from confirmation received through reliable sources, I am 48 DOMESTICATED DOGS.. strongly of opinion that it is founded on truth, and was certainly manifested in Mr. Grantly Berkeley's “ Druid.” Until the middle of the present century this dog was seldom in the possessicn of any of the middle classes, but about that time Mr. Jennings of Pickering managed to get hold of a very fine strain of blood from Lord Faversham and Baron Rothschild, and exhibiting his “‘ Druid” and “ Welcome” at the early dog shows, carried off all the first prizes for several years, finally selling the couple at what was then considered a high price to Prince Napoleon to cross with the French strains. Since then, Major Cowan and Mr. Pease, Mr. Holford and Mr. Ray, have divided the honours among them. “ Druip,” the Property of the Hon. Grantly Berkeley, The points of the bloodhound are as follows :— VALUE Head, . : XG | Back and back ribs, ae ; Ears and eyes, Benag . Io . Legs and feet, . : 20 Flews, . F 5 Colour and coat, . 10 aNeck, 2. 2... 5 Stern, .. i. - Chest. and shoulders, fe) Symmetry, : ‘ 10 aa Total, : - 100 * vA ee sil ‘ In the head of this variety of the dog reside nearly all the peculiar features of his kind; nevertheless, as the dog under examination is useless unless: he has an equally good frame, it is necessary to place a proper valuation upon other parts aswell, It: varies a good deal in the two sexes, that of the male being much. | THE BLOODHOUND. 49 the heavier and grander of the two. Its great peculiarity is, that while it is massive in all other directions, it is remarkably narrow between the ears, the whole of the upper surface being raised into a dome, finishing at the back with a great development of the occipital protuberance. The skin of the forehead is puckered into strong wrinkles, as also is that of the face around the eyes. The Jaws are long, tapering, and deep, but not wide; very lean under the eyes, and cut off square at the end. The ears are large and thin, hanging very close to the cheeks in folds, and should not spread out like a leaf, as they do when thick and gummy. They are clothed with short silky hair, and have no fringe on their edges. The eyes are usually of a hazel colour, small, and sunk so deeply as to give a peculiar character to them. In spite of their depth they show the third eyelid, or “haw,” very plainly, and it is generally red from exposure to the air. So far as I know, this redness of the “ haw” ig only met with naturally in breeds crossed with the bloodhound, such as the Gordon setter, the St. Bernard, and the mastiff, but no doubt it occasionally occurs in other breeds after inflammation of the eyes. The flews are long and pendant, falling considerably below the jaws, and they are inclined to “slaver” on the slightest provocation. The neck is sufficiently long to allow of the nose reaching the ground, without any stoop of. the body, but it is by no means remarkable in this direction. It is decidedly throaty, and there is more or less dewlap in addition. The chest is round, giving a large girth ; nevertheless the shoulders are fairly oblique. They are, or ought to be, very strong and muscular. The back must be very powerful, and should be slightly arched. The back ribs should be very deep, and the couples should be ragged and wide. The legs should be straight, strong in bone, and well clothed with muscle both before and behind. They should be set on so that the elbow and stifles shall play freely in the same plane. Partly from inbreeding and partly from confinement as puppies, bloodhounds very frequently are defective in their legs, which are then either crooked at the joints or actually “bowed” in the D 50 DOMESTICATED DOGS. long bones between them. The feet also are seldom perfect, but they ought to be cat-like, or at all events not spreading, as is often the case. The colour is either tan or black and tan, the latter for choice. Indeed, many breeders reject the tan puppies, which will occur in all litters, even of the most carefully-selected strains. The black should extend to the whole of the upper parts, but it is seldom clearly defined, the tan running more or less on to it. No white is allowed, even on the toes, by those who are particular; but, as in all other varieties of the dog, however carefully bred, a little white will occasionally make its appearance. The coat should be short over the whole body, hard on the back and sides, but silky and soft on the ears and head. The stern is carried gaily or in a ‘“ hound-like style,” with a gentle scimitar-like curve, and it should not be raised above a right angle with the back. Its under side is slightly fringed with hair. IlIIl— THE STAGHOUND. The staghound may now be considered to be almost an extinct breed, for even the Devon and Somerset pack, hunting wild deer, is crossed with the foxhound. Until recently it was alleged that this pack was entirely pure, and was descended from hounds kept exclusively to deer for many years. In the year 1877, however, nearly the whole pack was destroyed from the fear of having been bitten by a mad dog, and their place has been supplied by drafts from confessedly foxhounds kennels. Of the eight couples which were permitted to live, not having been submitted to the risk above mentioned, all are, I believe, more or less crossed, and there is no other source left for resuscitating the old breed. The hounds used: by Her Majesty and Baron Rothschild for hunting carted deer are pure foxhounds, drafted from other ken- nels for being over-sized or too fast for their respective Masters. In size the dog foxhounds used to hunt deer are about 2 5 inches high, while the bitch varies from 23 to 23}. Beyond the above remarks I can give no description of this breed, for reasons which are apparent to the most casual reader. THE FOXHOUND. 51 IV._THE FOXHOUND. There is probably no animal in creation, and certainly no domestic animal, which possesses so high a combination of speed and stoutness as the foxhound. The mule is possibly as stout, but not nearly so fast; while the greyhound and racehorse are faster, but cannot stay with him, as has repeatedly been proved. Tt should, however, be remembered that, in comparing the horse’s powers with that of the hound, we are apt to forget that the former is weighted with his rider, while the latter is turned loose. L.wELls Se. “ Hermit,” a High-bred Modern Foxhound.* Still the difference is so great, that even this will not account for it. It is generally supposed that this extraordinary combination has been obtained by crossing the old-fashioned hound (whether Northern or Southern) with the greyhound; but of this cross there is no record in the kennel books of our earliest foxhound , * Bred by J. J. Farquharson, Esq., by Lord Fitzhardinge’s “ Hermit,” out of the Puckeridge “ Venus.” ’ 52 DOMESTICATED DOGS, packs, which trace back for nearly or quite two hundred years. Now, success in breeding generally leads to a confession of the method by which it has been attained, as is exemplified in the case of Lord Oxford with his bulldog and greyhound cross, and it is argued that if the greyhound had been used as alleged, some record of the fact would have been handed down to us. Hence this point in the history of the foxhound must be regarded as unsettled. At all events, it cannot be denied that great trouble and expense have been for a long time expended in arriving at the present high development of this breed, and that it is now existing in the highest state of perfection in those numerous hunting counties into which a great part of England and Scotland is divided, vary- ing, of course, in proportion to the skill and care possessed for the time being by the several Masters of foxhounds and their hunts- men. The theory of breeding was carefully laid down a hundred years ago by Beckford, and has not been improved on since his time ; but careful selection founded on his principles has, without doubt, produced a faster and at the same time stouter hound, capable not only of staying through a long run, when such a rare event occurs, but of getting away from acrowd of horsemen, which, in his day, was completely unheard of. In some fashionable countries this last-named faculty is cultivated and bred too in a most remarkable manner, and to such an extent that individual hounds belonging to the packs, when left behind in covert, thread through two or three hundred horsemen and get to the front with- out injury. This requires a high combination of speed, courage, and judgment, which ordinary hounds do not possess, and they would be sure either to be too slow, or too timid, or too stupid, to seize the right moment to overcome each successive obstacle. Speed is of course a sine gud non for success in such a feat, but it likewise requires high courage to risk being ridden over, and with this must be combined judgment to make a push at the right moment, and to wait patiently till it occurs, In looking at the modern foxhound, the uninitiated are apt to be misled by the “rounded” ears, which detract very much from his artistic appearance. Compared with the bloodhound’s long sweeping appendages, the small semi-oval attached to the head of the foxhound looks mean, and detracts from his dignity and THE FOXHOUND. 53 bearing. But in actual work it enables him to drive his way through gorse and thorns with much less injury to his ears, though without the advantage to the eyes which is supposed to accrue by some writers. How it can be imagined that an organ which hangs, when at rest, at some distance behind the eyes, should protect them from injury in driving the head forward through gorse or thorns, I am quite at a loss to know; but such is the extent to which certain theorists have gone. The fact really ‘is, that experience teaches the huntsman to remove all superfluous parts which he finds liable to be torn in covert, at the same time taking care not to lose such as are advantageous. He knows that a most essential organ to keeping his pack together is that of hearing, by means of which every individual hound judges of the first whimper heard in “drawing” whether or not it is reliable, and owns it or not as he thinks right. Again, he requires it to ascertain the direction of the “cry,” so as to get quickly to it, and, accordingly, enough of the flap of the ear is left on for good hearing, while the remainder, as being likely to be torn, is removed by the rounding-iron ; and even from a humanitarian point of view the practice is entirely justified, as also is the removal of the dew claws, which, like the ear-flaps, are constantly liable to be torn. For these reasons the artist and the ardent lover of animals should forgive the practice of “rounding,” malgré Mr. Colam, who has more than once run a tilt against it. In some packs rounding is now discontinued. ; A third faculty in which this hound differs from his congeners ig a mental one, leading him always, when he loses scent of his quarry, to cast forward rather than backward, and to do this with a “dash” altogether unlike the slow and careful quest of the bloodhound and others of that ilk. This, of course, may be over- done, like all good qualities, and-in that case the hound constantly overruns the scent; but without it in these days few foxes would be killed, for unless they are hard pressed the scent soon fails and is altogether lost. Beyond the formation of each individual in his pack, the M.F.H. ‘also has to consider the “sortiness” and “suitiness,” that is to say, he desires that all should be of the same “sort,” or, in other -words, should show themselves to be of the same breed, and should 34 DOMESTICATED DOGS. not resemble a “scratch” pack got together by chance, and that each should resemble each in every respect. Thus a pack may be “suity ” although composed of very different strains, while it may be “sorty” though it may vary in size from 22 inches to 25. For absolute perfection in appearance, both these points must be attended to, while in the field it is also necessary that in their tongues there shall be the desired kind of music, and pretty nearly all alike. So also there must be an equality of pace and stoutness, without which “tailing” very soon begins, the long-drawn line from head to tail being developed, so much deprecated by every hunting man. Thus the task of the breeder of foxhounds is rendered more difficult than that of any other artist in a corre- sponding line, for he not only has to breed his hounds individually perfect, but also collectively so, and not only in externals, but in mental manifestations. Still these obstacles are to be overcome, and what man can do our modern M.F.H.’s actually accomplish, as is admitted to their honour by all their followers, the result being the modern foxhound. His points are as follows :— VALUE VALUE Head, . é ‘ . . I5 |. Elbows, . : : : 4 5 Neck, . : : a: Legs and feet, . : : 20 Shoulders, . : . 10 Colour and coat, g 5 Chest and back ribs, . 10 Stern, . . é : - 5 Loin, . ; : . 10 Symmetry, 5 Hind-quarters, . j . Io — Total, ‘ . 100 The head should be of sufficient size to contain a brain capable of the mental manifestations required; but if absolutely heavy, there is sure to be the old-fashioned style of hunting to which allusion has already been made. Hence the breeder requires a fair size, measuring round the ears in the average dog hound 16 inches, and in the bitch 244 inches. The top of the head is flat and not domed, as in the bloodhound. The nose should be 44 inches long in the full-sized hound, wide and open in the nostrils, and cut off square at the end; ears set on low and lying close ; eyes of moderate size, soft, yet full of expression. The neck must be thin, round, and free from the slightest throati- THE FOXHOUND. 53 ness. This last point is one much insisted on in the present day, and indicates speed derived from the greyhound. It should very gradually deepen without widening as it is set on to the shoulders, The shoulder-blades must be long and muscular, with their points lean and well raised from the bosom, but not heavy nor set widely apart. The true arm, between them and the elbow, should be long, and well clothed with muscle. The chest in the average dog hound should girth 30 inches, and may be slightly more round than in the greyhound, but still should not be quite barrel-like. The back ribs must be deep, showing a good constitution, and also giving strong attachment to the muscles of the back. The hind-quarters must in any case be strong, and most Masters prefer them rather straight than much bent at the stifles; but this will a good deal depend on the country to be hunted. Over stone walls the bent stifle is often injured from hitting the tops, and consequently in packs hunting where they abound there is no question that they are objectionable. On the other hand, over the Leicestershire pastures they undoubtedly give high speed and freedom in going at the greatest speed, so that what is best for one is worst for the other. Breadth of buttock and quarter is always a recommendation. The edbows should be set on low, giving a long true arm, and neither turning in nor out. As to the legs and feet, all are agreed that their formation should be regarded as highly important. Nearly every M.F.H. requires the fore pasterns to be quite perpendicular, and shaped as if cut out of a block of wood. This formation is, however, an exaggera- tion of what is wanted, in my opinion, and a slight bend at the knee-joint is to be preferred, as shown in the portrait of “ Hermit” which illustrates this article. Fore-legs like his are much more likely to stand work than the model legs which constitute perfec- tion in the eyes of most huntsmen, which soon become “ groggy,” and then knuckle over. In all cases the feet should be close, with the knuckles well up; and if so, it is not of much consequence whether they are quite round and cat-like, or rather inclined to be long. 56 DOMESTICATED DOGS. The colour is not greatly to be regarded, but for choice the black, white, and tan colour is the best. This is commonly called the true hound colour ; but many people prefer some one or other of the “pies,” such as the red pie, blue pie, yellow pie, grey pie, lemon pie, hare pie, or badger pie, in which the respective shades are blended with white. Whole colours are not liked, and even black and tan without white is not generally popular. The “blue mottle ” is supposed to indicate a descent from the Southern hound, and is often accompanied by a tender nose. I have myself known several good examples of this last combination, and in consequence have a leaning to it. Curiously enough, however, they all had squeaky tongues, which would by no means prove their descent from the old-fashioned hound. The coat. should be short, hard, and dense, but glossy. , The stern is carried gaily over the back with a gentle curve, and should taper to a point. There should be a fringe of hair on the under side. = ie As to symmetry, it is considerable in good specimens; and what is called “ quality ” is highly regarded. ay The most desirable average height is 24 inches for dog hounds and 22} for bitches, but the height should vary according to the country. A big hound will not do for hills, while a little one ig comparatively useless over deep arable flats. V.—THE HARRIER. — ‘A pure harrier, without the slightest mixture of foxhound blood, is extremely rare in the present day, the most notable exceptions being the rough strains kept in Wales, and said to be descended from the old Southern hound. These are known as Welsh harriers, and there is no doubt that they differ greatly from the modern hound used for hunting hares throughout England. In Lancashire, Shropshire, and Cheshire, the Masters of several packs claim a pure harrier descent for their packs, and notably Sir Vincent Corbett, whose beautiful strain certainly can be held to be pure, if there is such a state of things anywhere. Without doubt they are descended from the best harrier blood ; but I should doubt whether such clean throats could be produced without recourse either to the THE HARRIER. 87 foxhound or to the source from which his peculiar shape has in all probability been derived, namely, the greyhound. As a matter of course, all harriers are at first sight distinguished from the fox- hound by their full ears, giving a different expression to the head : but, independently of this feature, they usually are longer and narrower in the face and head, and somewhat more hollow under the eye, which is also fuller and softer in expression. But the foxhound cross shows itself more in mental. than in physical pro- “ Gasper,” * a Harrier, and “ TRUEMAN,” + a Foxhound-Harrier. perties. There is a dash and tendency to cast forward for a failing scent rather than to return on it, that is peculiar to the foxhound cross,—how derived it is impossible to ascertain, as there is no other existing hound which possesses it. The bloodhound, otter- hound, and Welsh harrier, which are probably the oldest breeds of * “Grasper” by ‘‘Solomon” out of “Governess,” from the late Mr. Furze’s harrier pack in Devonshire. ‘{‘ Solomon” by Prince Albert’s “Solomon.” + “Trueman” by Mr. Lisle Phillipps’ harrier “Roman” out of ‘ Damsel.” “‘Dameel,” a pure foxhound bitch, only. 18 inches high, from the late Sir Richard Sutton’s kennel, and of the famous “Trueman.” blood, was by his ‘‘ Dexter.” 58 DOMESTICATED DOGS. hounds now in England, all have a tendency to dwell on the scent, and to cast backward rather than forward. Even the Gordon setter, which is supposed to be crossed with the bloodhound, exhibits this peculiarity in a marked degree, and in him it is often extremely difficult to get him away from the scent of birds gone away. On the other hand, in the pointer crossed with the foxhound there is none of this pottering, but so much forward dash as to lead to un- steadiness on the point. The advocates of the two styles of hunt- th i it ae ett “ Danuta,” * a pure Foxhound, used as Harrier. ing exhibited by the modern foxhound and by the remnants of the old Southern hound, whether harrier, otter-hound, or bloodhound, are of course loud in praise of their own protégés, and as much opposed to those of their rivals; but the fashion of the day being all in favour of progress, the foxhound “ has it” by a large majority. Nevertheless, my own experience leads me to put faith in the superior nose of the harrier or bloodhound; but then he wastes so * “Dahlia” is by the Duke of Rutland’s “Driver” out of the Bramhammoor “Dulcet.” She is 21 inches in height. THE HARRIER. 59 much time in making out a scent, that at the end of a mile or two it would become cold as compared with its state if followed by a foxhound for the same distance, and practically there is not so much difference as at first sight would appear. Thus, with a pack composed of one-half of each breed, when first laid on the cold scent of a hare, the harriers could “speak to it” with much more certainty than the foxhound ; but if left to themselves, they would not long keep the lead, and at the end of half an hour’s hunting they would all be tailed off, their rivals having worked up to their hare and been able to drive her into straight running. Still it must be confessed, that for those who like to watch the hunting powers of a hound regardless of time, and of riding also, the care- fal manner of the harrier, and the way in which he follows every turn and double of the hare, are of high interest; but I regret to say, that in these modern days few followers either of the fox or hare care for these things, and the kind of hound which makes hare-hunting most like fox-hunting is preferred, and that kind is undoubtedly the foxhound. Besides this difference in style of hunting, the true harrier resembles the bloodhound in tongue much more nearly than the foxhound, and their “cry ” is often melodious to a degree never reached by any foxhound cross. The points of the harrier may be numerically similar to those of the foxhound, but it will be necessary to repeat the deviations in shape as they occur. Points of the harrier :— VALUE VALUE Head, . . ‘ : 15 Elbows, 5 Neck, . a : . 5 Legs and feet, 20 Shoulders, : . . 10 Colour and coat, 5 Chest and back ribs, . 10 Stern, 5 Loin, . F : : 10 Symmetry, 5 Hind-quarters, . : . 10 Total, ore The head, as before remarked, is rather wider between the ears, and the face is longer and hollower under the eyes, which are softer and slightly larger ; ears unrounded, thin in leather, and soft in coat, falling slightly in folds, and nearly meeting on the nose, which is not quite so square as that of the foxhound, There are no absolute flews, but the lips are fuller than those of the foxhound. 60 DOMESTICATED DOGS. The neck is thinner and less round. than that of the foxhound, but except in the case of the Welsh harrier no “throatiness” is permitted. Still there is not the greyhound-like tightness so dear to the eye of the M.F.H. os % In the shoulders, chest, back, ribs, and loin no variation is visible, but the quarters are seldom so full and wide as-those of its rival. y : a The elbows are required to be straight, as indeed is thé case with all animals kept for work. ; ee BP) ly The legs and feet. should, as far as possible,‘resemble those of thé foxhound, but it is seldom that they are exhibited so extremely straight as I have described the model pasterns of the M.F.H. I need scarcely remark that my opinions on this point-are the same with regard to the legs of the two breeds. As to feet, there are no two opinions on these in either breed. oie ai The colours most in demand for the harrier are black, white, and tan, commonly called “the true hound colours,” but all thg- pies are met with nearly to the same extent. The coat is generally slightly softer than that of the foxhound, and on the stern a little more fringed. . . The stern is carried, as in the foxhound, gaily over the back, and has a similar root and tip. a “In symmetry the foxhound has a slight advantage, from the extra care and expense which have so long been devoted to: breed- ing him. The illustrations show the harrier as pure as it can be met with, and also the foxhound as used for hare-hunting. In size most harrier packs are under 20 inches, and “many are aslowas 16 inches. 7 The rough Welsh harrier resembles the otter-hound (to be pre- sently described) so closely, that I have only to refer my readers to the latter." £ VI—THE BEAGLE. Any English hound less than 16 inches in height is in ordinary language called a beagle, but in reality there is as great a differ- ence between a dwarf harrier or foxhound and a true beagle as between a bloodhound and a foxhound. The true beagle is a THE BEAGLE. 6; miniature specimen of the old Southern hound, except that, like almost all moderately-reduced dogs as to size, he possesses more symmetry than his prototype. Where, however, this reduction is carried to extremes, in order to produce a little hound capable of being carried in the pocket of a shooting-jacket, and slow enough to allow of his followers keeping up with him on foot; there is generally a loss of symmetry and of its ordinary accompaniment, a hardy constitution. In order to get a reduction of size in any | « BARMAID,” a Dwarf Beagle, bred by Lord Gifford.* breed, the smallest puppy in a litter is selected, and as this is also generally the most weakly, it is only to be expected that in course of time a constant repetition of such a selection will result in a loss of constitution. For this reason it has been found impossible to keep up a pack of beagles less than 9 or 10 inches in height ; and Mr. Crane of Linthorn House, ‘Dorset, who for some years maintained one, kept exclusively for hunting rabbits, never was ™ This beautiful little bitch, presented to Mrs. Chapman of Cheltenhain by Lord Gifford, is by Mr. Barker’s “ Ruler” out of his “ Bluebell.” Height, 124 inches. ' 62 DOMESTICATED DOGS. able to rear above one or two out of each litter, the remainder either dying in the nest or being lost afterwards from fits or dis- temper. Mr. J. Grimwood, of Stanton House, near Swindon, has a very beautiful little pack of somewhat larger size, averaging nearly 12 inches, and usually hunting hare; while Sir Thomas D. Lloyd, of Bromroyd, Carmarthenshire, breeds to a still higher standard. For many years Lord Caledon was famous for his beagles, with which he hunted hare in Tyrone, and they were said to be of the purest old blood; but never having seen them, I cannot speak from my own knowledge of their merits. Mr. Everett, of Abingdon, has been the most successful on the show bench, and has attained a high reputation in the field, his little hounds being able to account for sometimes a brace of hares in the day, after showing a good run with each. Some twenty years ago Mr.. Honeywood hunted over the Essex marshes on foot with pocket-beagles very little above Mr. Crane’s standard, but they were often unable to get up the banks of the drains when the water was low, and frequently required assistance to save them from drowning. The nose of the beagle when thus bred down to a very low standard is apt to be lost, and, according to my experience, no pack should, on this account, be less than 11 inches in height, and for sport I should prefer even 12 inches. Foot-beagles, generally hunting “drag,” sometimes hare, were kept by subscrip- tion throughout the country in almost every populous parish, for the purpose of giving exercise to the rising generation, but since the coming in with a rush of lawn-tennis they have gone out of fashion for this purpose, and very few packs are now kept, except by those who love the chase pure and simple, irrespective of the exercise it gives. Like the harrier, the numerical value of the beagle’s points is identical with that of the foxhound, but I shall repeat the scale for the sake of reference :— VALUE VALUE Head, . ; : : . 15 Elbows, . ; ; : oS Neck, . , > 5 Legs and feet, . : . 20 Shoulders, j : . 10 Colour and coat, . 5) Chest and back ribs, ‘ . Io Stern, . - 2, 5 Loin, . ‘ . 10 Symmetry, . : vay Hind- quarters, = oR ae Ke) —— Total, 4 . Ico THE OTTER-HOUND. 63 The head is wide and rather domed. Nose short and cut off square, but slightly tapering, as shown in the annexed engraving. Ears of full length and never rounded; they are thin in leather and hang in folds, but not so much so as in the bloodhound. In length across the head when spread out they should be from one- quarter to one-third more than the height at the shoulder. The eye is remarkably soft, rather full, and never weeping, which shows, when present, a spaniel cross. The neck is rather short and chumpy, with a tendency to ruff in the old strains, but no absolute throatiness. There is also in them a suspicion of dewlap, but in the modern strains these points are altogether absent. Shoulders rather wide apart, and not very sloping, but strong and muscular. Chest girthing nearly double the height at the shoulder, that is to say, about 13 to 1$ times. Back ribs often defective, but this point should be insisted on. Loin very muscular in both directions. Hind-quarters thick and breech wide; but stifles generally straight. Elbows apt to turn out or in, as in most dwarfed breeds. This should be carefully noticed in picking puppies. Legs and feet not of quite so much importance as in the larger hounds, but still these points must not be neglected. The colours are the same as with the previously described hounds. , Coat soft and. shining. Stern very thick at the root and tapering to a sharp point, carried, of course, “ hound-like ” over the back. Symmetry very great, except as before remarked in the smallest strains. The rough Welsh beagle is a reduced Welsh harrier in every respect. : VII.—THE OTTER-HOUND. Between a large Welsh harrier and an otter-hound no one but an expert could detect any difference, which, after all, will be found only to exist in the coat and feet, and then in a very slight 64 DOMESTICATED DOGS. degree. From their constant exposure to the water it is necessdry that they should have some further protection than the mere long open coat of the Welsh harrier, and no doubt, from selecting those hounds which stood the water best, it has come to pass that the otter-hound possesses a thick pily undercoat, which is, moreover, of a very oily nature. If, therefore, a specimen of each breed ig immersed in water, the one will come cut showing his shape like a half-drowned hare, while the coat of the other stands up and is only half wet. Again, in the feet there is a difference, owing also LWELLS, “ BELLMAN,” an Otter-Hound ; Pedigree unknown. to the Master’s selection of the best swimmers. A round cat-like foot is not here the desideratum, since the work is chiefly in the water, but an open one with plenty of web, spreading, when on the ground, in a way which would horrify the huntsman of the Quorn or the Pytchly. In all other respects the otter-hound is, like the Welsh harrier, a true descendant of the old Southern hound, and, like him, he dwells on a scent with the greatest gusto. In temper, also, he is very irritable, having so strong a, tendency THE GREAT DANE. 65 to fight in kennel, that, like the Kilkenny cats, there is sometimes only a tail or two left in the morning when the feeder enters the kennel. In sober truth, I have known six and a half couples found dead or dying after a night’s fighting, and with wounds of a most savage description, evidently made with malice aforethought. The bloodhound, as I have observed in treating of his temper, is savage enough, but he has not this peculiarly cruel tendency, which, no doubt, is developed from the selection of those hounds who best and bravest tackle their hard-biting quarry. As there are only these very trifling differences from the Welsh harrier and Southern hound, I shall not repeat the points which I have assigned to the former, the numerical value being the same, while the shape of feet and texture of coat are the only external differences, and these I have fully alluded to. VIIL—THE GREAT DANE. Within the last ten years the German boarhound has come into fashion in this country under the name of the Great Dane, having displaced the collie to a considerable extent from his position at the head of the larger class of companionable dogs. It is solely from this point of view that he is to be regarded here, as there are no boars to pursue, and he is not supposed to be used for any other purpose. In 1885 a club specially designed to promote the breeding of this dog was formed, and soon numbered thirty-eight members, under the presidency of the Earl of Lathom, and the vice-presidency of Mr. Adcock, who was the first advocate of the claims of the boar- hound, or Great Dane, to distinction. Separate classes had for some time been allotted to the Great Dane at most of our large shows, but in 1885 a special show was instituted in the grounds of the Ranelagh Club at Putney, and attracted a large entry. In 1886 thirty-eight Great Danes, including puppies, were entered at the summer show of the Kennel Club, the German bred “ Cedric the Saxon” gaining the first prize at each: With regard to the antiquity of this breed, there is no doubt that it is very great, having been painted by Teniers in many of his boar-hunting pictures, and well known long before his time. He E 66 DOMESTICATED DOGS, unites the strength of the mastiff with much of the elegance of the greyhound, and a first cross between these two breeds closely resembles him, being formerly common in this country under the name of the “ Keeper's dog.” He hunts chiefly by sight, but, like the greyhound, can readily be trained to use his nose. Not having been crossed with the bulldog, he is more easily kept under restraint The Great Dane. when excited than the mastiff, and on that account he is said to be more suitable as a companionable dog, The following has been drawn up by the Great Dane Club as Tue StTanpaRD oF Pornts. 1. General Appearance.—The Great Dane is not so heavy or massive as the mastiff, nor should he too nearly approach the grey- THE GREAT DANE. 67 hound in type. Remarkable in size and very muscular, strongly though elegantly built, movements easy and graceful; head and neck carried high, the tail carried horizontally with the back, or slightly upwards with a slight curl at the extremity. The minimum height and weight of dogs should be 30 inches and 120 lbs.; of bitches, 28 inches and 100 lbs, Anything below this should be debarred from competition. 2. Head long, the frontal bones very slightly raised, and very little indentation between the eyes. Skull not too broad. Muzzle broad and strong, and blunt at the point. Cheek muscles well developed. Nose large, bridge well arched. Lips in front perpendicularly blunted, not hanging too much over the sides, though with well-defined folds at the angle of the mouth. The lower jaw slightly projecting—about a sixteenth of an inch. Eyes small and round, with strong expression and deeply set. Ears very small, and greyhound-like in carriage when uncropped. They are, however, usually cropped. 3. Neck rather long, very strong and muscular, well arched, without dewlap or loose skin about the throat. The junction of head and neck strongly pronounced. 4. Chest not too broad, and very deep in brisket. s. Back not too long or short, loins arched and falling in a beautiful line to the insertion of the tail. : 6. Tail reaching to the hock, strong at the root, and ending fine with a slight curve. When excited it becomes more curved, but in no case should it curve over the back. 7. Belly well drawn up. 8. Fore-quarters.—Shoulders set sloping; elbows well under, neither turned in nor out. Leg forearm muscular, and with great development of bone, the whole leg strong and quite straight. 9. Hind-quarters.—Muscular thighs, and second thigh long and strong, as in the greyhound. Hocks well let down, and turning neither in nor out. 10. Feet large and round, neither turned in nor out. Toes well arched and closed. Nails very strong and curved. 11. Hair very short, hard, and dense, and not much longer than elsewhere on the under part of the tail. 12, Colour and Markings—The recognised colours are the 68 DOMESTICATED DOGS, various shades of grey (commonly termed “ blue”), red, black, or pure white, with patches of the before-mentioned colours, These colours are sometimes accompanied with markings of a darker tint about the eyes and muzzle, and with a line of the same tint (called a “trace”) along the course of the spine. The above ground colours also appear in the brindles, and in the mottled specimens. In the whole coloured specimens the china or wall eye but rarely appears, and the nose more or less approaches black, according’ to the prevailing tint of the dog, and the eyes vary in colour also. The mottled specimens have irregular patches or “cclours” upon the above-named ground colours, in some instances the clouds or markings being of two or more tints. With the mottled specimens the wall or china eye is not uncommon, and the nose is often parti-coloured or wholly flesh-coloured. . 13. Faults—Too heavy a head, too highly-arched frontal bone and deep ‘“‘step” or indentation between the eyes; large ears, and hanging flat to the face; short neck; full dewlap; too narrow or too broad a chest; sunken or hollow or quite straight back; bent fore-legs ; overbent fetlocks ; twisted feet; spreading toes; too heavy and much bent or too highly-curved tail, or with a brush underneath ; weak hind-quarters, and a general want of muscle. " IX._THE BASSET AND OTHER FRENCH HOUNDS. In France about twelve distinct breeds of hounds are met with, including the St. Hubert, the smooth hounds of La Vendée, the Brittany Red Hound, the grey St. Louis, the Gascony, the Nor- mandy, the Saintogne, the Poitou, the Bresse, the Vendée rough- coated hound, the Artois, and the little Basset, coupled with the Briguet. Of these, the grey St. Louis is almost extinct, and all the others, with the exception of the Basset, may be grouped with the St. Hubert and the Red Hound of Brittany. The former of these closely resembles the bloodhound, but some are white in colour, and of our old Talbot type. The La Vendée hounds, rough and smooth, approach very nearly to our English foxhound and otter-hound respectively. The Brittany is slightly rough, but not to the same extent as our Welsh foxhounds ; while the Gas- cony approaches to our old mottled blues. The Normandy is of ’ THE MODERN BASSET-HOUND. 69 the Vendée type, and the Saintogne also follows in that direction, as well as the Poitou. The Bresse comes nearest to our old-fashioned harrier; and lastly, they have the Bassets and Briguets. The Bri- guets, which are used for hunting, have been so crossed and recrossed that they are no longer a distinct type, and are rarely capable of definition. The varieties of the Basset are innumerable, some being black and tan, and common throughout the Black Forest and the Vosges, while the others are either tricoloured or blue mottled. The tricolour has lately been introduced into England in large numbers, having been first shown to the English visitors at the French show of 1863. Since that time, Mr. E. Millais, Mr. Khrehl, and other Englishmen, have imported them largely, and at our large shows a good class of each sex is generally to be met with. X.—THE MODERN BASSET-HOUND. These hounds are used in France for hunting hares, and in this country have been tried for that purpose, and found to be supe- rior to our modern beagles in point of nose. They are one of the oldest and purest breeds in France. The earliest French authority, Du Fouilloux, gives two illustrations of them in his “La Venerie.” In regard to these illustrations, I have noticed with some amusement that, although our ancient author describes them as “ bassets d’Artois,” yet a dachshund-fancier has claimed them to be representatives of his hobby-breed; whereas I should imagine that dachshunds (a later offshoot of the Flemish basset-hound) entered as little into the philosophy of Du Fouilloux as our own bull-terrier. Du Fouilloux explains the title “‘d’Artois,” by telling us that the breed originally came from that province and near-lying Flanders. He divided them into two varieties—the Artesian, “with full-crooked fore-legs. smooth coats, brave, and having double rows of teeth like wolves;” the Flemish, “‘straight-legged, rough-coated, black, and sterns curled like a horn.” This division was confirmed by two later old authors, Sélincourt and Leverrier de la‘Conterie. The last named expressed his preference for the Flemish, as being “faster; but they gave tongue badly, and were babblers;” he found the Artesians “ courageous in going to earth (as shown in Du Fouilloux’s engray- 70 DOMESTICATED DOGS. ing), long in the body, and with noble heads.” The descendants of the Flemish type still exist in the Forét Noire, in the Vosges, and, I believe, in the German dachshund, which, according to my theory, is descended from basset-hounds that found their way into South Germany (Wiirtemberg, the home of the dachshund) wid Alsace, and were there crossed with the terrier, to give them that individual courage that is lacking in the hound. The Artesian type is that with which English dog-show jabitués are now familiar. In the many political storms that have swept over France, carrying away her monarchical pageantry and the impos- ing ceremonies of the chase, many of that country’s ancient breeds became almost extinct. Amongst them the basset-hound fared a little better than its blood neighbours—the hounds of Artois, Normandy, Gascony, and Saintogne. Thanks to the sporting and patriotic instincts of a descendant of the old noblesse, Count’ le Couteulx de Canteleu, who spared neither trouble nor expense in his purpose, the smooth tricolour basset-hound of Artois has been preserved in allits purity. The breed was not revived; it had never died out, but it was necessary to search all over the “ basset” districts to find, in sportsmen’s kennels, the few true and typical specimens, and to breed from them alone. In these efforts on behalf of the old breeds he was greatly benefited by the valuable assistance of M. Pierre Pichot, editor of the Revue Britannique. Tt will be sufficient to divide the basset-hounds of to-day into two groups—the rough and smooth. The former are of Vendéan extraction, a branch of one of the original breeds. They have rough hard coats, with a woolly undergrowth, and are generally white, with lemon markings, or else iron-grey, like our otter- hounds, which they so closely resemble that, if one can imagine an otter-hound reduced in size and put on short legs, he will have the Basset-Griffon before him. Their legs are very short, usually straight or demi-torse, bodies low, strongly built, and not very long. They are very hardy, and equal to any rough work. Mr. Macdona’s “ Romano,” often ex- hibited in variety classes, is of this type. It is, however, with the smooth and nobler race that I will now deal. ‘These are inseparably connected with the famous kennel of Chateau St. Martin, and hounds of Count Couteulx’s strain are now THE MODERN BASSET-HOUND. 71 as highly prized and eagerly sought for in England as in France. They are very aptly described by the French writer De la Blanchére as “large hounds on short legs.” It is the massiveness of these miniature hounds that first strikes a stranger’s fancy. The curious formation of their body and limbs, the grand head, and brilliant colouring combine to make a whole that is quaint and pic- The Basset-Hound. turesque, and in harmony with medieval character. They are the dogs one expects to see on tapestries or roaming about castle-keeps. There are few more useful all-round dogs to the sportsman than the basset-hound. In France this is well known and appreciated, and in a very short time people in this country will learn to value their marvellous powers of scent and peculiar manner of hunting. Deer and roebuck driving is their particular work, and no one can fail to see that a little low hound on crooked legs, with a nose never 72 , DOMESTICATED DOGS. at fault, and a throat full of deep melodious music, is better than a lame or broken-legged terrier for the purpose. If the full-crooked be found slow, the demi-torse will prove to have plenty of pace. They are capital to shoot any sort of fur to, hares, rabbits, deer, roebuck, &c. Two or three are sent into a covert, and the guns take their positions according to the runs, or where the music directs them. ‘They are very clever at “ringing” out the game, and in small woods they drive the quarry about so slowly that one has plenty of time to get ahead and shoot it in a crossing. Deer and hares will actually play before the little hounds, stopping to listen to them coming. Though ground game is their special occupation, yet they are also employed to put up birds, pheasants, &c. They are chiefly used with the gun abroad, but there are several packs which hunt, like our beagles, rabbits, hares, &c. They usually kill a hare in two or three hours. The extent of “crook” and the respective merits of “ torse” and “demi-torse ” have excited some attention amongst breeders. As the result of my inquiries made of French sportsmen on 1 this subject, it can be taken that both are equally pure, both shapes of fore-legs occurring in the same litter, and buyers must choose whichever best suits their sport. In the show ring, with two dogs of equal merit in all other points, I should decide in favour of the full- crooked, as being harder to breed, more in keeping with the bizarre appearance of the dog, and because the bloodhound character is usually more conspicuous in the torse, though I have seen full- crooked specimens without bloodhound type, and _half-crocked with it. The following is the value of the points :— Points oF THE Basset-Hounp. VALUE VALUE Head, skull, eyes, muzzle, Back, loins, and hind-quarters, 10 and flews, ‘3 r 15 Stern, ‘ : « 5 Ears, . 85 Coat and skin, . . 10 Neck, dewlap, chest, and Colour and markings, 15 shoulders, ‘ 2 - Io “Basset charatter” and sym- Forelegs and feet, . . 15 metry, Z 5 45 Grand total 2 SY : : . 100 THE DACHSHUND. 73 _ 1. Head.—The head of the basset-hound is most perfect when it closest resembles a bloodhound’s. It is long and narrow, with heavy flews, occiput prominent, la bosse de la chasse, and forehead wrinkled to the eyes, which should be kind, and show the haw. The general appearance of the head must present high breeding and reposeful dignity; the teeth are small, and the upper jaw sometimes protrudes. This is not a fault, and is called the bec de lidvre, 2. Hars very long, and when drawn forward folding well over the nose—so long that in hunting they will often actually tread on them; they are set on low, and hang loose in folds like drapery, the ends inward curling, in texture thin and velvety. 3. Weck.—Powerful, with heavy dewlaps. Elbows must not turn out. The chest is deep, full, and framed like a “man-of- war.” Body long and low. 4. Fore-legs.—Short, about 4 in., and close-fitting to the chest till the crooked knee, from where the wrinkled ankle ends in a massive paw, each toe standing out distinctly. 5. Stifles.—Bent, and the quarters full of muscle, which stands out so that, when one looks at the dog from behind, it gives him a round, barrel-like effect. This, with their peculiar waddling gait, goes a long way towards basset character—a quality easily recognised by the judge, and as desirable as terrier character in a terrier. : 6. Stern.—Coarse underneath, and carried hound fashion. 7. Coat.—Short, smooth, and fine, and has a gloss on it like that of a race-horse. To get this appearance they should be hound-gloved, never brushed. Skin loose and elastic. 8. Colour.—Black, white, and tan. The head, shoulders, and quarter a rich tan, and black patches on the back. They are also sometimes hare-pied. XI.—_THE DACHSHUND. Owing to the termination of the name, this little dog is often considered in this country to be a hound, but the German word hund means simply dog, and not hound, as is supposed by many. He is merely a “ badger-dog,” as far as name goes, and though his 74 DOMESTICATED DOGS. use on the Continent of Europe is not confined to the chase of the badger, yet a very large proportion of the dogs used for that pur- pose are dachshunds. In the vineyards of Germany and France the badger abounds, and he is hunted partly for sport, and partly to get rid of an intruder, who would, if left undisturbed, materi- ally reduce the crop of grapes. The dachshund is also used by The Dachshund. gamekeepers to drive game to the gun, and notably roedeer, which are apt to head back if driven forcibly or with any amount of noise. For these two purposes two distinct strains are employed —the one with crooked but very strong legs, for burrowing after the badger ; the other with straight ones, but still too short to give any great pace, intended for driving game. Both are’ terriers rather than hounds, and have the squeaky tongue of the former, THE DACHSHUND. 75 so distinct from the bell-like note of the true hound. The temper of all the dachshund strains is short and crusty, little under con- trol of the master, and leading the animal into constant fights, both in kennel and out of it. This little dog hunts the foot-scent with his nose low on the ground, and his natural love of hunting something is so great, that he often imagines a scent where none exists ; and I have seen a young dog, which had never been intro- duced to any kind of game hunt a large garden for hours, with as much keenness as if half a dozen badgers were on foot, where he must of necessity have been imagining a scent all the time. In this feature he resembles the highly-bred setter, who is inclined to make imaginary points when no real ones can be made out. His worst point is, that he cannot be made to submit to control; and, slow as he is, he must be hunted in a leash if he is used for track- ing wounded deer. Fortunately he does not care for feather, or it would be impossible to keep poultry where a dachshund is loose, for he would destroy every fowl within his reach, it being impos- sible to break him from the game which he fancies. This little dog was, I believe, first introduced into England by the late Prince Consort, who, about thirty years ago, imported several from the kennels of Prince Edward of Saxe-Weimar, and used them in the Windsor Forest coverts for pheasant-shooting. His example was soon followed; and in 1869 we find Mr. J. F. Forbes winning a prize at Birmingham in the extra class for his “Satan,” who, however, was a dachsdecker rather than a dachs- hund. In the following year Mr. Fisher obtained a similar distinction with his “Feldman,” a very neat whole tan of the Saxe- Weimar breed, with which he laid the foundation of his cele- brated kennel, winning with him individually between thirty and forty prizes, but succumbing in 1872 to the Harl of Onslow’s “ Waldmar.” In 1873 a‘special class for this breed was made both at ‘the Crystal Palace and Birmingham shows, Mr. Hodge’s “ Erdman ” winning at the former, and Mr. Fisher being again in front with “Feldman” at the latter. Since that time all our important ex- hibitions have had their dachshund class, and the breed became so fashionable that in 1876 a show dachshund was worth from £20 to 450. Ofcourse, with this high market value, no time was lost 76 DOMESTICATED DOGS. in importing specimens by the score ; and Mr. Schuller, I believe, brought over fully two hundred dogs in that and the following year. Latterly, however, either from the breed not being gene- rally approved of, or from caprice, the market price has gone down, and a moderately good dog can be got for £5 or £10, He is now seldom seen in Rotten Row led by a lady, as was the fashion in 187576, for it would be idle to attempt to keep one at heel there or elsewhere, such is the uncontrollable nature of his temperament. The following is the numerical value of the points of the dachshund :— VALUE VALUE Head, . ‘ : . Io Stern, . : ; . 10 Jaws, . : . . 10 Coat, . : - 5 Ears, eyes, and lips, 10 Colour, : : ‘ Io Neck and body, . : 15 Size and symmetry 5 Legs and feet, . ; . 20 Quality, : : 5 Total, . : - 100 The head is long and slightly arched. Occiput wide and skull narrowing rapidly to the eyes. Head and neck connected in a snake-like form, with a very obtuse angle, and little or no occi- pital protuberance. Eyebrows low, and scarcely raised above the general line of face. The jaws are long and tapering to the nose, which is small and pointed, but cut off nearly square, not pig-jawed. The masseter muscles of the cheeks are very full, and being so, give the face an appearance of hollowness under the eyes which is not strictly present. Teeth level, strong, and even; skin covering the face tight and without wrinkle. Ears, Hyes, and Lips.—The ears are set on farther back than in any English dog, and, though high, by no means pricked. This position of the ear is very remarkable, and distinguishes the dachs- hund from all his congeners. In the hound, pointer, and setter the front edge of the ear approaches the eye, but in the dachshund it is opposite the junction of the head and neck, or a very little in advance of that point. The ear itself is large, but not so large in proportion as that of the bloodhound, being generally about three- fourths of the length of the head and face; sometimes, however, THE DACHSHUND. 77 considerably more. The leather is very thin, and the hair cover- ing it fine, soft, and glossy. The eyes are of medium size, bright and intelligent, without any visible “haw;” rich brown in black and tan dogs, and pale brown in the tan variety. Lips short and without flew. Neck and Body.—The main characteristics of these points is their length in proportion to height and bulk. The general appearance is weasel-like, and the whole length from tip of nose to tip of tail should be four times the height, in this proportion resembling the Skye terrier. The neck is rather long, but not in proportion to the body, and it should be free from throatiness, tapering gradually from the skull to the chest. The brisket projects considerably, and is only from 24 to 3 inches from the ground. The chest is round and short: in the back ribs, while the loin is arched and strong, the flanks being tucked up in a very peculiar manner, giving an elegant curve to the hinder parts. Shoulders strong and their points wide apart. Legs and Feet.—A good deal of controversy exists on the proper formation of these parts. Many good judges contend for fore-legs so crooked as to be clearly rickety, while others prefer a leg of more useful formation. The excuse for the crooked leg is that it compels a slow pace, and that it allows the dog to scrape the soil back between the bowed fore-legs when digging in a badger-earth. My own belief is, that the bandy-leg has no such advantage; but it must be admitted that the German fanciers, as a rule, ‘go in” for this peculiar formation. In any case, the legs should be strong in bone, and so short as to lift the breast- bone only for the distance above mentioned from the ground. Even if bandy, the elbows should not turn out nor in, the latter point being a special defect, but they must stand well out from the body, so as to be, on the average, 6 inches apart, while the knees should not be more than 2} inches; the closer the better. From the knees the feet turn outwards again, and are often 4 or 5 inches apart at the ground, but from pad to pad should not be more than 3} inches. This formation is strongly commented on by German fanciers. In spite of their peculiar shape, the fore-legs must not be weak, and, in particular, the knees must be strong and the pasterns large in bone. The feet are rather large, but the 78 DOMESTICATED DOGS. pads should be firm, and should be covered with thick and hard horn. The claws should be dark. On the hind-legs there are often dew-claws, but they are not regarded as typical points. The hind-legs are longer in proportion than the fore-legs, being only slightly bent at the stifles. They are shaped with great elegance, and are by no means so muscular as the fore-legs. The second thigh is very short, and the calf well developed, but not clumsily so. Quarters wide rather than deep. Feet small and round, and inclining forward nearly on a straight line, the hocks being very slightly in and the feet out. The stern is moderately long, strong at the root, and tapering to a fine point. It is carried gaily over the back in a hound-like manner, resembling the Dandie Dinmont terrier in this respect. The coat is glossy and smooth, but hard and wiry, except on the ears, where it must be soft and silky. Colour.—The experts are by no means agreed as to the com- parative value of tan and black and tan, but between these two and any other colour there is no room for doubt. Sometimes, even in good strains, a whole black or chocolate puppy occurs, occasion- ally a liver and tan of varying shade, and even a hare or badger pie ; but these colours are not fancied, and should, as far as possible, be bred out. If whole tan, the nose should be black, not flesh colour, and the nails also dark. The chocolate or liver colour is almost always attended by a flesh-coloured nose, which is supposed to indicate softness of constitution and want of courage. If black and tan, the black should be rich and unmixed with the tan, which should be confined to the spots over the eyes and on the cheeks, the lower parts of the body and tail, and the legs and feet. On the cheek the tan should not run to the eye, which must be set in black. A black line or two extend up the legs, resembling the pencilling of the English terrier, but not in so distinct a shape. No white is permitted on the toes, breast, or forehead in a perfect specimen, but a star.on the breast generally occurs. Any large quantity of white in the shape of a “pie” indicates a cross with the French basset or German “ dachsdecker.” Size and Symmetry.—In size the dog should measure, on the average, about 40 inches from tip to tip, and 10 inches in height. Weight from 11 to 18 lbs, The bitch is considerably less in all THE FOX-TERRIER. 79 dimensions as well as weight, The symmetry of the dachshund is very great when the fore-légs are not too much twisted, but, in any case, the hind-quarters should be turned with elegant lines. Quality—Few dogs show more quality than the dachshund, owing to the careful way in which he has long been bred in Germany and the bordering countries, XII—THE FOX-TERRIER (ROUGH AND SMOOTH). (4.) THE SMOOTH FOX-TERRIER. For the last fifteen years this pretty little dog has been the favourite companion of “ Young England,” and has lately shared the favours of the other sex with the collie, the dachshund, and the black poodle. Probably not one per cent. of our exist- ing fox-terriers have ever come across the scent of a fox, either in their own persons or in those cf their immediate progeni- tors, but in most cases the strain is derived from some ances- tor famous in his or her time for prowess against the reputed natural enemy of the race. Thus we find a large proportion of the modern winners at our shows going back to “Jock,” “Trap,” “Grove Pepper,” “Grove Nettle,’ “Grove Tartar,” the “Quorn Fussy,” or some other well-known dog or bitch regularly entered to fox ; but, on the other hand, a much larger number cannot lay claim to a foxhound-kennel pedigree in the remotest degree, and are only set down in the stud-book as by “Fox” out of “ Vic,” or some similarly indefinite parentage. Of course there are “ Foxes ” and “ Foxes,” but the particular ‘‘ Fox” is quite as likely to be some unknown animal as to be the son of old “ Jock,” belonging to Mr. Cropper, which would entitle him to be considered A-1 on the side of his sire. Such shape and colour as will entitle the possessor to a chance of a prize are considered as far more impor- tant than pedigree, and wlien they are sufficient, the dog is entered as by “nobody’s Jack out of somebody’s Jill,” and all is done which is required by “the fancy.” Of course a first-class pedigree enhances the value in the market; but it is seldom that perfection in all respects can be attained, and as this kind of dog is now 80 DOMESTICATED DOGS. seldom used for entering a fox-earth, pedigree is not so necessary as in the case of a greyhound, foxhound, pointer, or setter, where performance goes even before good looks. - Until within the last thirty or forty years, terriers were attached in twos and threes to most foxhound-packs, and in some countries drew the coverts with them, keeping at the tail of the pack when running if the pace was not very good, and even if it was so, The Fox-Terrier, Smooth and Rough. generally managing to make up their leeway at each check, As the fields of horsemen became larger the poor little “ follower” was constantly ridden over in his attempt to get to the front, and so it came to pass that he was usually left at home or sent to some farmhouse near the earths likely to be entered on the day in question. Many packs rely on chance for the nearest terrier, and, THE FOX-TERRIER. 81 as a consequence, the veritable foxhound terrier entered to his: game is rare indeed. Most of the best modern strains trace back to the Wynnstay blood or that of Mr. Foljambe, and, as a natural consequence, Mr. John Walker, formerly huntsman to Sir Watkyns Wynn, was regarded as the oracle from whom we might expect the words of wisdom required to define the properties and points of the breed. But: since the above strains were mostly white and tan, what is called “the true hound colour,” viz., white marked with black and tan, was not at first so much de rigewr as it now is; for though many white and red and white and black fox-terriers get first prizes, yet the hound colour with most judges wipes out many trifling blots which would otherwise keep the individual in th H.C. division. The origin of this colour is said by the admirers of the breed to have been a cross with the black and tan English terrier, but others allege that the beagle has been resorted to, adducing the close-falling ear as a proof of their theory. Certainly, with the exception of the: Dandie Dinmont and the dog now under con- sideration, none of the terriers have ears falling close to the cheeks, and I see no reason to suppose that breeders would take the trouble in either case to obtain by selection a property entirely in opposition to that already displayed by the best examples of either. Without doubt it would be easy enough to do so in course of time, as we all know what can be done by careful selection ; but my long experience teaches me that, when such changes have occurred, they have been accidental, and not the result of a plan laid down beforehand, unless some good purpose was: to be answered, which is certainly not the case with the ears of fox- terriers. Formerly they were, like all other terriers, carefully _ cropped; and no doubt it was because the natural ear kept out the earth from the internal passages that the practice was dis- continued; but the half-pricked ear of the English terrier answers this purpose equally well, as it is only the soil falling from the roof of the earth which can enter the passage, not that thrown back by the feet of the dog in his digging. Hence I can only account for this departure from the true terrier form of ear in both of these breeds by supposing a cross with some other dog, F 82 DOMESTICATED DOGS. and I believe the dachshund to be the source of the large falling ear in the one, and the beagle of the other. ‘This theory is supported by the peculiar temper of the Dandie, to which I shall refer in treating of that breed, and by the thick, “cobby,” and beagle-like frames which fox-terriers now often show, and specially. those of the hound colour. As long as fox-terriers were only used for “marking” foxes at their earths, and aiding the digger in his operations, nose was not much required, for the scent of the fox is so strong as to be easily made out when in his earth; but when they became the fashionable companions of our rising generation, they were required to hunt hedgerows for rabbits, and then a cross with the beagle began to be of use. About thirty years ago I had several litters between the rough Scotch terrier of those days and the beagle, for retrieving purposes, and the produce exactly resembled the modern rough fox-terrier in ear and shape of body, so that the above theory on this point is not entirely unsupported by facts. As in the case of the Dandie, I do not expect a con- fession of this practice having been adopted, for, like the bulldog cross, it would be stigmatised as a derogation; but I confess I cannot in any other way account for the peculiar close-falling ear of the modern fox-terrier. At the same time, I do not attach much importance to this explanation, nor, indeed, to any other historically reputed fact in regard to dogs. All, as it seems to me, that is necessary, is to take each breed as it exists, and estimate its bodily and mental characteristics by the standard of utility, either in carrying out the intentions of man as far as regards the particular kind of work required, or in pleasing his eye by symmetry and colouring. It should be remembered that in the early dog shows from 1859 to 1863, the fox-terrier was ignored altogether, no class being assigned to him, owing to the fact that the breed, though existing in certain foxhound kennels, was not known beyond them. Even at the great London Inter- national Show of May 30, 1863, no class for this breed was made; and, as far as I recollect, no fox-terrier appeared among the “white smooth-haired terriers,” as was the case at the Birmingham Show of 1862, when the afterwards celebrated “Jock” took the first prize in that class, though not, strictly speaking, conforming to its requirements either in colour or other points. In 1863 Mr. THE FOX-TERRIER. 83 John Walker of Wrexham, to whom I have already alluded, and Mr. Cornelius Tongue (“Cecil”), impressed upon the Birmingham Committee the importance of the breed, and ever since that time it has been growing into the notice both of the promoters of our shows and of the general public, so that it is by no means un- common to find the fox-terrier classes making up a fifth or even @ quarter of a whole show in point of numbers, and drawing to their benches fully one-half of the spectators. As this breed thus crept into the favour of the public from a state of obscurity, it was to be expected that opinions on its size and shape should vary according to the point of view from which it was examined. Thus the hunting man said, “I must have a: dog small enough to enter an earth; not too savage, because I want him to bark rather than to bite, for foxes are too precious in my eyes to be killed under ground. My limit in point of weight is therefore 16 lbs.” “Oh!” says the young Oxonian in reply, “I don’t want anything of the kind. What I require is a dog which will follow me on horseback, if I desire a companion in my rides, without being outpaced, and will hunt rabbits for me all day long. My dog should be 20 Ibs. at least.” Now, who is to decide between these two fox-terrier fancies? The hunting man says, “‘ Well and good! I don’t object to your dog, but he should not be called a fox-terrier ;” and here I think he has his opponent hard and fast, for, as the controversy is always in reference to show prizes, the definition of the class in question is always for “‘fox-terriers.” Still, irrespective of the question of prizes, it is clear that the fox-terrier of the present day is more frequently required as a companion than as a persecutor of foxes; and if he is to go beyond the duties of the companion, and is required to hunt, his game is far more frequently the rabbit than the fox; and a dog of 20 lbs. is not too large for that purpose, nor is the beagle cross objectionable, if it really exists. The fanciers of this dog should first agree as to his duties, and then it will be time to settle his size and other qualities; but til] then, unless an absurd stress is placed on the prefix “fox,” the promoters of our shows will do well to have. two or even three classes, in which the weight is made to fix the limits of each, Having adverted to this much-vexed question, it now only 84 DOMESTICATED DOGS. remains to refer to another, which some years ago agitated fanciers. quite as much, viz., the propriety or otherwise of the bulldog cross. Here again the distinct objects for which this terrier is kept are lost sight of; for admitting that the bull-cross spoils the. fox-terrier gud fox, it does not interfere with his rabbiting or attending on his master as a companion. For bolting foxes it often incapacitates the terrier, because it makes him savagely lay hold of the fox and keep hold, thereby not only interfering with his own proper vocation, but preventing the fox from bolting if he has an opportunity. All huntsmen are agreed on this question, and dislike any cross of the bulldog beyond a very remote one; so that as long as the fox-terrier is judged as a dog intended to go to ground after fox, so long must the bull-cross be condemned, if it is so near as to show itself in the decided form of a short full jaw and underhung teeth. But as every one who has possessed a bull-terrier admits his companionable qualities and his excellent hunting powers, so it must be admitted that the fox-terrier in- tended as a companion is none the worse for a cross of the bull. From the strict M.F.H. point of view the following are the points of the fox-terrier :— VALUE VALUE Head, jaws, and ears, . 15 Feet, . Io Neck, . 5 Stern, a5 Shoulders and chest, 15 Coat, . 5 Back and loin, . 15 Colour, 5 Fore and hind quarters, 5 | Symmetry and size, 10 ‘Legs, ‘ , . Io | pes | Total, . . 100 The head should be flat and narrow rather than wide, but not so narrow as to indicate weakness. It should taper from the ears to the nose, with a slight hollow in front of the brows, but no very marked stop. The jaws should be rather. long and tapering, the, bone strong and the muscle closing them prominent at the cheek, but not swelling out as in the bulldog, a cross of which breéd is to be deprecated. The cheek-bones should be clearly eut with a very slight hollow. - Teeth level and strong. An under- hung mouth indicates the bull- -cross, and is to be penalised.. End ofthe nose black ;, a cherry nose is very objectionable, and a. white THE FOX-TERRIER. 85 or spotted one almost worse. The eyes should be small and by no means prominent. . Edges of the eyelids dark. ars small and V-shaped, set close to the cheeks with the points looking forward and downward, not hanging hound-like. Pricked, tulip, or rose ears, as being indications of the bull-cross, should never be allowed. The neck should be light yet muscular, with a pretty sweep in it upper lines. No throatiness is to be allowed. Shoulders and chest.—Whether the dog should be 14 lbs. or 18 Ibs. in weight, there can be no question that his chest must not be much larger than that of the animal whose earth he is required to enter; and this really should be the limitation as to size rather than the weight. Thus a 20-lb. dog, if made with a chest girthing 17 or 18 inches, can enter an earth which is beyond the power of another weighing only 16 lbs. but measuring 19 or 20 inches round, and especially if the chest of the former is round: while that of the latter is as keel-shaped as the greyhound’s. In a little dog of 15 or 16 lbs., I should, therefore, consider a moderately deep chest to be an advantage, giving room for the play of his lungs without that width which is detrimental to a free gallop. On the other hand, in a 20-lb. dog the chest must be round, or it is impossible for him to do his duty as a fox-terrier, and there must be no keel for the same reason. Of course, with the wide chest the shoulders cannot be very long and oblique, and this being the case, the dog of this formation may be excused for exhibiting them in a somewhat upright form. On the other hand, the little compact dog must be expected to possess them oblique and yet muscular, since he is required to dig, and if he is not so furnished he should suffer accordingly at the hands of the judge. Back and loin—The back of this dog is not required to be specially strong, but only sufficiently so to keep up his forequarters to their work underground, and to maintain a good pace when on the gallop. Deep back ribs are demanded, indicating a good con- stitution, and also as strengthening the back without increasing weight. The loin also should be of corresponding strength. The hind-quarters should be foxhound-like, that is to say, straight in the stifles rather than much bent, as in the greyhound. ‘A long maintenance of pace is required rather than a very fast 86 DOMESTICATED DOGS. one for a short distance in both breeds, and for this purpose short levers answer better than very long ones. The hocks should be straight over the backs of the hind-feet. The quarters should not droop, and they should be full of muscle. The fore-quarters, from the shoulder-joints to the arm, should be powerful; elbows placed quite straight and well let down. The legs should be bony and straight, so as to play freely in parallel planes. Ankles strong, and showing no diminution of size below the knee. Lower thigh and fore-arm well clothed with muscle. The feet are cat-like and of fair average size. The horn cover- ing the pads should be thick and hard. There are usually no dew claws on the hind-legs, but nevertheless a great many well-bred dogs possess them, and as in most other breeds, I do not think this a point of any great importance. The stern is carried gaily, but not quite hound-like. It is usually cropped to about one-third its natural length. The coat is hard, thick, and glossy; skin tight without being “ hide-bound.” The colour is always white, with more or less marking of black mixed with tan (hound colour), lemon, or black. Brindle spots are objected to as indicating the bull-cross, and liver as indicat- ing mongrel blood. Symmetry and size-—In the former point the fancier looks for proportions of the most elegant description consistent with the requisite power. Combined with these should appear a large amount of that indescribable feature called quality. As to size, I have already dilated upon it fully. (B) THE ROUGH FOX-TERRIER. The rough fox-terrier is still more modern than his smooth brother, as far as shows are concerned; no distinct class for the breed having been made until 1872, when the Glasgow officials offered a prize for “the best rough fox-terrier,” and their example has since been followed at all the large exhibitions of dogs at Birmingham, London, &. Nevertheless, though not called a fow- terrier, the breed has existed for the last fifty years to my certain THE ROUGH FOX-TERRIER. 87 knowledge, having myself possessed and seen many specimens of it fully as long ago. The Rev. John Russell in the West of England was long famous for his strain of rough terriers, so closely resembling the modern dogs exhibited by Mr. Sanderson, Mr. Carrick, and Mr. Lyndsay Hogg as to be inseparable by any ordinary test. It is true that the ears may not have complied with modern requirements, because they were invariably cropped, and I never saw one with full ears. Mr. Radcliffe’s (Shropshire) breed of rough terriers certainly had tulip ears, and on that account were refused prizes at the London and Birmingham shows ten years ago, perfect as they were in every other point. For these reasons I cannot positively assert that the modern rough fox- terrier is identical with the old-fashioned dog known in Eng- land as the Scotch terrier, but in all other respects he closely resembles him. The rough fox-terrier may be regarded in all respects as similar to his smooth brother, with the exception of his coat, which on the body and legs should be about twice the length of that on the smooth dog, with the addition of a thick under-pile of a woolly nature, and furnished, like that of the otter-hound, with a certain amount of oil, secreted by the glands of the skin, so as to resist the action of water. Mr. Carrick, the Master of the Carlisle Otter-hounds, purchased Mr. Sanderson’s “Venture” from Mr. Wootton, who had bought the whole team in 1873, and has used him since that time with his hounds, and also as a stud-dog for improving his old breed of terriers, in which capacity he has been most useful. In the water his coat is said to stand exposure quite as well as the otter-hound’s; and for those who want remarkably hardy dogs, without doubt the rough fox-terrier is better adapted than the smooth, who is often furnished with a soft silky coat which admits the rain to the skin almost in a worse manner than if it was bare. On the jaws a slight beard only is considered to be the correct thing, and in this point perhaps the modern dog is not exactly like the old-fashioned one, who had certainly a stronger and somewhat longer beard in most cases, but this difference is not enough to constitute a new and distinct breed. As far as my knowledge goes (and I have seen all the first-prize takers hitherto exhibited), the rough fox-terrier of the present day does not show 88 DOMESTICATED DOGS. quite so thick and “cobby” a body as the smooth, but his ear has the same size and shape, so that however.this point has been obtained by the one, the same process. must most probably have been adopted by the breeders of the other. The diminution of beard would lead to the supposition that Mr..Sanderson’s dogs are a cross between the smooth fox-terrier (possibly already modified by the beagle cross) and the old-fashioned rough dog; and their possession of the under-pile in their coats, which I do not recollect to have, existed in the latter, would lead me to believe that the Bedlington has been resorted to; but the body coat is too hard and wiry to induce the belief that this dog and the smooth fox- terrier are alone responsible for ‘‘ Venture,” “ Turpin,” ‘and Co. The dog attains maturity so soon that several crosses may be carried out in a very few years, and a new breed can thus be manufactured to order by any single individual, certainly within ten years, and generally in half that time, always supposing that its elementary points are already in existence. No dog is more available as a young man’s companion than the subject of the present article, but he is not so well suited to the ladies’ room, as his coat is apt to come off and disfigure her dress and carpet. With the single exception of the coat, the points of the rough fox-terrier resemble those of the smooth, and I need not therefore repeat them here. It is only necessary to substitute the above description of his coat for that given in the points of the smooth dog at page 86. The numerical value is the same. XIIL—THE HARD-HAIRED SCOTCH TERRIER. Until very recently no such breed as the above was recognised at our shows, where the only representatives of it were shown, first, when used for sporting purposes as rough fox-terriers, and, secondly, as toys which no doubt have been carefully bred from the original by selecting those possessed of the most lady-like coats and of the most beautiful blue and fawn colours. In Ireland a terrier closely resembling him is preserved and prized as he deserves, and may be considered to have, phcenix-like, risen from the ashes of the Scotch terrier. “ Peto,” the dog I selected twenty- five years ago to represent the breed, was absolutely bred in Scot- THE HARD-HAIRED SCOTCH TERRIER. 89 land, and a better vermin-killing animal I never saw. I bred from him and a beagle bitch several litters for retrieving purposes, which they fulfilled extremely well; but as his ears were cropped, I have no knowledge of what would have been their shape when entire, nor, indeed, was the resultant cross left uncropped, as I preferred preserving the terrier character as then known rather than that of the beagle. “ Pero,” a Scotch Terrier. Up to the year 1875 an attempt was made to keep the breed before the public by nominally allotting to it a class; but when the prizes in it always fell to such dogs as Mrs. Foster's “ Dun- dreary ” and Miss Alderson’s “ Mozart,” as was the case in 1873, the class was abandoned and special ones constituted for wire- haired terriers, to exclude the Halifax strain, which was defined as “ broken-haired.” But alas for our poor Scottish friend! No sooner was the nationality dropped than Mr. Sanderson’s rough breed of fox-terriers came to the front, and since that time they kept there until about the year 1880. go DOMESTICATED DOGS. It is admitted that the Scotch dog, as described below, with the sanction of nearly every well-known breeder of the present day, is of great antiquity, and it must not be confounded with the over- sized, long-backed dogs, with large and heavily feathered ears, whose traces of Skye ancestry are evident to those who understand. the two breeds from which they spring. In fact, it is in the ears The Hard-Haired Scotch Terrier. ; that one of the chief characteristics of the Scotch terrier lies, for all unite in agreeing that they should be small, and covered with a velvety coat—not large, and fringed with hair like a prick-haired Skye terrier. As regards the carriage of the ear, the opinions of those best qualified to judge are a little divided between the merits of a perfectly erect and half-drop ear; but all unite in their con- demnation of a perfectly drop, button, or fox-terrier ear. As to {THE HARD-HAIRED SCOTCH TERRIER, gI the half-drop ear, which stands erect, but falls over at the tip, half covering the orifice, a large, very large, majority of modern breeders agree in preferring the small, erect, sharp-pointed one; though all would probably hesitate to pass over a really good terrier who had half-prick ears. Another great feature in the Scotch terrier is his coat, which should be intensely hard and wiry, and not too long, and is well described in the appended scale of points, which bears the signatures of nearly all the leading breeders of the day. As a dead-game animal, the Scotch terrier is not to be surpassed by any breed except bulls or bull-terriers, but the courage of the _latter dogs is so exceptional that it is no disrespect to any other dog to place them for pluck in a class by themselves, and, pound for pound, there is no dog but a bull-terrier who can beat the hard-haired Scotchman by far. Still, he has a natural advantage over the bull-terrier, for his hard coat and thickly padded feet enable him to go through whins and over rocky places where the other would be useless, and lie is far more easy to control, though naturally of a rather pugnacious disposition. His intelligence and love of home, his pluck, docility, and affection for his master, should make him a favourite with all who want a varmint dog; and nobody who once gets a good one, of the right style and stamp, will care to let him go. Points oF THE Harp-Hatrep ScotcH TERRIER. VALUE VALUE VALUE Skull, . : <§ Neck, . : 5 | Coat, . : . 20 Muzzle, ; 5 Chest, . ie 5 Size, . . .« IO Eyes, . 3 oo 5 Body, . : . 10 | Colour, : . 24 Ears, . ‘ . 10 | Legs and feet, . 10 | Generalappearance, 10 — | Tail, . : . 23