o THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESENTED BY PROF. CHARLES A. KOFOID AND MRS. PRUDENCE W. KOFOID \. BRITISH DOGS : THEIR VARIETIES, HISTORY, CHARACTERISTICS, BREEDING, MANAGEMENT, AND EXHIBITION. ILLUSTRATED WITH PORTRAITS OF DOGS OF THE DAY. BY HUGH DALZIEL (" CORSINCON") Author of " The Diseases of Dogs" " The Diseases of Horses, ASSISTED BY EMINENT FANCIERS. LONDON : "THE BAZAAR" OFFICE, 170, STRAND, W.C. LONDON : PRINTED BY ALFRED BPADLEY, 170, STRAND, W.C. PREFACE. WHEN reminded by the Publisher that a dozen or so lines of Preface were needful in introducing " British Dogs " to the public, the following questions were forcibly presented to my mind : First, whether the book should have been written ; and, secondly (given the necessity for it) whether I should have undertaken the work. Both these questions I propose handing over to the reader for solution, as I fear I might not be altogether an unprejudiced judge; and in doing so I trust to his good nature to treat leniently all faults, and to his good sense to assimilate whatever may be found worthy. The object aimed at has been to give, as far as obtainable, a sketch of the origin of each breed, and an accurate description of the points of excellence of each variety as demanded by modern taste. Only the initiated know the minute distinctions between breeds and individual dogs, patent to the subtle discrimination of the present-day philo-kuon. My fitness, if fitness there be, to convey this class of information — much sought after nowadays — has been acquired as canine critic for The Field, as kennel editor of The Country, and as a judge at shows, iv Preface. in which capacities I have visited many of the great exhibitions of the canine species in France, Germany, and America, as well as all the principal ones in the United Kingdom, where I have had exceptional opportunities of enlarging a knowledge of my favourite animals, which I had all my life been accumulating. There are parts of the book I can refer to with unqualified pleasure and unstinted praise, namely, the chapters contributed by the friends who have so kindly and ably assisted me. These contributions are in all cases accredited to the individual authors, and the views expressed must command, as they well deserve, the respect which the great experience of the writers' merits. The illustrations are from life, celebrated " Dogs of the Day" having been selected, and the artists have, in most instances, succeeded in giving very correct delineations, showing the distinguishing character- istics of each breed. "CORSINCON." CONTENTS. Page INTRODUCTORY - - - 1 — 10 DIVISION I. Dogs Used in Field Sports. GROUP I. — DOGS THAT HUNT THEIR GAME BY SIGHT AND KILL. Including— The Greyhound, the Scotch Deerhotuid, the Irish Wolf hound, the Scotch Rough-haired Greyhound, the Lurcher, the Whippet, the Siberian Wolfhound, the Persian Greyhound 13 — 49 GROUP II. — DOGS THAT HUNT THEIR GAME BY SCENT AND KILL. Including — The Bloodhound, the Foxhound, the Otterhound, the Harrier, the Beagle, the Basset, the Dachshund, the Schweisshund - - - - - 50 — 102 GROUP III. — DOGS THAT FIND THEIR GAME BY SCENT, AND INDEX IT FOR THE ADVANTAGE OF THE GUN. Including — The English Setter, the Irish Setter, the Gordon or Black and Tan Setter, the Spanish Pointer, the Pointer, the Dropper 103—133 GROUP IV. — DOGS USED WITH THE GUN IN QUESTING AND RETRIEVING GAME. Including — The Black Spaniel, the Cocker Spaniel, the Clumber Spaniel, the Sussex Spaniel, the Norfolk Spaniel, the Irish Water Spaniel, the English Water Spaniel, the Black Wavy-coated Retriever, the Black Curly-coated Retriever, the Norfolk Retriever, the Russian Retriever 134 — 171 vi. Contents. EXHIBITING.— DOG SHOWS AND DOG JUDGING, AND STANDARD PAGE OF EXCELLENCE BY WHICH TO . JUDGE. Including — The History of Dog Shows, Objects and Management of Dog Shows, the Judges : their Election, &c., Judging by Points, Standard of Excellence 172—192 DIVISION II. Dogs Useful to Man in other Work than Field Sports. GROUP I. — DOGS SPECIALLY USED BY MAN AS ASSISTANTS IN HIS WORK. Including — The Scotch Colley, the Smooth- coated Colley, the Bearded Colley, the English Bob-tailed Sheepdog or Drover's Dog, the Esquimaux Dog, the Truffle Dog 195—217 GROUP II. — WATCHERS AND DEFENDERS OF LIFE AND PRO- PERTY, COMPANION AND ORNAMENTAL DOGS. Including — The Bulldog, the Mastiff, the St. Bernard, the Newfound- land, the Landseer Newfoundland, the Dalmatian, the Thibet Mastiff, the Great Dane, the German Boarhound, the Bulldogs of Spain and the Continent - - - 218 — 288 GROUP III. — VERMIN DESTROYERS ? THE TERRIERS. Including — The Fox Terrier, the Wire-haired Fox Terrier, the Dandie Dinmont Terrier, the Bedlington Terrier, the Black and Tan Terrier, the Skye Terrier, the Bull Terrier, the Scotch Terrier, the Irish Terrier, the White English Ter- rier, the Airedale or Bingley Terrier, the Aberdeen Ter- rier, Dog Showing, Standard of Excellence - - - 289 — 392 DIVISION III. House and Toy Dogs. GROUP I. — DOGS WHICH ARE DISTINCT VARIETIES FROM THOSE ALREADY DESCRIBED. Including — The Blenheim Spaniel, the King Charles Spaniel, the Pug, the Pomeranian, the Poodle, the Maltese Terrier, the Yorkshire Terrier - 395—436 Contents. vii. GROUP II. — DIMINUTIVES OP ALREADY MENTIONED VARIETIES PAGE AND FOREIGN TOT DOGS OCCASIONALLY MET WITH AT OUR SHOWS. Including — The Italian Greyhound, the Black and Tan Toy Terrier, the Blue and Tan Toy Terrier, the White Toy Terrier, the Long-haired Toy Terrier, the Japanese Pug, the Broken-haired Toy Terrier, the Chinese Crested Dog, the Chinese Edible Dog, Exhibiting Toy Dogs, Training Pet Dogs, Standard of Excellence for Toy Dogs 437—450 APPENDIX. Breeding, Rearing, and General Management of Dogs. APPENDIX. — THE MANAGEMENT OP Doas. Including— Object of Breeding, Breeding, Bearing, General Management - 453 — 487 BRITISH DOGS. INTRODUCTORY. FEW subjects, and certainly no animal, has been treated with so much written eloquence as the Dog, nor do we grudge the lavish encomiums heaped upon him, for they are well deserved. That we do not follow in the usual course pursued by writers on this subject there are several reasons. First, the felt want of ability to give expression to our views and feelings in language at once sufficiently laudatory and appropriate ; secondly, that the several writers who have assisted in compiling this book may be trusted to do justice to the breeds they treat of in better terms than we can ; and, lastly, that as the book is intended to be in great part descriptive of the varieties as seen and classified at our dog shows, and therefore a practical work, both for the experienced exhibitor and the tyro whose love for the dog needs no stimulus, panegyrics on his good qualities are not needed. In carrying out our purpose, we have, on a plan we will presently more fully explain, grouped the dogs, and, as far as possible, given a full, minute, and accurate description of each variety as it at present exists and is recognised at our principal dog shows, and illustrated these descriptions by faithful portraits of dogs of the day that are acknowledged by the highest authorities to be true representatives of their class. The subdivision of classes is now so great, and the points that separate one from another in some cases so minute, that an illustration in «very case is needless, but wherever a sufficient difference of type to B 2 British Dogs. require it exists, we have called in the aid of the artist to explain our meaning. The pencil greatly assists the pen in showing the difference between closely allied breeds, and in this the several artists have in most cases been eminently successful. No book on dogs would be complete without some notice of the history and development of the various breeds, as far as it can be traced by direct testimony or fair inference, but we have not attempted that well-trodden ground which has hitherto proved so barren, and discussed the vexed question of the origin of the dog, which remains to the present time hopelessly obscure, and surrounded with the entanglements of con- tradictory opinions waiting to be unravelled by a Darwin or a Wallace. In reference, however, to the origin of the very great number of varieties which exist, and are ever increasing, we may in many instances hazard a speculation which may be accepted or rejected at the reader's option. We cannot accept the theory propounded by a recent writer that each country or district had a peculiar type of wild dog created for it from which the various breeds of domesticated dogs have sprung. Varieties can, we think, be accounted for more reasonably and more in accord with the result of modern research. Whoever would write the history of dogs must write the history of man, for in periods as remote as history reaches we find this animal associated with him as his useful servant. When or how the close intimacy sprung up which mutual advantage has -kept and improved century after century, it may be impossible, with accuracy, to determine ; but when we consider the extraordinary capacity for service natural to the dog, his wonderful scenting powers, his great speed, his strength and endurance, his marvellous cunning, his indomitable courage, his power of arranging, and facility in carrying out a preconcerted attack on his prey, we see a combination of qualities in the dog of the greatest value to man in his most primitive state, which man's superior intelligence would quickly perceive and lead him to wish to appropriate to his own use, and possibly the conquest was rendered easy by a natural instinct in the lower animal to trust, love, and serve him. At least in favour of this we have the fact, which applies with more or less force to all breeds, that their greatest pleasure is in serving man and receiving his praise. When man depended largely on the spoils of the chase for sustenance Introductory. the dog would be of the utmost value to him, and when the time came that other of our more domesticated animals were subdued, or partially so, and the shepherd's crook was taken up in addition to the rude instruments of war and chase, the pliant nature of the dog would be quickly moulded into agreement with the new state of things, and become, as we find he had in the days of the patriarch Job, and as he still is in many countries, both tender and defender of the flocks and herds. In this case the new duties and conditions of life would develop new traits of character and variety of form and shape. The shepherd's dog would gradually assume a character of his own, and the Nimrods of those early days would have their own branches of the family chosen as best suited for their particular purpose, which, being used for special work, certain faculties being constantly used whilst others were allowed to lie dormant, the latter would become almost extinguished, and thus still further divergence of type from the original and differences between existing breeds become more distinct. This alone, carried out extensively, as it was certain to be, would produce great variety in form, size, colour, and capabilities, and with the growth of civilisation these influences would increase in strength and variety, and, together with the powerful influence of climate and accidental circumstances, impossible to gauge, fully account for the extraordinary varieties of form we see in the dog as he exists at present. Anecdotes of dogs are not embraced in our scheme. We have not inflicted insipidities of that kind on our readers ; these are usually mere extensions of personal vanity, using the dog as the medium of praising the writer, and are generally, in addition, a compromise between the marvellous and the silly, that might be fairly described as attenuated twaddle. All such we have mercilessly excluded, and found room only for a few which are exceptionally apt and strongly illustrative of some distinguishing characteristic. It may be said that with works to hand, wherein the subject is so well and exhaustively treated as those of " Stonehenge," Youatt, Hamilton, &c., there is no necessity for further writing on the subject. We trust, however, the reader will find in the following pages the best justification of our efforts ; and as this is one of those subjects of which so many never tire, and on many points of which there is still considerable dif- ference of opinion, we have reason to hope it will not be without its use, British Dogs. and although there may be little original in what has been written — for there are many echoes and but few voices — still it is pleasant sometimes to see old friends in new dresses, and instructive to view even familiar things through other eyes than our own. It is always interesting to compare the opinion of the past with those of the present, and to mark the changes that take place, and, to go no further back, those who have followed dog shows from their establishment, cannot fail to be struck with the very great change which has taken place in many varieties for better or worse, and which are worth while considering. Before proceeding to explain our grouping of the dogs it may be of interest to very briefly notice the classification and arrangement adopted by the principal writers on the subject. The arrangement of dogs by our dog show committees cannot be considered very satisfactory where there are the two great divisions of sporting and non- sporting. No doubt this system has arisen from the fact that the first publicly recognised dog shows were for sporting dogs only, and the division was made when other classes were added ; but the distinction appears to us to be perfectly useless and rather confusing. Why, for instance, should a fox terrier, used for bolting foxes, be in the sporting division, and a Dandie Dinmont terrier, used for bolting otters, be in the non-sporting division? The arrangement is arbitrary and useless, and those who frame dog show schedules seem simply to have followed each other in the matter like sheep through a gap without their bell-wether. We have, therefore, discarded dog show catalogues as a guide to our arrangements. We will now hark back to one of the oldest English writers on dogs, and we believe the first to attempt a classification, Dr. Johannus Caius. In his treatise on " Englishe Dogges" he adopted a classification very quaintly expressed, but which has much to recommend it, its principle being based on the dog's relation to man, and the uses to which man puts him ; and he makes three great divisions, namely, sporting dogs, useful dogs otherwise employed, and toys. He says : "All English dogges be eyther of, A gentle kind, serving the game, A homely kind, apt for sundry necessary uses, or A Currish kind, meet for many toyes." The first of these he subdivides into two kinds, those used in hunting, including harriers, terriers, bloodhounds, gazehounds, greyhounds, lyemmers, and tumblers, and those used in fowling, which includes the land spaniel, water spaniel, setter, and the fisher. The second division, or "homely Introductory. kind," contains the "shepherd's dogge" and the mastive or bandogge, with a few others not very clearly defined, as " the mooner " and " the tynckers curre." The third division, or the "currish kind," he de- scribes as "curres of the mongrel and rascall sort,1' and it consists of three varieties : "the wappe or warner," "the turnspete," and "the dancer." This arrangement of Cains has been followed by Pennant, Daniel, and other writers. We will now refer to the classification adopted by " Stonehenge," although it will be familiar to most of our readers, but we do so to show that the same principle is applied, though, of course, the latter writer had a greater subject to handle, and the manner of using the dog has considerably changed in three centuries ; but on the same plan he gives us a fuller and more detailed arrangement, namely, first, wild and half- reclaimed dogs ; second, dogs hunting chiefly by the eye ; third, dogs hunting chiefly by the nose, and both finding and killing their game ; fourth, dogs finding their game by scent, but not killing it, being chiefly used in aid of the gun (corresponding to the "gentle kind" of Caius used " in taking the byrde," that is, in aid of the net, now supplanted by the gun) ; fifth, pastoral dogs and those used for draught ; sixth, watch, house, and toy dogs ; seventh, cross-breeds, retrievers, &c. It will be seen that these two arrangements, differing in detail, possess leading features in common ; and now, as in strongest contrast to them, we will briefly give Cuvier's arrangements, who separates into three great divisions, according to the shape of the head and length of jaw. This places the greyhound, deerhound, dingo, dhole, &c., in one class, and as many terriers are now bred, it would certainly include them. The second division, consisting of those with heads moderately elongated, includes the spaniels, pointer, setter, sheep dogs, and the hounds hunting by scent, as the foxhound, &c. The third division, with short muzzle and high skull, includes the bulldog, mastiff, pug, and, in the present time, would also take in Blenheims and King Charles spaniels. Now, whatever merits Cuvier's plan of classifying the dog may possess from a scientific point of view, it is useless and confusing to the sports- man and the fancier. Lieut.-Col. C. Hamilton- Smith adopts a similar arrangement, and also takes into consideration the original geographical distribution, and makes sub-divisions according to the length and quality of coat. On this latter 8 British Dogs. point he lays more stress than any other writer. Youatt adopts Cuvier's system, as does Elaine. Meyrick considers it practically useless. Mr. C. Linnaeus Martin divides dogs into five groups — greyhounds, Newfound- lands, spaniels, hounds, and mastiffs, and terriers, which is, at least, as unsatisfactory as having no arrangement at all, which indeed is the case with a considerable number of writers, to whom it is perhaps unnecessary to make further reference. In dealing with a subject that has been treated by such able writers as those referred to, and others we have not mentioned, it is not to be expected, nor is it pretended, that we have anything very original to offer in the arrangement and grouping we propose ; neither do we for a moment suppose that we have hit on a perfect system of classifying dogs. The varieties run into each other so imperceptibly, and from the pliant, tract- able nature of the dog he is put to such various uses, that we often find varieties the farthest removed from each other in form and structure, interchanging positions, and each doing what we may term the legitimate work of the other, so that we can conceive of no system free from flaws and objections ; but we hope our plan will prove convenient for the discussion of the history, development, and characteristics of each group with its individual varieties, and be found of easy and ready reference by those disposed to refer to it for informatidn. A word of explanation, and by anticipation of objections to disarm quibblers. We have included in "British Dogs" varieties that are not strictly British, because we think them, like so many breeds introduced in the past, likely to become British, and meeting with them so often at our shows, we trust they are, if not yet fully, at least in process of being acclimatized. Knowing, also, as Dr. Caius quaintly expresses it, in referring to " a new sort of dog just brought out of France," that "we Englishmen are marvellous greedy gaping gluttons after novelties, and covetous cormo- rants of things that be seldom, rare, strange, and hard to get," we believe our readers will not severely censure us for travelling a little beyond our title. Thanks to the enthusiasm of the Eev. J. Gumming Macdona, J. H. Murchison, Esq., and a few other gentlemen, the magnificent St. Bernard is now a British Dog, and so may it be in the future with many another Introductory. noble breed, that need only to come under the genius for stock breeding so peculiarly English, to have their best qualities fully and quickly developed. Of the breeds worthy of being added to our list of British dogs, and that we would like to see more popular, we may mention that handsome dog the Barsee or Siberian wolfhound, splendid specimens of which have been shown by H.E.H the Princess of Wales, the Eight Hon. Lady Emily Peel, and others ; that immense dog, the Great Dane, the finest specimen of which that has graced the show bench being Mr. Frank Adcock' s gigantic dog, Satan ; that singularly attractive and eminently useful-looking La Vendee hound, of which Mr. G. De Landre Macdona's Eamonneau is a splendid specimen; the basset, as represented by Mr. E. Millais' Model and the Earl of Onslow's team ; those burly tykes, the Thibet mastiffs, of which H.E.H. the Prince of Wales shows specimens ; and several other attractive varieties we might mention. The classification we shall adopt is as follows : — DIVISION I. — DOGS USED IN FIELD SPORTS. Group I. — Those that pursue and kill their game, depending entirely or mainly on sight and speed, and little or not at all on their scenting powers, with varieties bred directly from them : Greyhounds, deerhounds, whippets, lurchers, &c. Group II. — Those hunting their game by scent and killing it : Blood- hounds, foxhounds, otterhounds, harriers, beagles, &c. Group III. — Those finding the game by scent, but trained to forego their natural instinct to pursue, and to stand and index the game for the advantage of the gun : Setters, pointers, &c. Group IV. — Other varieties used with the gun in questing and retrieving : All the spaniels and retrievers. DIVISION II. — DOGS USEFUL TO MAN, (as assistants in his work, watchers and defenders of property, life- savers, companion and ornamental dogs, and destroyers of vermin.) Group I. — Those specially used as assistants in man's work : Pastoral dogs, and dogs used for draught ; shepherds' and drovers' dogs ; Esqui- maux, &c. Group II. — Watchers and defenders of life and property, life-savers, 10 British Dogs. companion and ornamental dogs, as bull doga, mastiffs, St. Bernards, Newfoundlands, Dalmatians, &c. Group III. — Vermin destroyers : The terriers. DIVISION III. — HOUSE DOGS AND TOY DOGS. Group I. — Those of distinct varieties from foregoing : Pugs, Pome- ranians, poodles, Blenheims, &c. Group II. — Those that are merely diminutives of already mentioned species : The various toy terriers, &c. DIVISION I. DOGS USED IN FIELD SPORTS. w Q « fc I o o ^ 00 \ g I GROUP I. Dogs that hunt their Game by sight, and kill. Including : /. Greyhound. 2. Deerhound. 3. Irish Wolfhound. 4. Rough Scotch Grey- 5. Lurcher. 6. Whippet or Snap Dog. j. Siberian Wolfhound. 8. Persian Greyhound. hound. The whole of this group is included in Cuvier's first division, "characterised by head more or less elongated, parietal bones insensibly approaching each other, and the condyles of the lower jaw placed in a horizontal line with the upper molar teeth." The general form is light and elegant, chest deep, with flank more or less tucked up, long and strong back, and great length from hip bone to hock joint ; the whole appearance giving the impression of great swiftness, which is a distinguishing property of the whole group, although not possessed in an equal degree by each variety. All more or less show the characteristics of the Canes celeres of the ancients, and although not in every case running their game strictly by sight, that is also a leading character- istic of all. CHAPTER L— THE GREYHOUND. BY CORSINCON. THE particular variety of Canes venatici grayii of which I propose to treat, and which possesses an inherent right to occupy the highest place in the group of dogs hunting by keenness of sight and fleetness of foot, is the modern British greyhound. I say British, for the time has gone by when we could speak of English, Scotch, or Irish greyhounds in any other than the past tense; and the modern greyhound, the most elegant of the 14 British Dogs, canine race, the highest achievement jof man's skill in manipulating the plastic natnre of the dog and forming it to his special requirements, as he . is stripped, in all his beauty of outline and wonderful development, not only of muscle, but of that hidden fire which gives dash, energy, and daring, stands revealed a manufactured article, the acme of perfection in beauty of outline and fitness of purpose ; and, whether we see him trying conclusions on the meadows of Lurgan, the rough hillsides of Crawford John, or for the blue ribbon of the leash on the flats of Aitcar, he is still the same — the dog in whom the genius of man has so mingled the blood of all the best varieties, that no one can lay special claim to him. He is a combination of art and nature that challenges the world, unequalled in speed, spirit, and perseverance, and in elegance and beauty of form as far removed from many of his clumsy ancestors as an English thoroughbred from a coarse dray horse. It is not my intention to attempt to trace the history of the greyhound, or to follow his development from the comparatively coarse, but more powerful dog from which he derives his origin. The very name has long been a bone of contention among etymologists ; but, however interesting to the scholar, the discussion possesses few attractions for the general reader, the ingenious guessing and nice hair-splitting proving often more confusing than profitable. Not to pass the subject over in com- plete silence, I may observe that whilst some contend that the name Canis Orcecus points to a Greek origin, others derive the name from " grey," gre or grie, supposed to be originally the prevailing colours ; others, with apparently greater reason, suppose the name to have been given on account of the high rank or degree the dog held among his fellows. The greyhound having been always kept for the chase, would naturally undergo modifications with the changes in the manner of hunting, the nature of the wild animals he was trained to hunt, and the characteristics of the country in which he was used ; and having always, until very recent times, been restricted to the possession of persons of the higher ranks, he would have greater care, and his improvement be the better secured. That his possession was so restricted is shown by the forest laws of King Canute, which prohibited anyone tinder the degree of a gentleman from keeping a greyhound ; and an old Welsh proverb says : " You may know a gentleman by his horse, his hawk, and his greyhound." The Greyhound. 15 The alteration in the game laws of modern times, coupled with the great increase of wealth and leisure, have, by giving impetus to the natural desire for field sports, characteristic of Englishmen, led to the present great and increasing popularity of coursing, and consequent diffusion of greyhounds through all classes, heightening an honourable competition, and securing a continued, if not a greater care and certainty of the dogs' still further improvement. It is impossible to separate the greyhound from coursing, as we under- stand it ; for, although the sport existed and was practised in a manner similar to our present system some seventeen hundred years ago, as described by Arrian in the second century, the thorough organization of the sport and the condensation of the laws governing it, are not only essentially British, but, in their present shape, quite modern, and it is the conditions of the sport that have produced the greyhound of the day, to which the words — They are as swift as breathed stags, Aye, fleeter than the roe, are more applicable than to any of its predecessors. If we go back to the earlier centuries of the history of our country, we find the greyhound used in pursuit of the wolf, boar, deer, &c., in conjunction with other dogs of more powerful build ; still we can easily perceive that to take a share in such sports at all he must have been probably larger, certainly stronger, coarser, and more inured to hardships, whilst he would not be kept so strictly to sight hunting as the demands of the present require ; still, the material out of which the present dog has been made was there, and his form and characteristics, even to minute detail, were recognised, and have been described with an accuracy which no other breed of dogs has had the advantage of, else might we be in a better position to understand the value of claims for old descent set up for so many varieties. And to these descriptions I propose to refer, to endorse, as well as to make still more clear and emphatic, the points of excellence recognised as correct by modern followers of the leash. The whole group to which he belongs is distinguished by the elongated head, the parietal, side and upper or partition bones of the head shelving in towards each other, high proportionate stature, deep chest, arched loins, tucked-up flank, and long fine tail ; and such general form as is 1 6 British Dogs. outlined in this description is seen in perfection in the greyhound. To some it may sound contradictory to speak in one sentence of elegance and beauty of form, and in the next of a tucked-up flank ; and fox- terrier and mastiff men, who want their favourites well ribbed back, with deep loin and flanks well filled, to make a form as square as a prize shorthorn, may object, but we must remember that beauty largely consists in fitness and aptitude for the uses designed and the position to be filled. This being so, in estimating the greyhound's claim to be the hand- somest of the canine race, we must remember for what his various ex- cellences, resulting in a whole which is so strikingly elegant, is designed. Speed is the first and greatest quality a dog of this breed can possess ; to make a perfect dog there are other attributes he must not be deficient in, but wanting in pace he can never hope to excel. The most superficial knowledge of coursing or coursing literature will show this, and it is a quality which, although developed to its present high pitch, has always been recognised as most important. Chaucer says, Greihotmds he hadde as swift as fowl of flight, And again — following the example of the immortal scoundrel Wegg — to drop into poetry, Sir Walter Scott, in his introduction to " Marmion," thus eulogises the speed of the greyhound : Remember'st thou my greyhounds true ? O'er holt or hill there never flew, From leash or slip there never sprang, More fleet of foot, more sure of fang. Well does he deserve the encomium of Markham, who declares he is, " of all dogs whatsoever the most princely, strong, nimble, swift, and valient." In addition to speed, the dog must have strength to last out a severe course, nimbleness in turning, the capacity to catch and bear the hare in his stride, good killing powers, and vital force to give him dash, staunch- ness, and endurance. What a dog possessing these qualities should be like, I shall, by the assistance of the keenest and most experienced observers and writers on the subject, endeavour to show ; and whilst gladly sitting at the feet of modern Gamaliels, not slighting the wisdom of the past, but offering gleanings from the works of old, that may prove The Greyhound. 17 both interesting and instructive to the tyro, although as a tale .that hath been told to many ; and in defence of such a course let me quote Geoffrey Chaucer : For out of the old fieldis, as men saith, Cometh all this new corn from year to year ; And out of olde bookis in good, faith, Cometh all this new science that men lere. It would be as much out of place here as it is unnecessary to enter on any lengthened dissertation on coursing — passionately fond of the sport, next to seeing it it would be a labour of love to write or speak of it, and it is almost with pain that I recall the words of Somerville, whose tastes preferred The musical confusion Of hounds and echo in conjunction ; and who, with unjust prejudice, penned an undeserved censure against followers of the leash when he wrote : A different ho and for every different chase Select with judgment ; nor the poor timorous hare, O'er-matched, destroy ; but leave that vile offence To the mean, murderous, coursing crew. Without going deeply into the subject of coursing, it will, however, I think, be necessary to briefly glance at what a dog is required to do in a course, and that for two reasons : First, because I hold that all dogs should be judged in the show ring by their apparent suitability for their special work ; and, secondly, because this book may fall into the hands of many who are real lovers of the dog and genuine sportsmen at heart, but who, from various circumstances, have never had an opportunity of seeing a course, or that so rarely as to be practically unacquainted with its merits. The remarks of the inexperienced on a course are often amusing. The most common mistake made by the tyro is that the dog that kills the hare always wins, irrespective of other considerations — a most excusable error on the part of the novice, as in most or all other descriptions of racing the first at the post or object is the winner ; but in coursing it is not which is first there, but which has done most towards accomplishing the death of the hare or put her to the greatest straits to escape. Be it here understood that the object of the courser and the object of the dogs differ materially. The dog's object is the death of the hare; the courser's object is to test the relative speed, working abilities, and: c 1 8 British Dogs. endurance of the competitors, as shown in their endeavours to accomplish their object ; and the possession of the hare is of little consequence, except to the pothunter or currant jelly devotee, who is quite out of the pale of genuine coursing society. Although what I am going to say will be as stale and tiresome to— and as likely to create a smile in — many as listening to a child's first lesson in the alphabet, I consider it, for the reasons already given, necessary. Two dogs only are slipped at a hare, and this has always been the honourable practice in this country. Even in Turberville's Observations on Coursing we find the maxim — " If the greyhounds be but yonge or slow you may course with a lease at one hare, but that is seldom seen, and a brase of dogges is ynow for such a poore beaste." The hare being found, or so-ho'd, and given law — a fair start of eighty or a hundred yards — the dogs are slipped, in the run up, as in after stretches following a turn, the relative speed of the dogs is seen ; but the hare, being pressed, will jerk, turn, and wind in the most nimble manner, testing the dogs' smartness in working, suppleness, and agility in making quick turns, and "it is a gallant sport to see how the hare will turn and wind to save herself out of the dogge's mouth, so that sometimes, when yon think that your greyhound doth, as it were, gape to take her, she will turn and cast them a1 good way behinde her, and so save herself by turning, wrenching, and winding." It is by the practice of these clever wiles and shifts that the hare endeavours to reach her covert, and in closely following her scut and o'ermastering her in her own devices that a greyhound displays the mastery of this branch of his business, in which particular a slower dog will often excel an opponent that has the foot of him in the stretches ; but, with this working power, a facility in making short turns, speed must be combined, or it stands to reason points could not be made except on a comparatively weak hare. It is, therefore, important that the conformation of the dog should be such as to combine speed with a strength and suppleness that will, as far as possible, enable him to control and guide the velocity with which he is moving, as his quick eye sees the game swerve or turn to one side or another. As the death of the hare when it is a kill of merit — that is, when accomplished by superior speed and cleverness, and not by the accident of the foremost dog turning the hare, as it were, into the killer's mouth — is a consideration in reckoning up the total of good points made, it is The Greyhound. 19 important that the dog should be formed to do this, picking up and bearing the hare in his stride, and not stopping to worry her as a terrier would a rat ; and here many points come in which should be narrowly scanned and compared in the show ring, but tpo seldom are not, and these I will allude to in going over the several points. In addition, there are other requirements for which the dog must possess qualities, to make him successful in the field and give him a right to a prize in the show ring, and which will be noticed in detail. A good idea of a course, with the gallant efforts of pursuer and pursued, is given in the following lines from Ovid, translated by Golding : As when the impatient greyhound, slipped from far, Bounds o'er the glade to course the fearful hare, She in her speed does all her safety lie, And he with double speed pursues his prey, O'erruns her at the sitting turn ; but licks His chaps in vain ; yet blows upon the flix. She seeks the shelter which the neighbouring covert gives And, gaining it, she doubts if yet she lives. In forming an opinion of a dog, whether in selecting him for some special purpose of work or merely choosing the best out of a lot in the prize ring, first impressions are occasionally deceptive, get confirmed into prejudices, and mislead the judgment. But, in the great majority of cases, to the man who knows what he is looking at, what he is looking /or, and what he has a reasonable right to expect, the first impression conveyed to the mind by the general outline or contour, and the way it is filled in, will be confirmed on a close critical and analytical examination of the animal point by point ; and it is only by such close and minute examination that a judge can become thoroughly master of his subject, and arrive at a position where he can give strong, clear, and intelligible reasons for the opinions he has formed and the decision he has given. Moreover, there is that to be weighed and taken into account in the final judgment on the dog's merits which is referable to no part alone, which can only be appreciated on taking him as a whole, that is, Ufe — that indefinable something which evades the dissector's knife, yet permeates the whole body, the centre power which is the source of movement in every quivering muscle, and is variously seen in every action of the dog and in every changing emotion of which he is capable. This, I conceive to be the only difficulty in the way of judging by points, and it is not C 2 2O British Dogs. insuperable : this is probably what is often meant by condition and quality. The judge must, however, as already said, consider, and, if need be, describe, not only the general appearance of the animal and the impression he conveys to his (the judge's) mind, but, as it were, take him to pieces, assessing the value of each particular part according to its fitness for the performance of the special function for which it is designed, and under the peculiar conditions in which it will have to act ; and, having done so, he will find his first opinion confirmed precisely in the ratio of his fitness to judge. Before taking the points of the greyhound one by one, I must give the description of a greyhound, as laid down in the doggrel rhymes of the illustrious authoress of "The Book of St. Alban's," Dame Juliana Berners or Barnes, somewhile Abbess of Sopewell, and since described as " a second Minerva in her studies and another Diana in her diversions." It would be sheer heresy to write of greyhounds without introducing Jier description, so universally has this been done ; I therefore give it in full, which I have never seen done by any of our modern authorities. In doing so, I must confess there are two lines that to me are somewhat obscure. I, however, venture to suggest that in his eighth year he is only a lick ladle — fit to lick a trencher, and in his ninth year cart and saddle may be used to take him to the tanner. THE PROPERTIES OF A GOOD GREHOUNDE. A grehound shold be heeded lyke a snake And neckyd lyke a drake, Footed lyke a catte, Tayllyd lyke a ratte, Syded lyke a teme, And chynyd lyke a beme. The fyrst yere he must lerne to fede, The second yere to felde nim lede, The thyrde yere he is felowe lyke. The fourth yere there is none syke. The fyfth yeare he is good enough, The syxte yere he shall hold the plough, The seventh yere he woll avaylle Grete by tches for to assay lie, The eygthe yere licke ladyll, The nynthe yere cartsadyll ; And when he is comyn to that yere Have him to the tannere, For the best hounde that ever bytche had At nynthe yere he is full badde. To begin the detailed description with the head — which includes jaws The Greyhound. 21 teeth, eyes, ears, and brain development — first, the general form must be considered. It must be quite evident that "headed like a snake" cannot mean "like a snake's head," which is short, flat, and blunt, or truncated. I understand the Abbess to use the snake itself, not its head only, as a simile of the length and thinness of the greyhound's head. Arrian says : " Your greyhounds should have light and well-articulated heads, whether hooked or flat-nosed is not of much consequence, nor does it greatly matter whether the parts beneath the forehead be protuberant with muscle. They are alone bad which are heavy-headed, having thick nostrils, with a blunt instead of a pointed termination." Edmund de Langley, in his " Mayster of Game," says, " The greihound should have a long hede and somedele grete, ymakyd in the manner of a luce ; a good large mouth and good sessours, the one again the other, so that the nether jaws passe not them above, ne that thei above passe not him by neither;" and coming down to " Gervase Markham," in the sixteenth century, we have his description : " He should have a fine long leane head, with a sharp nose, rush grown from the eyes downward." The general form and character of the head is here pretty fairly sketched, and we see a very close agreement between these old authori- ties. It appears to me that the "Mayster of Game" was the most happy in his illustration, " made in the manner of a luce," that is, a full- grown pike, as the head of the greyhound and pike will bear a fair com- parison without straining ; and who can say it was not the exigencies of rhyme that compelled our sporting Abbess to set up for us that stumbling block, the head of the snake. No doubt she thought of the excellent illustration the neck of the drake offered her, and had to find a rhyme to it, but she might with as great propriety have written : The grehound should be headed like a luce And neckyd like a goose. The force of illustration lost in the second line is more than compen- sated by the strength of the first. Markham is right in desiring a " long lean head," but even that may be carried to a fault ; but we do not want the " part beneath the forehead protuberant of muscle ; " and the " heavy headed, with thick nostrils and a blunt nose," I must, with Arrian, discard altogether as thoroughly bad, too slow, and certain to be "too clever by half." Looking at the whole head, we see, by the sloping-in of 22 British Dogs. the side walls of the skull how the brain capacity is diminished, and how the elongation and narrowing of head and jaws have almost obliterated the olfactory organs, the internal cavities becoming contracted and presenting so much less surfare that the scenting powers are necessarily limited, although it is a mistake to suppose that they are entirely lost. This is just what we want in the greyhound ; he must run by sight, never using his nose ; he must have the brain developed where it shows courage, not intelligence. When a retriever has to puzzle out a lost bird, his nose and his intelligence are both put to the test, and the higher the development, the better the dog, and as we find the intellectual faculties highest in those dogs with most brain before the ears, so we select our retrievers thus formed ; but as this would be a disadvantage in the grey- hound, which we want to run honest and fair, such as Justice Shallow, in the "Merry Wives of Windsor," describes — He is a good dog and a fair dog ; Can there be more said— he is good and/az>— we select them without this intellectual development, by use of which they would soon study the wiles and shifts of " poor Wat," and, to save their wind and legs, " run cunning " — that is, do a " waiting race," the cunning dog allowing his fellow to do the work, whilst he hangs back for the hare to be turned into his mouth. A greyhound should measure well round the head, across and at back of ears, which is a sure indication of the courage that gives dash and persistence to their efforts. By " hooked nose," I presume Arrian to mean that the upper jaw protrudes ; but that would decidedly be a fault, as a dog so formed would be at a disadvantage in holding and killing his hare. This forma- tion, called overshot, or pig-jawed, is often met with in various breeds of dogs, but if at all excessive it is most objectionable. The opposite to that is sometimes seen, and we have them undershot ; but such cases are . comparatively rare, and owe their origin to the cross with the bulldog, which has been resorted to to give stamina, courage, and staunchness to the greyhound ; but the form to be desired is the level mouth with the " good sessours one again the other." The teeth themselves are important ; they should be large, strong, and white, the fangs sharp and powerful ; this is not only necessary for their work, but it is always a sign of health. "The eye," Arrian says, "should be large, upraised, clear, and The Greyhound. 23 strikingly bright. The best look fiery and flash like lightning, resembling those of leopards, lions, or lynxes." Markham says, "a full clear eye, with long eyelids." The latter pecularity I have never observed, probably from want of a close attention to the point ; but the clear, bright, and fiery eye is always a necessity, although, of course, the condition of the dog and the circumstances under which he is seen must be considered in judging of it ; the colour varies with that of the coat, as in all breeds. Of the ears Arrian writes, "they should be large and soft, so as to appear broken ; but it is no bad indication if they appear erect, provided they are not small and stiff." This description would not be accepted as satisfactory now ; ears are preferred small, and free from all coarseness ; neither does Markham' s "a sharp ear, short, and close-falling," quite convey the modern idea of a greyhound's ear; it should be soft, fine in leather, and folded with the shoulder of the ear, strong enough to carry the whole up when the dog is excited or his attention fixed. The neck is the next point, and it is one of very great importance ; it must belong, strong, well clothed with muscle; yet withal light, airy, and possessing wonderful flexibility and suppleness. Arrian says, " The neck should be long, round, and flexible, so that if you forcibly draw the dogs backwards by their collars it may seem to be broken, from its flexibility and softness." The neck is certainly wonderfully pliant, and readily bent to either side at will. Our royal writer says, " The neck should be grete and longe, and bowed as a swanne's neck;" Markham, "a long neck, a little bending, with a loose hanging wezand." The last point is not correct, and might convey the idea that there was a looseness of skin underneath ; the windpipe, although easily felt, does not hang loose, the whole neck being neat, round, clean made, and elegantly carried. A long neck, as well as long head, are necessary to enable the dog to pick up, carry, or bear the hare without stopping, which he will do, throwing his head up with the hare in his mouth ; but a dog with a short neck would have to stoop so in catching his hare that there would be every chance of his coming a "cropper," the force at which he was going throwing him heels over head. Continuing from the neck we have the broad, square, beam-like back of good length and great strength ; without this the dog could not endure the exhaustive process of the "pumpers" he is submitted to. The chest, too, must be deep and fairly wide. Arrian says, '• Broad chests 24 British Dogs. are better than narrow ; shoulders wide apart, not tied together, but as loose and free as possible ; legs round, straight, and well jointed ; sides strong ; loins broad, firm, not fleshy, but sinewy ; upper flanks loose and supple ; hips wide asunder ; lower flanks hollow ; tail long, fine, and supple; haunches sweeping and fine to the touch." In respect to the chest, it is needless to say how all-important it is that it should be capacious, but we must get capacity from the depth and squareness, not from the bulged-out barrel form, which would produce slow movement and a heavy fronted dog that would soon tire. Take Markham's description in " The Country Farm :" "A long, broad, and square beam, back, with high round fillets ; he must be deep, swine sided, with hollow bended ribs and a full brest." "The Mayster of Game" gives an excellent description: "Her shuldres as a roebuck ; the for leggs streght and grete ynow, and nought to hind legges ; the feet straught and round as a catte, and great cleas ; the boones and the joyntes of the cheyne grete and hard as the chyne of an hert ; the thighs great and squarred as an hare ; the houghs streight, and not crompyng as of an oxe." The shoulders should be set on as obliquely as possible, to enable the dog to throw his fore legs well forward in his gallop, the shoulder blades sloping in towards each other as they rise, they should be well clothed with muscle, but not fleshy and coarse, so as to look loaded ; the shoulders should not be tied together but have plenty of freedom — this with the strong muscles of the loin enable the dog to turn fast and cleverly ; the elbows must be neither turned out nor in ; the bone of the leg strong ; there must be good length of arm ; and the leg below the knee must be short and very strong, and the foot round and cat-like ; well sprung knuckles, a firm hard, thick sole, and large strong nails are also essential. The beam-like back is to give the necessary strength ; the deep chest is needed with sufficient width to give plenty of room for the lungs and heart to freely perform their functions ; width is needed that the necessary room may be got without making the chest so deep as to be in the way and catch against stones, tussocks, and lumps of turf on rough coarse ground, when the dog is fully stretched in the gallop ; the oblique shoulders enable the dog to throw his legs well forward and close to- gether, thus enabling him to cover a lot of ground at each stride, and also, in connection with his long and supple neck, to throw himself The Greyhound. 25 through an astonishingly small meuse. The necessity of sufficient bone, big, strong joints, and muscular legs, is apparent where such violent exertion is called for, and the round, cat-like foot, is a necessity of speed. No one would have the wheels of a fast-going gig made as broad in the tyre as that of a four-ton waggon. The soles are required hard and tough, that they may stand the wear and tear of rough ground and stony lanes, if these come in the way ; the strong claws give the dog purchase over the ground. The loins must be strong ; a greyhound weak there might be fast for a spurt, but would prove merely flashy, being neither able to endure nor yet good at his turns. When Markham says " short and strong fillets," he means the loin — the term being used in speaking of the horse — not the fleshy part of the thigh, which the term might apply to. The hips must be wide asunder, and the hind legs straight as regards each other, " not crompying as an oxe " — that is, as we now express it, not cow-hocked — but they must be bent or sickle hocked ; the thighs with immense and well developed muscle, the same strength of bony and muscular develop- ment is needed as in the fore legs, and especially there should be no weak- ness below the knee. The dog should stand rather wide behind and higher than before ; the slight width gives additional propelling force, and the higher hind quarters additional speed and power in racing up hill, as hares invariably do if they can, unless there is temptation of a covert near, a fact quaintly expressed in the " Book of St. Albans " : " Tell me," Maystre, quod the man, " what is the skyll "Why the Haare wolde so fayne renne against the hill ? " Quod the Mayster, " For her legges be shorter before Than behind; that is the skyll thore." In respect to the tail, all agree it should be long and fine. Markham says : " An even growne long rat's tail, round, turning at the lower end leashward, and full set on between the buttocks." The " Mayster of Game" says : "A catte's tayle, making a ring at eend, but not to hie." The tail, no doubt, acts as a rudder, and as such must play an important part in swerving and turning. Colour in greyhounds should go for little, but many have a prejudice in favour of a special fancy, although experience proves that there are good of all. In the hunting poem by "Gratius," as translated by Wase, we are told to Chuse the greyhound pied with black and white, He runs more swift than thought or winged flight. 26 British Dogs. Many coursers prefer the pure black or the red ; but a short list, taken from the " Coursing Calendar," will show good greyhounds of many different colours : Scotland Yet and her sons, Canaradzo and Calioja, were white ; Cerito, fawn and white ; Lobelia, brindled and white ; Lady Stor- mont, black and white ; Master M'Grath, black and white ; Beacon, Blue Light, and Sapphire, all blue ; High Idea, blue ticked ; Bed of Stone, Bab at the Bowster, and Sea Cove, red ; Cauld Kail, red ticked ; Mocking Bird, Cashier, Black Knight, all black ; Landgravine and Elsecar, brindled. The medium sized dog is by most preferred, and there is a considerable difference both in height and weight between the dog and bitch. The dog selected for illustration is strongly typical of the Scotch style of greyhound, but without the coarseness which usually belongs to the scions of the north-country breeds. He was a reddish fawn, with splendid back and loin, good shoulders, and muscular quarters, with good legs and feet, and altogether a thoroughly well-shaped dog. He was the property of J. H. Salter, Esq., Tolleshunt D'Arcy, Kelvedon, Essex, but is now dead. The following is his pedigree and performances : GLENAVON. Fawn greyhound, 651b. weight ; whelped Jan. 4, 1869 ; bred by Dr. Dougal, Glasgow. Wee Avon S?a Girl Canaradzo Seacomb Seaflower (Spinks's) Hermit Fly Beacon Scotland Yet Blue Light Frolic Wigan Veto Ingleton Tamar Ewesdale Judge Flora Macdonald John Bull Fudge Larriston Meg Lauderdale Hannah Bonnie Prince Charlie Fanny Ran first at Ardrossan, February, 1870, winning Sapling Stake. Ean at Scottish National, September, 1870, dividing St. Leger (64 dogs) with kennel companion. Ran at Scottish National, March, 1871, dividing Biggar Stakes (61 dogs) with kennel companion The Greyhound. 27 Ban at Scottish National, September, 1871 ; won two courses in Douglas Cup (20 dogs). Kan at Lurgan. October, 1871 ; won two courses in Brownlow Cup (64, dogs), beating Pretender and Smuggler, beaten by Cataclysm. Ran at Border Union, November, 1871 ; won three courses Netherby Cup (64 dogs) : beaten, when lame, by Crown Jewel. Ban at Brigg, January, 1872. Ran second for Eisham Cup (32 dogs) ; beaten by Leucatheia, when hurt. Ran at Waterloo, February, 1872 ; won two courses in Waterloo (64 dogs), beating Chameleon ; put out by Magenta. Ran at Scottish National, March, 1872; divided Biggar Stakes (64 dogs) with kennel companion Avonside. Glenavon thus divided three 64-dog stakes in two seasons, ran second for a 32, &c. He never ran except at a first-class meeting, and rarely was entered for anything under a 64-dog stake. He was perfectly honest to the end of his career, always going fast and running stoutly. His cleverness was never questioned. In judging the dog from the engraving, it must be remembered that he is not shown in running condition. The following measurements of good dogs may be taken as a fair average : Mr. J. L. Bensted's greyhound Chimney Sweep : Age, 5 years ; weight, 661b. ; height at shoulder, 26|in. ; length from nose to set on of tail, 42iin. ; length of tail, 19in. ; girth of chest, 29|in. ; girth of loin, 21in.; girth of head, 15in. ; girth of forearm, 6fin. ; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, 10£in. ; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, 8fin. We have measured him in working condition. Chimney Sweep won the gold medal in his class at the Paris International Dog Show, 1878. — Mr. J. H. Salter's greyhound dog Snapdragon : Age, 8 years ; weight, 721b. ; height at shoulder, 27in. ; length from nose to set on of tail, 41in. ; length of tail, 19in. ; girth of chest, 31|in. ; girth of loin, 22in. ; girth of head, 15in. ; girth of forearm, 7in. ; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, lO^in. ; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, 7 fin. — Mr. J. H. Salter' s greyhound bitch Satanella : Age, 5 years ; weight, 57^1b. ; height at shoulder, 24|in. ; length from nose to set on of tail, 4Hin. ; length of tail, 18iin. ; girth of chest, 30iin. ; girth of loin, 21in. ; girth of head, 14|in. ; girth of forearm, 6|in. ; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, 9in. ; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, Sin. 28 British Dogs. CHAPTER II.— THE SCOTCH DEERHOUND. BY SENEX. THIS article has been specially contributed to this volume by a gentle- man who has chosen to veil his identity under the nom de plume of "Senex." He is a popular judge, and one whose extended experience and observation of exhibition dogs, as well as that of a breeder, and as one who has had the advantage of working deerhounds on their proper quarry in their native glens, lends great value and weighty authority to his opinions. He says : " The rough Scotch greyhound is, perhaps, as old a breed as any extant, not excepting the fabulous pedigrees we read of in the mastiffs ; but whether their lineage traces back from the time that Noah made his exit from the ark or is of more recent origin it matters little. Few will deny that it is a most striking and picturesque breed of dogs. As an ardent admirer of the true breed, and having kept them some five-and- thirty years or more, perhaps a few lines from me will not come amiss to instruct the inexperienced what kind they are to try to obtain. The deerhound of the present day is very difficult to get quite pure, so many crosses have been resorted to. Some have tried the foxhound, others the bulldogs, and then again the colley. "The deerhound stands from 28in. to 30in. or 31in. high; lately, I believe, one has been exhibited 33in., but then what use is such a hound ? His immense size, to the tyro, may be taking on the bench, but let him only consider what he is wanted for, viz., to hunt and pull down the stag. Can a lumbering, overgrown animal (for such a hound of the size would be) gallop over all kinds of ground at a rapid pace and be active likewise ? No. For real work choose a hound about 28in. or 29in., not more. " The deerhound resembles in form the common greyhound, only his build is more massive. His head should be long, and broad between the ears, the jaws very powerful, and the teeth strong, white, and regular ; the hair on the sides of the lips forms a sort of moustache. Whenever one is seen with a narrow skull be assured at some time or other Persian or Eussian cross has been resorted to ; this is apparent The Scotch Deerhound. 29 in many of the specimens one sees on the show benches at the present day. The ear should be small, set on very high, and at the back of the skull more like the rat's, and when at rest the flaps should be turned a little outwards, so that one sees inside the ear ; this I have always noticed in the best bred ones. Avoid a large ear, it is an abomination, and look for a black fringe on the tips of the ears ; it is seen in the best specimens. The neck should be moderately long, and very muscular, and the shoulders broad and deep and obliquely set ; this is of great importance, as anyone must understand that a dog with an upright shoulder cannot have any pace ; the fore legs should be straight, with plenty of bone, and well set on the feet, which should not be spreading, but the toes well held together. In an old rhyme on greyhounds one line is, "a back like a beam," which holds equally good with the deerhound, for without strength in this department it is impossible to maintain a high speed long, and a deer- hound is required to have speed, endurance, and strength ; where the loins are weak the animal is useless for the purpose the breed denotes ; the loins, then, cannot be too strong, which applies to the hind quarters likewise, as they are the chief element of progression. Strong stifle joints and hocks, with great length between them, and from the stifle to the hip, in conjunction with a short leg, is to my mind the beau ideal of hind quarters. " A few words may be said not inaptly about coat, as now-a-days one sees so many types even in animals of the same parentage. The Scotch deerhound, unadulterated, has a strong wiry coat, not silken, or any ap- proach of it. Perhaps one of the finest specimens of the breed that has been for years for symmetry is W. Hickman, Esq.'s, Morni, but then he failed in coat, which was very soft, and that is seen likewise in some to the descendants from his sister Brenda, who has thrown a number of winners ; and I cannot help fancying, without any disrespect to the good dogs, that within this last ten or twelve years a little foreign blood has been infused. I should always doubt the purity of a deerhound with a head narrow between the ears, or which may have a fine silky coat. Well can I recollect my first, a black grizzle, with a strong wiry coat, and all the good ones I have seen imported from the Land of Cakes had the same texture hair, strong and wiry. I am fully convinced if the advocates of the soft-haired deerhounds would only try their hounds against the hard-coated ones in Scotland, standing on the 30 British Dogs. Meg Height, in. 26J Girth, in. 28i Hilda.... 27 29 Teildar 27 Mona 28 29* . ... Braie 26* 30* Hilda (Miskop) 27 30* Morni.... 30J 34 side of some exposed place and during a driving mist, they would then candidly confess that the wiry had the day. " I have stated that 28in. was a good size for a deerhound — by that I meant for work ; for the show bench an inch or so higher might do, but avoid too much in that quarter, as then, in the majority of cases, a weak loin is the result. Thanks to the kindness of a friend, who, I believe, took the measurements at Birmingham show, 1873, I am enabled to give the measurements, &c., of many of the most famous dogs and bitches of the present day. Loin, in. 20* 23 23* 22 22 23| 26 " There were seven dogs over 30in., whereas the second prize dog was only 2 Gin. " Somerset, who since that time has made his mark in the show yard, measures : Height, 29|in. ; girth, 35in. ; loin, 26|in. ; and length, 5ft. 9in. " The above are the only measures I have been able to obtain ; but are sufficient to show that, as a rule, it is not an overgrown hound that the young exhibitor has to look to to obtain honours. Search for an active dog, with good legs, strong loins and haunches, a nice sloping shoulder, and a hard coat, and such a one will take a deal of beating." It is but fair to state that in a letter on the above article the owner of Morni, whilst admitting that his dog has not a hard coat, accounts for it by the fact that, being a favourite, he was allowed to sleep in warm rooms on soft carpets and was also periodically washed. This undoubtedly tends to soften the coat in all dogs. He further quoted McNiel, of Colonsay, to show that there are pure deerhounds with coats of a soft texture, but all sportsmen;will agree with ' ' Senex ' ' that the harsh hard coat is the most useful one. " Senex " has not referred to colour, so we, with his approval, add that this varies from red wheaten to dark and many shades of grizzle. The measurements given by " Senex " we are now enabled to supplement : The Scotch Deerhound. 31 Mr. J. W. Hickman's Morni: Weight, lOOlb. ; height at shoulder, 30iin. ; length from nose to set on of tail, 55in. ; length of tail, 25in; girth of chest, 34in. ; girth of loin, 27jin. ; girth of head, 17jin. ; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, 11 Jin. Mr. H. Cha worth-Muster's Old Torunn : Weight, 1201b. ; height at shoulder, 31in. ; length from nose to set on of tail, 53in. ; length of tail, 23in. ; girth of chest, 35Jin. ; girth of loin, 26Jin. ; girth of head, 18in. ; girth of forearm, 10 Jin ; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, 12Jin. ; girth of thigh, 18Jin. Mr. J. Harris' Young Torunn : Height at shoulder, 31in. ; length from nose to set on of tail, 53in. ; length of tail, 26in. ; girth of chest, 33 Jin. ; girth of loin, 24in. ; girth of head, 17 Jin. ; girth of forearm, 9in. ; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, 12 Jin. ; girth of thigh, 18in. Prince Albert Solms' Duchess ; Age, 2 years and 9 months ; weight, 71 Jib. ; height at shoulder, 27in. ; length from nose to set on of tail, 46in. ; length of tail, 22in. ; girth of chest, 29iin. ; girth of loin, 21 Jin. ; girth of head, 16in. ; girth of forearm, 12in. ; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, llin. ; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, Sin. Prince Albert Solms' Morven : Age, 2 years and 9 months ; weight, 79Jlb. ; height at shoulder, 28Jin. ; length from nose to set on of tail, 46in. ; length of tail, 23in. ; girth of chest, 31Jin. ; girth of loin, 23iu. ; girth of head, IG^in. ; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, lliin. ; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, 8Jin. Dr. Haddon's Lufra : Age, 4 years ; weight, 71 Jib. ; height at shoulder, 27jin. ; length from nose to set on of tail, 46in. ; length of tail, 20Jin. ; girth of chest, 30in. ; girth of loin, 20in. ; girth of head, 15Jin. ; girth of forearm just below elbow when standing, 7Jin. ; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, lOJin. ; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, S^in. ; colour, slate grey. Dr. Haddon's Maida; Age, 20 months ; weight, 641b. ; height at shoulder, 27fin. ; length from nose to set on of tail, 47in. ; length of tail, 21in. ; girth of chest, 29in. ; girth of loin, 20in. ; girth of head, 16in. ; girth of forearm just below elbow when standing, 7jin ; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, llin. j girth of muzzle midway be- tween eyes and tip of nose, 8Jin. ; colour, slate grey. Dr. Haddon's Roy : Age, 20 months ; weight, 841b. fasting ; height at 32 British Dogs. shoulder, 29iin. ; length from nose to set on of tail, 49in. ; length of tail, 22|in. ; girth of chest, 32£in. ; girth of loin, 24in. ; girth of head, 16in. ; girth of forearm just below elbow when standing, Sin. ; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, llin. ; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, 9in. ; colour, light brindle. Dr. Alexander's Bran : Age, 6 years ; weight, 821b. ; height at shoulder, 28in. ; length from nose to set on of tail, 47in. ; length of tail, 19in. ; girth of chest, 33in. ; girth of loin, 25in. ; girth of head, 17in. ; girth of forearm, S^in. ; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, ll|in. ; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, Sin. CHAPTER III.— THE IRISH WOLFHOUND. BY CAPT. G. 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 little doubt that so much of the true breed is forthcoming, both in the race still known in Ireland as the " Irish wolf- hound " (to be met with, however, 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 management, 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, The Irish Wolfhound. 33 his existence is no longer to be desired ; but such an argument is not worthy of consideration 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 degenerated, as, for instance, mastiffs, fox terriers, pugs, St. Bernards, colleys, have 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 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 Torunn, 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 carefully 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 Eichardson 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 D 34 British Dogs. 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 heard 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 powerful, 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 certainly 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 most powerful breeds. The usual height of the mastiff does not exceed 30in. ; and, arguing as above, we may reasonably conclude that, to obtain the requisite combination of speed and power, a height of at least 33in. would have been reached. Many writers, however, put his stature down as far exceeding that. Goldsmith states he stood 4ft. ; Buffon states one sitting measured 5ft. in height ; Bewick, that the Irish wolfhound was about 3ft. 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 40in, 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 The Irish Wolfhound. 35 Cabinet," a very valuable old book on dogs, published in 1803, which is illustrated with,very good engravings after drawings from life by Eenaigle, E.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 king- dom, but they are said to be much reduced in size even in their original climate ; they are much larger than the mastiff, and exceedingly 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 some- what 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 or 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. Eichardson was at very great trouble to get every information as to the probable 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 llin. in the bone ; " to that he adds Sin. for nose, skin, and hair, thus getting 14in. as the length of the living animal's head. The head of a living deerhound, measured by him, is lOin., the dog standing 29in. ; he then calculates that the height of the Irish wolfhound would have been 40in., taking for his guide the fact that the 29in. dog's head was lOin. This would appear to be correct enough, but the allowance of Sin. for extras is absurd. IJin. are an ample allowance for the extras, and if the head is taken at 12£in. the height of the dog will be reduced to 36in. Moreover, the measurement of lOin. for the head of a 29in. deerhound' s head is manifestly insufficient, as the writer can testifiy from ample 2 6 British Dogs. experience and frequent measurements. A deerhound of that height would have a head at least llin. ; so, calculating on the same principles, the Irish skulls would have been from dogs that only stood 33£in. Richardson says that this skull is superior in size to the others, which would prove that the average must have been under SSgin., and we may safely conclude that the height of these dogs varied from 31in. to 34in. 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 degenerate. The height of this breed varies from 28in. to 33in., 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 en- gravings 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 con- clusions 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 tole- rably 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 compara- tive 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 the present deerhound. 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. The Irish Wolfhound. 37 Dogs. Bitches. Probable height at shoulder ... 32in. to 35in. ... 28in. to 30in. Girth of chest ... 88 „ 44 32 „ 84 Round forearm ... 10 „ 12 ... 8 „ 9J Length of head ... 12J „ 14 10} „ 11J Total length ... 84 „ 100 70 „ 80 Weight in Ibs ... 110 „ 140 ... 90 „ 110 When Sir Walter Scott lost his celebrated dog 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 for them, as there is only one wolf near, and that is con- fined in a menagerie. ' ' He was offered a fine Irish greyhound by Miss Edgeworth, who owned some of this breed, but declined, having the others. Eichardson says, " Though I have separated the Irish wolf dog from the Highland deerhound and the Scottish greyhound, I have only done so partly in conformity with general opinion, that I have yet to cor- rect, and partly because these dogs, though originally identical, are now unquestionably distinct in many particulars." As the rough Scotch greyhound is to the present deerhound, so is the deerhound 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 2 Sin. to 30in., and he is, though of comparatively slight form, an animal of very great power and activity. Eichardson, 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 be- yond 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. In conclusion, the writer would again earnestly urge that some decided action may be taken by gentlemen possessing both leisure and 38 British Dogs. means to restore to us that most noble of the canine race — the Irish wolfhound. Since the foregoing was written by Capt. Graham the subject of the Irish wolfhound has been occasionally before the public both in this country and in America, but no new and authenticated facts have, so far as we are aware, been elicited in the discussion, and, unless we accept statements unsupported by evidence, we are left in the position that although there are dogs unquestionably possessing some of original Irish wolfhound blood, none are known to exist of absolutely pure pedigree. In March, 1878, a sketch of a supposed scion of this race appeared in " The Country " newspaper of New York, followed by a fair resume of his- torical notices of the breed. A month following a letter appeared in the same journal from Mr. Frank Adcock, of Shevington Hall, Wigan, in which he says, " It may interest your readers to know that this dog (the Irish wolfhound) is still in existence and exhibits all the various at- tributes ascribed to him by ancient writers. Those that I possess are blackish grey and grizzled in colour, with stiff wiry coats. In shape they resemble the great Scotch deerhound, but are somewhat more stoutly made, and very much superior in size and courage, the head also, although as long, is more massive and punishing in character, and the sense of smell is marvellously acute." We, through the same medium, expressed our surprise at Mr. Adcock's statement that the pure breed existed and were in that gentleman's pos- session, knowing him to be an exhibitor of rare breeds, and yet that he kept such an interesting fact from his countrymen, and had given them no opportunity of seeing, even at a Kennel Club Show, one specimen of this rarity, and suggested that he should substantiate a statement which had astonished more than ourselves. Unfortunately, the American ' ' Country ' ' is now more extinct than the Irish wolfhound, but in its last issue appeared a letter from Mr. Adcock, in response, we presume, to an editorial article on the subject, in which occurs the following sentence : " It certainly seems strange that the first intimation of it (the existence of the breed) should have been published in our columns, but we have no complaint to make on that score, if Mr. Adcock will make his claim good by proving that he really owns, as he has stated, more than one of the original breed." The letter from Mr. Adcock, however, is headed "Wolfhounds," says a good deal about Spain and the Pyrenees wolf dogs, and distinctly adds, The Irish Wolfhound. 39 " the wolfhounds I allude to are not to be confounded with these mongrels, but are more or less identical with the dog known as the Irish grey- hound or wolfhound." Feeling strongly interested in the recovery or resuscitation of the Irish wolfhound, this controversy led us to make further enquiries respecting the breed, but there are few indeed who appear to know much of it or take any practical interest in it ; and for the following notes referring to the last known pure strains we are indebted to the writer of the foregoing article, who possesses a more thorough knowledge of the breed and all concerning it, who has had more practical experience in breeding up to standard of the true Irish wolfhound than any man living, and who has in his dogs various combinations of, as far as we know, the only strains that possess authentic claims of descent from the original stock. Captain Graham writes us: "With regard to the Caledon breed of Irish wolfhounds, the present lord tells me that his father kept them, and that he can just remember them in his extreme youth. He very kindly made strict inquiries when on his Irish estates last year, and from the older keepers and tenants he has gathered the following particulars, which he filled in on a form containing a series of questions which I sent him. The Irish wolfhounds kept by the late Earl of Caledon were as tall as the largest deerhound now seen — if not taller — of a stouter make throughout, broader and more massive ; the ears were similar to a deer- hound's ; rough, but not long coated ; fawn, grizzly, and dun in colour ; some old men have mentioned a mixture of white. " The late Earl of Derby had a similar breed, I am assured positively by a gentleman (a clergyman) who had one given him many years ago — over fifteen, probably twenty ; but from Knowsley direct I have not got any information, though I wrote ; probably the old keepers who had charge of the menagerie have disappeared and knowledge of the dogs has died out. A clergyman to whom one of my dogs was given some nine or ten years ago told me that the present Lord Derby had seen this dog, and considered him a finer dog than any he had formerly had. I understand he grew to be very high — thirty-two inches — and massive in proportion ; his sire was only thirty and a half inches, but his grandsire was thirty-two, or considered to be so. " Richardson, in his essay on this breed, says Sir Richard Betham, Ulster King at Arms, has stated it as his conviction that the Irish wolf 40 . British Dogs. dog was a gigantic greyhound, not smooth-skinned, like our greyhounds, but rough and curly -haired. In the face of this, Sir William Betham's son, the well-known archer, wrote me some years ago to call my attention to a specimen of the Irish wolfhound which was to be purchased in his neighbourhood ; his description of the dog, however, showed him to be distinctly a boarhound or Great Dane, of no great size. A Mr. Mahony, of Dromore — a large property near Muckross — had, about twenty years ago, a breed of these dogs, but they have been allowed to die out. He had them, however, from the late Sir J. Power, so that the same blood is now in my possession. He described them fully to me as being similar to the deerhound, but more massive and powerful, and not so high on the leg. " Two of these dogs, of the Power breed, were the property of a lady living at Hyde, Isle of Wight, and of which I have photographs ; they are however dead, and left no produce. I at great trouble traced out the Mr. Carter who is referred to by Eichardson, but only to find that his breed of dogs had passed into oblivion." At the Irish Kennel Club Show, held at Dublin, April, 1879, a class was made for dogs showing the nearest approach to the old Irish wolfhound as described by sporting writers of the past, and the com- mittee did us the honour of appointing us to judge. The class was composed of dogs differing very widely in character, and what we considered our duty was to select for honours the elements out of which the old race could be rebuilt. We therefore gave first prize to a dog of very distinct deerhound type, but enormous stature — a dog, indeed, wanting nothing but more bone and substance to be our ideal of an Irish wolfhound. These are great wants, no doubt, but in the class brought together in this, the first public attempt to resuscitate the breed— an attempt that redounds to the honour of the Irish Kennel Club, and in a marked degree to Mr. St. George, who laboured hard in the interest of the breed — the judge had to deal with elements and possibili- ties only ; the actual has to come, and was not even looked for in this, the first show of dogs under this name. The winning dog, Mr. Percy H. Cooper's Brian, is by Captain G. A. Graham's Swanan — Dr. Lammond- Hemming's Linda. The latter is a well known deerhound bitch, while Swanan, we believe, has as much of the genuine old Irish wolfhound blood as any dog living ; and it was with a view to forward the resuscitation The Scotch Rough-haired Greyhound. 41 of the 'Irish wolfhound that the litter, of which Brian is one and the better-known Ingleside another, were bred. The second prize was awarded to a puppy shown by Mr. Frank Adcock, no pedigree given. He had a strong look of the great Dane, with a good deal of the shape and style of the deerhound — dark, grizzled, and with a hard useful coat, although rather short ; he was a puppy of great power and substance, the right stamp of head, although just a trifle too heavy, and in a cross with a sister to this dog and such a dog as Brian, we should expect to see the nearest approach in form to the old Irish wolfhound that has existed in this century, and in them we should also expect to get courage, a most essential attribute in a dog that has to cope with large and fierce game, and without which, indeed, he is worthless. The third prize was awarded to Capt. G. A. Graham' s Scot, a dog with more authentic Irish wolfhound blood in him than anything shown, and, in shape and style, correct, but wanting in coat, and, what is more im- portant, size and substance, for he was small almost to weediness. The Irish Kennel Club give a challenge cup of .£15 15s. value, and I hope this and the other means they are taking to encourage the restoration of this noble breed will eventually prove successful. The demand for such a dog for the hunting of fierce game in our colonies and abroad is unlimited, and with that view alone Ireland should encourage the restoration of the Irish wolfhound. CHAPTER IV.— THE SCOTCH ROUGH-HAIRED GREYHOUND. BY CORSINCON. THIS variety of dog is now rarely met with except on some show benches, mixing with his larger brethren the deerhounds, and assuming their name. The popularity and great increase of public coursing seem to have rung his death knell, and, although he still exists in out-of-the-way places, he has, to a very large extent, become absorbed in the more modern smooth- skins, most strains jof which have more or less of the rough blood in 42 British Dogs. their veins. It is now nearly thirty years since I last saw a rough grey- hound competing in a coursing match, and he won it. When I say it wa? in a parish where every one was a courser, and that can boast the production of such good greyhounds as Cutty Sark, Scotland Yet, Wigan, Canaradzo, &c., it will be a sufficient guarantee that good stuff was pitted against the lanky dog with hirsute muzzle, whose name I forget, and who, I well remember, had his life closed on the day of his victory by some undiscovered scoundrel having that night cut his hock sinews, when, of course, he had to be destroyed. A celebrated public performer was Gilbertfield, a rough brindled dog that flourished forty years ago ; but, although rough himself and the sire of rough dogs that proved themselves good ones, his sire was of the smooth variety. The shape of the rough greyhound corresponds closely with that of the deerhound ; but he is not so large and powerful, averaging about 2 Gin. at shoulder against 29in. or 30in. in the deerhound. That both sprang from same original stock I think there can be no doubt ; the existing difference gradually became established by the work to which they were kept and the selections in breeding that would naturally be resorted to to mould and modify the animal to the purpose for which he was required. In most points the rough — or, as it has been called, the wiry-haired — greyhound corresponds with the smooth, except that he is larger boned, not quite so elegant in shape, or perhaps, more correctly, wanting in that beautiful finish that stamps the modern greyhound as the highest effort of man's skill in moulding this plastic animal to his will. The rough, harsh •coat adds to this effect, and the hairy jaws make the head look coarse ; this, however, it is in reality, the head being wider between the ears, which are also apt to be rather large and carried in an ugly manner. From its general resemblance to the deerhound, many specimens have been sold as such, and, being kept as companions and crossed with deer- hounds, have swelled the ranks of the latter, and helped to deteriorate their size. I believe there are still to be met with in Wales specimens of the rough greyhound ; I have no personal knowledge of them, but, from information furnished me, I believe they in all respects correspond with the Scotch, and are no doubt descendants of the dogs that rid the Principality of its wolves. The Lurcher. 43 CHAPTER V.— THE LURCHER. BY CORSINCON. IT would be in vain to look for the lurcher in the streets or parks of London, in any of our considerable towns, or at any of our dog shows. In some of our manufacturing towns he is kept, but out of sight ; his appearance is so suggestive that the modesty and retiring disposition of his master will not allow him to parade the dog before the public gaze. The lurcher is, in fact, par excellence the poacher's dog, and those who desire to see him must look for him in the rural districts ; there look out for the jobbing labourer, the man who never works but from dire necessity, a sturdily built but rather slouching fellow, whose very gait and carriage — half swagger, half lurch — proclaim the midnight prowler, and close to his heels, or crouched at his feet beneath the ale house bench, you will find the lurcher. The dog is by no means the ugly brute he is sometimes described to be. True, they vary greatly, and the name more properly describes the peculiar duties of the dog, and his manner of performing them, than distinctiveness of type ; but still the old-fashioned genuine lurcher has a well-defined character of his own which no other dog can lay claim to. The lurcher proper is a cross between the Scotch colley and the grey- hound— an average one w ill stand about three-fourths the height of the greyhound ; more strongly built and heavier boned, yet lithe and supple withal, his whole conformation giving an impression of speed, just, as his blinking, half-closed eye, as he lies pretending to sleep, impresses one with his intelligence and cunning. His coat is rough, hard, and uneven ; his ears are coarse, and altogether there is an air of, not rusticity, but vulgarity, about him. You cannot help associating dog and master, and, to be just, you will admit that there has been gross neglect or fundamental errors in the education and bringing up of both dog and man, for which they may not be altogether responsible ; and, to conclude your philosophising, you may, with a sigh, regret that so much capacity for real work should be turned into a wrong channel. If we may compare the two in morals, the dog has much the better of 44 British Dogs. it. He worships his master ; he is as ready to defend as to adulate ; his obedience is willing, prompt, and thorough, and rendered with a silence that would command the praise of the Chelsea philosopher. No yelp, youf, or yowl from the lurcher. Steady at heel or keeping watch at the stile till the wire is in the meuse and the net across the gate ; then a motion of the hand, and, without a whimper, he is round the field, driving rabbit and hare into the fatal snare. I attribute the wonderful intelligence displayed by some lurchers I have known to their constant and most intimate association with their owners. They eat, sleep, and thieve together ; and if the dog were not of Sir Wilfrid Lawson's opinion on the subject, they would, after a success- ful raid on the squire's preserves — like Tarn o' Shanter and Souter Johnny — "be drunk for weeks together." Lurchers will run either by nose or sight, as suits them, but always cunning. Let them start a hare, they will probably make for the meuse and meet poor Wat ; but their great game is with crouching stealthy step to pounce on him in his form. All of them will retrieve their game. Watch that itinerant tinker and collector of sundries, trudging behind that thing on four wheels he calls a cart, drawn by a nag that should be at the knacker' s ; he has seen the keeper heading for the Pig and Whistle. "Hie in, Jerry! " and the lurcher that enters the spinney empty mouthed, comes out two hundred yards below, and deposits a hare at his master's feet. As before said, these dogs vary greatly in general size and shape, and so they do in colour, but my beau ideal of a lurcher is a heavyish greyhound conformation with enough of the colley to make them look in- telligent, and in colour red, brindle, or a grizzle. The Whippet. 45 CHAPTER VI.— THE WHIPPET. BY CORSINCON. THE whippet, or snap dog, as he is also called, is a great favourite with workmen in Durham and other northern counties, and the Darlington Show never fails to bring together a large collection of them. It is not, however, for the show bench, but the race ground that he is bred, where they are matched against each other for speed and for their superiority in rabbit coursing. I cannot describe them better than by saying they are a greyhound on a small scale with a dash of terrier. An account of the dog racing for which these whippets or snap dogs are used, and which is so popular with the working classes in many parts of the north, will be interesting. The dogs are handicapped according to their known performances, &c., and the distance run is two hundred yards. They are entered as "Thomson's Eose, 19£lb.," as the case may be, and the weight appears on the handicap card. Dogs are weighed in an hour before the time set for the first heat, and are allowed four ounces over the declared weight. The winner of the heat is weighed again immediately the heat is run. For the second heat eight ounces are allowed. For the final race additional extra weight is allowed, that being run on the following Saturday. The dog generally gets a light meal — half a pigeon, or a chop, or piece of steak — after running his second trial heat on the second Saturday ; so he weighs a bit heavier the second time of scaling. The modus operwndi will be best illustrated by the following description of a race meeting recently held at Farnvrorth Recreation Grounds, near Bolton. There were sixty odd heats of three dogs. The course is a perfectly level path of twelve yards in width. The dogs are stripped and put on their marks, each being held by his owner, or a man for him, and the starter goes behind them with the pistol. Mean- while a man the dog knows starts off in front of him, carrying a big piece of linen rag, or some conspicuous object, sometimes a big tuft of grass or a pigeon's wing ; and every now and then, as he runs up the course, he will turn round and "Hi" to the dog, at the same time waving the cloth up and down. When these runners up have got pretty 46 British Dogs. near the finish, the pistol is fired and the dogs are released. The runners up must then get over the ten-yard mark, beyond the finish line, and the dogs, running right on, snatch the cloth with their teeth and hang to it like grim death. Each dog has a piece of ribbon round his neck, according to his station — red, white, or blue ; and the judge or referee, as he is called, holds up a flag of the winning colour to show which has won. The cloth is called "bait," and "live bait" is forbidden. The following is a copy of rules in force at a number of racing grounds in the Manchester district, which will make the working of this popular pastime clear : 1. All do£S that have never run at these grounds must be entered in their real owner's name and residence, also the town or place in which FINISH 10*05 STARTER JUDGES BOX HANDICAP MARKS they are kept, or they will lose all claim in any handicap, and will be subject to inspection at the scales ; and no person will be allowed to run with live bait. 2. Any person objecting to a dog on the mark, that heat shall be post- poned. The objector and owner shall stake in the hands of the handi- capper or referee <£! each at the time of objection, which must be made into £5 each before the last heat is run. If it cannot be proved on the day of objection, the dog will run under protest. The person who owns the dog shall leave it with the proprietor or handicapper until the objection is proved right or wrong — if it is proved wrong the money to be paid to the objector ; but if not proved the money to be paid to the owner of the said dog. 3. In any case of running-up for a wrong dog, both the owner, the The Whippet. 47 "runner," and the dog will be disqualified. They will be expelled from the grounds for twelve months, and will not be allowed to enter any handicap during that time. Their names will also be published in the sporting papers. 4. Any owner of dogs attempting to weigh, or sending any other person to weigh a wrong dog, both owner and dog shall be excluded from the grounds for twelve months. 5. If a dog be disqualified after running, the second dog in the heat shall be placed first, and if it is not possible to tell the second dog, all the dogs in the heat shall run again, except the one disqualified. All bets void on the heat. 6. Should the dogs go when the cap is fired, and not the shot, they shall run again in all cases ; and any dog slipped before the cap or shot is fired, shall forfeit all claim to the handicap, except all the dogs go, then it shall be a race. 7. Only one runner-up allowed with each dog. Any one not at the mark when the previous heat is over will be disqualified in any part of the race. The runners to be ten or fifteen yards over the mark, according to the rules of the ground, when the dogs finish, or the dogs they represent will be disqualified. In all heats dogs must start at their respective marks. 8. All bets stand whether the dogs run or not, excepting bets on heats, when backers must have a race for their money. 9. That entries for dog handicaps shall close on Saturdays (Monday morning's post in time) ; and no entries will be taken after Monday morning on any account. This rule applies only to handicaps run on two succeeding Saturdays ; when run on other days it will be subject to alteration as announced in bills. 10. If the proprietors and handicappers at any of these grounds make a mistake in a dog's start, and, not detecting it, allow any dog to run the first day, it shall not be disqualified through the handicapper having made a mistake in the start, and all bets must stand. 11. Any dog entered " old " and not over five years old will be dis- qualified in any part of the race, and lose all claim to bets or stakes. No age will be taken after eight months old. 12. FINAL HEAT. — All dogs in the final heat shall be subject to weighing and inspection. In weighing, they will be allowed 6oz. in 48 British Dogs. addition to the usual allowance ; and anyone taking his dog off the course before the referee declares "All right," shall forfeit all claim to stakes and bets. All disputes to be settled by the referee. CHAPTER VII.— THE SIBERIAN WOLFHOUND. BY CORSINCON. THIS is a dog of the Scotch deerhound type, and much the same in size. The most striking difference is in the colour. The grizzle, almost universal in the deerhound, gives place here to a mixture of colours. The majority of those exhibited at our shows are white, with fawn or yellow markings ; but a gentleman who reported a dog show at Moscow for The Country, when there were about fifty exhibited, describes the prevailing colour of the Barsee, as these hounds are called, to have been white and dark grey ; and Minski, shown at Burton-on-Trent, is a mixture of light and dark grey and white ; but certainly the majority we see here are white and fawn or yellow. They are scarce in this country, which is to be regretted, as they are strikingly handsome and majestic. The best specimens I have seen are Lady Emily Peel's Czar, by the Duke of Hamilton's Moscow out of the Rev. J. C. Gumming Macdona's Sandringham ; and the latter bitch is also a grand one. Czar is a splendid fellow, white and lemon coloured, in build corresponding with our best deerhounds ; he has a good deep chest, well sloped shoulders, airy neck, and noble head, with rather full, almost amber-coloured eyes, which show bead-like, surrounded as they are with white. He is altogether a dog of fine proportions and noble appearance, and a first-rate specimen of the breed. The texture of the coat is finer than in our deerhounds, and, from their colour partly, they have a milder look than their name and work would lead us to expect. As an ornament and companion they are to be commended, and I hope to see them become more plentiful. The Persian Greyhound. 49 CHAPTER VIII.— THE PERSIAN GREYHOUND. BY CORSINCON. THE specimens of this graceful but rather delicate variety are com- paratively rare in England, still we generally have one or more at our London shows. They are of similar type to our greyhound but built more slimlyr wanting the great muscular development which the greyhound has ; indeed, so delicate in appearance are those I have seen exhibited, that they are in that respect an enlarged edition of the Italian greyhound. They differ from our greyhound also in having the ears larger, drooping, and fringed with silky hair, much longer than on the body, and the tail is similarly adorned. They are used in hunting the gazelle, an interesting account of which appeared in the " Field " newspaper some years ago. They are used in relays, a custom which was at one time in practice in this country. The most beautiful specimen I have seen is Mr. H. Allan's Tierma, a delicate fawn, standing, I should say, 22in. to 23in. at the shoulder. Tierma has often been exhibited, and her great beauty has always- secured her a first prize on these occasions. GROUP II. Dogs that hunt their Game by scent, and kill. Including : 1. The Bloodhound. 2. The Foxhound, j. The Otterhound. 4. The Harrier. 5. The Beagle. 6. The Bassett. . The Dachshund This group corresponds in head formation -with the second division of M. Cuvier. (C The head moderately elongated, and the parietals diverging from each other for a certain space as they rise upon the side of the head, enlarging the cerebral cavity and the frontal sinus." Many, and notably those nearest approaching the older types, are possessed of deep flews and abun- dance of loose skin about the head and throat. They are heavier in build and slower in pace than those in Group i, and, although in several instances used to quest for game only, the general employment of the group is to hunt by scent only and to kill. CHAPTER IX.— THE BLOODHOUND. BY CORSINCON. HE who attempts to discover the origin and trace the history of any one of our breeds of dogs, beyond a comparativly few generations, will, in most or all cases, speedily find himself in a fog, tossed on a sea of doubt, driven hither and thither by the conflicting evidence of the writers he consults, who seem to emulate each other in the meagreness of the inform- ation they give and the vagueness with which they convey it. To this The Bloodhound. 51 the bloodhound is no exception, and it is, perhaps, wiser to accept the in evitable, and frankly admit that we know very little about the origin o this or any other breed, for at best we can but guess at the most probable rom the very insufficient data at our command to form any certain opinion. This is certainly a wiser and more dignified course than, as many are disposed to do, prate about this, that, and the other breed being the original dog of the British Islands. Of one thing I feel very certain, that, could we go back, say, a thousand years, and select a hundred of the finest specimens then living, and bring them as they then were into competition with their descendants of- to-day, say, at an Alexandra Palace show, the whole century of them would be quickly sent out of the ring as mongrels ; they would stand no more chance than a herd of our ancient wild cattle would against a dairy of shorthorns. Such, at least, is my opinion, and if anyone disputes it, let him prove me wrong. The first printed book touching on dogs that we have is the "Book of Huntynge," by Juliana Barnes, and the list of dogs given by her does not include Bloodhounds, but it does the Lemor and Raches, both of which were dogs that ran their game by scent, and the former was probably the nearest approach to our notions of a hound, and was used to trace the wounded deer, &c., the name Lymer being taken from the fact of his being led in leash. No doubt at this date, and for a long time previous, English hounds were being modified by crosses from imported dogs brought in by the Norman conquerors from France, whence they originally came from the .East, and the slow hunting hounds of that day have, by various commixture, produced for us the varieties we now recognise. Dr. Caius mentions the bloodhound as " the greatest sort which serves to hunt, having lips of a large size, and ears of no small length." In Turberville's "Book of Hunting " there are a number of dogs portrayed, all of the hound type, and with true hound ears, whereas, in the " Book of St. Albans," printed a century earlier, the dogs represented have much smaller ears, and thrown back, as the dogs are seen straining on the slips, greyhound-like. Turberville has a good deal to say about hounds. If he is to be credited, the progenitors of our modern dogs originally came from Greece, and the first of them that reached this country were landed at Totnes. It was the custom at that time to range the dogs according to Colour ; of these, white and fallow, white spotted with red, and black E'2 52 British Dogs. were most esteemed. White, spotted with black or dun, were not so- much valued. The best of the fallow were held to be those with their hair lively red, with white spots on the forehead, or a white ring round the neck ; and of those it is said " those which are well joynted and dew- clawed are best to make bloodhounds," clearly showing, as passages from all the old writers could be quoted to do, that the term bloodhound was applied to the dog because of the work set him, and that, in fact, where hounds are spoken of the bloodhound is included. Black hounds, called St. Hubert's, are described as mighty of body, with legs low and short, not swift in work, but of good scent. The following couplet shows that the St. Hubert hounds were highly thought of : My name came first from holy Hubert's race, Soygllard my sire, a hound of singular grace. Turberville says " the bloodhounds of this colour prove good, especially such as are ' cole ' black." The dun hounds are much nearer in colour to our modern dog ; these were dun on the back, having their legs and fore-quarters red or tanned, and it is added the light tanned dogs were not so strong. Gervase Markham, who was a very copious writer, follows Turberville pretty closely. His description of a Talbot-like hound would, in many respects, stand for a modern bloodhound, although certainly not in head,, on which point I fancy he has not expressed his meaning very clearly. He says, " a round, thick head, with a short nose uprising, and large open nostrils ; ears exceedingly large and thin, and down hanging much lower than his chaps, and the flews of his upper lips almost two inches lower than his nether chaps ; back, strong and straight ; fillets, thick and great ; huckle bones, round and hidden ; thighs, round ; hams, straight ; tail, long and rush-grown, that is, big at the setting on, and small down- wards ; legs, large and lean ; foot, high knuckled and well clawed, with a dry, hard sole. From all this, and much more that might be quoted, I gather that whilst the dun and tan, that is, the black saddle back and tan legged dogs, most nearly agree in colour with our bloodhound, it is a mere accident of selection, although that may have been influenced by that coloured dog showing more aptitude for the special work he was put to> The Bloodhound. 53 and certainly the colour is admirably adapted to a dog used for night work, as he was ; and this reminds me that Dr Caius tells us these dogs were kept in dark kennels, that they might better do night work. The practice would assuredly defeat its object. When the bloodhound was first used to track fugitives I have never been able to discover ; the first written notice of such a thing I am acquainted with occurs in " Blind Harry's Life of William Wallace," the Scottish patriot, as the following lines, which have been so frequently quoted by writers on the bloodhound, show : About the groud they set on breid ani length A hundreth men, chairgit in arms strang, To keep a hunde that they had them amang, In G'illisland there wab that Brachall bred, Sikyr of scen% to follow them that fled . Sae was she used in Eske and Liddesdale, Quhile she gat bluid nae fleeing might avail. And again : But this sleuth brache, quilke sekyr w as and keen, On Wallace fute followit sae felloune fast Quilk in thar sicht thai prochit at the last. In the traditions of the peasantry of the west of Scotland many stirring stories of the " hair-breadth 'scapes " of Wallace and Bruce from blood- hounds still live, and some of them at the present moment come up fresh to the writer's mind, although they have lain buried for many years. In the wars in Ireland bloodhounds were used in a manner reflecting little credit on the dominant power, and their scenting powers and ferocity have, in later times, been used to hunt down the unfortunate slaves in Cuba and elsewhere. For a stirring account of the employment of over a hundred of these dogs in hunting down revolted negroes in Jamaica, I refer the reader to the '• Sportman's Cabinet." In our own country they were long bred and trained to track border raiders, and a most exciting chase it must have been through those wild moorlands, as all who have read Scott, even without having visited the scenes he so wall depicts, will say. The words of eulogy on the dead Eichard Musgrave, pronounced by "the stark moss -trooping Scott," William of Deloraine, who, By wily turns and desperate bounds, Had baffled Percy's best bloodhounds, 54 British Dogs. will arise in every reader's memory, but they will lose nothing by repetition here : Yet rest thee, God ! for well I know I ne'er &hall find a nobler foe In all the northern countries here, "Whose word is snaffle, spur, and spear. Thou wert the best to follow gear; 'Twas pleasure, as we looked behind, To see how thou the chase could wind, Cheer the dark bloodhound on his way, And with the bugle rouse the fray. I'd give the lands of Deloraine Dark Musgrave were alive again. In later times the bloodhound has been used successfully in tracing poachers. Meyrick, in his useful little work on dogs, gives an interesting example of a successful poacher hunt, and he was often used for tracing thieves, and as an instance of this, so late as the beginning of the present century, the Thrapstone Association for the Prosecution of Felons — a class of institution now almost obsolete — kept a trained bloodhound for the tracking of sheep stealers. The description of the dog so employed, as given by Somerville in " The Chase," is inimitable in its graphic force. No one not thoroughly acquainted with hounds could have worked e\ery detail into so telling a picture : Soon the sagacious brute, his curling tail Flourished in air, low bending, plies around His busy nose, the steaming vapour enuffs Inquisitive, nor leaves one turf untried, Till cor&cious of the recent stains, his heart Beats quick ; his snuffling nose, his active tail, Attest his joy ; then with deep opening mouth, That makes the welkin tremble, he proclaims Th' audacious felon ; foot by foot he makes His winding way, while all the listening crowd Applaud his reasonings : O'er the watery ford, Dry sandy heaths, and stony barren hills ; O'er beaten paths, by men and beasts disdained, Unerring he pursues ; 'till at th« cot Arrived, and seizing by his guilty throat The caitif vile, redeems the captive prey. So exquisitely delicate is his nose. Somerville is not the only poet who has paid tribute to the wonderful powers of this king of hounds. Tickell, in his poem on hunting, says : O'er all the bloodhourd boasts superior skill, To scent, to view, to turn, to boldly kill. The Bloodhound. 55 The following quotation from Dr. Caius (temp. 1550) as to the use of bloodhounds may prove suggestive, and enforce the arguments I have repeatedly used in favour of the extraordinary scenting powers of this noble hound being again utilised as a thief taker. Burglaries, especially in rural and suburban districts, never were more rife ; the capture of the thieves is often due to some happy accident, but capture and detection of the perpetrators of these crimes too rare. The use of well trained bloodhounds would, I am persuaded, prove most valuable in lessening this class of crime, because of the absolute certainty with which they could be trained to track the felon, even when put on the scent hours after the deed had been committed. The dog was probably first used to trace deer stealers when the stringent forest laws of the Norman kings were in force, and after- wards his aptitude for the work was used for extended purposes. That may be merely conjecture, but Dr. Caius seems to strengthen the idea ; he says they " do not only chase the beast while it liveth, but being dead also by any manner of casualty make recourse to the place where it lieth, having in this point a sure and infallible guide, namely, the scent and savour of the blood sprinkled here and there upon the ground, for whether the beast being wounded doth notwithstanding enjoy life and escape the hands of the hunts- man, or whether the said beast, being slain, is conveyed clearly out of the park (so that there be some signification of bloodshed), these dogs with no less facility and earnestness than avidity and greediness, can dis- close and bewray the same by smelling, applying to their pursuit agility and nimbleness, without tediousness, for which consideration of a singu- lar speciality they deserved to be called scmguinarius bloodhounds. And albeit, peradventure it may chance that a piece of flesh be subtlely stolen and cunningly conveyed away with such provisos and precaveats as thereby all appearance of blood is either prevented, excluded, or con- cealed, yet these kind of dogs, by a certain direction and an inward as- sured notice and privy mark, pursue the deed doers through long lanes, crooked reaches, and weary ways, without wandering away out of the limits of the land whereon these desperate purloiners prepared their speedy passage ; yea, the nature of these dogs is such, and so effectual is their foresight, that they can bewray separate and pick them out from an infinite multitude and an innumerable company, escape they never so far 56 British Dogs. into the thickest throng, they will find him out notwithstanding he be hidden in wild woods, in close and overgrown groves, and lurk in hol- low boles apt to harbour such ungracious guests. ' ' Moreover, although they should pass over the water, thinking thereby to avoid the pursuit of the hounds, yet will not these dogs give over their attempt, but, presuming to swim through the stream, persevere in their pursuit, and when they be arrived and gotten to the further bank they hunt up and down, to and fro run they, from place to place shift they, until they have attained to that plot of ground where they passed over, and this is their practice, perdie they cannot at the first time smelling find out the way which the deed doers took to escape. So at length get they that by art and cunning and diligent endeavour which by fortune and luck they cannot otherwise overcome, in so much as it seemeth wisely written by Elianus to be as it were naturally instilled and poured into these kind of dogs, for they will not pause ror breathe from their pursuit until such time as they be apprehended and taken which committed the fact. The owners of such dogs use to keep them in close and dark channels in the day time, and let them loose at liberty in the night season, to the intent they might with more courage and boldness practise to follow the felon in the evening and solitary hours of darkness, when such ill-dis- posed varlets are principally purposed to play their impudent pranks. " These hounds, when they are to follow such fellows as we have before rehearsed, use not that liberty to range at will which they have otherwise when they are on game (except upon necessary occasion, where- on dependeth an urgent, an effectual persuasion, when such purloiners make speedy way in flight), but being restrained and drawn backward from running at random with the leash, the end thereof the owner hold- ing in his hand, is led, guided, and directed with such swiftness and slowness (whether he go on foot or whether he ride on horseback) , as he himself in heart would wish for the more easy apprehension of these venturesome varlets." The employment of dogs in the detection of a great crime quite recently brought the question of the utilisation of the bloodhound for such purposes up for discussion. In the case referred to the dog had displayed no more sagacity than is common to the whole species, advantage being taken of the deep sensation produced by the inhuman nature of the crime to impose as a wonderful performance the most The Bloodhound. 57 ordinary event on the ignorant and credulous. It is not, however, altogether impracticable to make these hounds auxiliaries to the police. A well-trained hound will trace the steps of the fugitive after many hours, and in cases of burglary or other crimes in rural districts, as already said, their employment might be useful. It certainly seems a pity that, kept as he is now as a noble companion, the wonderful power nature has given him should, with but few exceptional cases, be allowed to lie dormant. Having cursorily glanced in the first part of this chapter at the bloodhounds of our forefathers through such dim light as he is at all visible, I now turn to him as he is in our own day, the noblest of all the hound tribe, so patrician in appearance that he calls up to the imagination pictures of old baronial halls with their wide-extending parks and noble woods, rather than the surroundings in which the majority now only see him on the show bench, where he, as by right of birth and blood, heads the long list of canine aristocracy. To write of the bloodhound and not quote the unparalleled lines of Scott in the "Lay of the Last Minstrel" were rank heresy. The beauty of these lines has been so much better eulogised by the writer of the article on 41 Bloodhounds" in the "Penny Cyclopaedia," that I quote them verbatim as an introduction to the lines themselves: "This is one of the best poetical descriptions of the bloodhound in action, if not the best, for though Somerville's lines may enter more into detail, they want the vivid animation of the images brought absolutely under the eye by the power of Seott, where the ' noble child,' the heir of Brank- some, is left alone in his terror : " Starting oft, he journeyed on, And deeper in the wool is gone. For aye, the more he sought his way , The farther fctill he went astray ; Until he heard the mountains round Ring to the baying of a hound. And hark ! and hark ! the deep-mouthed bark Comes nigher still, and nigher ; Burst on the path a c'ark bloodhound, His tawny muzzle tracked the ground, And his red eye shot fire. Soon as the 'wildered child saw he, He flew at him right furiouslie. I ween you would have feen with joy The bearing of the gallant boy, When, worthy of Hs noble sire, His wet cheek glowed 'twixt fear and ire 58 British Dogs. He faced the bloodhound manfully And held his little bat on high; So fierce he struck, the dog, afraid, At cautious distance hoarsely bay'd, But still in act to spriug. When dashed an archer through the glade, And when be saw the bound was stayed, He drew his tough bow-srring. But a rough voice cried, " Sboot not, hoy ! Ho ! shoot not, Edward— 'tis a boy." The bloodhound of to-day, changed as he no doubt has been by " modern refinement, collateral crosses, and experimental commixture," stands an average height of about 27in., bitches an inch or more less. He possesses a commanding dignity of appearance, with an attractive- ness of expression that is truly noble ; he seems to rest with silent confidence and self-reliance in the consciousness of his own power and importance ; and, as he reposes on his bench in stately form calmly viewing his admirers, receives their adulations in stately fashion, as "to the manner born." When seen in action he moves more gracefully than the more massive mastiff, and gives an impression of a well- adjusted union of activity and strength. The head is remarkably striking ; it is large and long, high domed, and peaked at back of skull — in comparison with its length it is narrow ; the upper jaw is also long and narrow, ending with wide-spread capacious nose ; the upper lips or flews are thin and deep, hanging well below the under jaw. The ears, low set on, are remarkable for their great length, hanging like folds of graceful drapery to such depth they can be made to meet before the nose. There is a quantity of loose skin about the head and throat, giving the attractive wrinkled appear- ance to the face, and the " dewlaps like Thessalian bulls," called " throatyness," The eye is deep-seated, calm, and scrutinising, and full of expression, the "haw" — from its red appearance, probably named from the berry of the white thorn — well exposed. The neck is longer in reality than appearance, shoulders fairly sloped, and fore legs, stout, straight, and muscular, with the feet round, and well padded ; splay feet are objectionable ; the claws are large, strong, and black in colour. The barrel of moderate length, ribs deep and well sprung ; loins and hind quarters very muscular ; the tail of great length, set on high, thick at the base, and tapering, but not to a> fine point — very pliant. " Stonehenge " pays "gracefully waving;" The Bloodhound. 59 another writer says " lashing," and carried moderately high; but it is of little consequence which description we accept. Colour has been, if it is not still, a vexed question. " Stonehenge " says " black -tan, or deep and reddish fawn (no white should be shown but on just the tip of the stern)." "Dogs of the British Islands" (first edition) says " a reddish tan, darkening gradually towards the upper parts till it becomes black on the back. A white patch on the body, a white face, or a streak down it, proclaims a stain which is death to all hope of purity of blood." I cannot believe in colour as an infallible test of purity of blood. I have seen how these hounds were bred from those of various colour, and Pennant, writing the end of last century, claims for them a black spot over each eye— a characteristic of the old Southern hound. Does this ever appear in litters now ? Mr. Holford, a successful modern breeder, says : " There is almost invariably more or less white on the chest The less white on the feet the better. There should be no white on any other part of the body, though few breeders would reject a dog solely on account of colour if all other points were good." Those that are spotted with white are esteemed by many, and, when thus faintly flecked or dappled, the effect is greatly to enhance the appearance of the dog in the eyes of many. I certainly very much admire it, but question its being any proof of purity. The coat is short, fine, and thick, but, of course, this is much modified by the circumstances of rearing, keeping, and work. The voice, once heard, is not to be forgotten : it is awfully deep and loud, with a prolonged sonorous melody ; and, heard at night, when the mountain echoes sullenly fling back a dull response, it has quite a solemn and weird effect. The points of the bloodhound, as generally accepted, are : Head 15 Ears and Eyes 1 Flews and Dewlap 10 Neck 5 Chest and Shoulders 10 Back and Bick Rib3 10 Legs and Feet 20 Colour and Coat 5 Stern 5 Symmetry 10 Total ... ... 100 60 British Dogs. Among the best bloodhounds that have been exhibited, I may enumerate Major J. A. Cowan's Druid, Dauntless, Dingle, Draco ; Mr. T. A. Jennings's Druid; Mr. C. E. Holford's Regent, Matchless, and Trimbush ; Mr. E. Reynolds Ray's Roswell, Baron, and Baroness ; Mr. Edwin Brough's Rufus; Sir Fowell-Buxton's Luath, and Capt. Clayton's Luath; and those now (1878) that take the lead at our exhibitions are Mr. Bird's Brutus; Capt. J. W. Clayton's Luath XI., too pale coloured for modern fancy, but a grand hound, with a long, deep, narrow head, peaked skull, and abundance of flew, wrinkles, and dewlap ; Mr. Leger G. Morrell's Rollo, rich in colour, and grand in head; Mr. Mark Beaufoy's Merton ; Mr. Herbert Singer's Judge, a stout built, dark coloured, and excellent young hound ; and Mrs. Humphries' Don, without exception the finest made specimen of the breed I have seen, full of quality, with all the special attributes of the bloodhound well developed, although the skull is neither quite so narrow or peaked as in some of his competitors. Of first-class bitches, Mr. J. C. Tinker's Dido, I think, ranks the highest, and her success in the show ring has been uninterrupted. Mr. Johnstone Auld's Harmony, Dr. Forbes Winslow's Bell, and Mrs. Humphries' s Haidee, are also magnificent hounds of the true type. Through the courtesy of their owners, I am enabled to give particulars of measurements of some of the above-mentioned hounds, which will be of use for comparison with others. Mrs. Humphries' s Don : Age, 4| years ; length from nose to set on of tail, 49in. ; length of tail, 18in. ; girth of chest, 35in. ; girth of loin, 29fin. ; girth of head, 18in ; girth of forearm, 8|in. ; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, 13in. ; ears from tip to tip, 27|in. ; each ear, 9|in. ; between ears, 8Jin. ; depth of flews, 6iin. Mr. J. T. Tinker's Dido : Age, 1 year 7* months ; weight, 871b. ; height at shoulder, 25fin. ; length from nose to set on of tail, 45fin. ; length of tail, IS^in. ; girth of chest, 33in. ; girth of loin, 26in. ; girth of head, 18in. ; girth of forearm, 8fin. ; length of head from occiput -to tip of nose, lliin. ; length of ears from tip to tip, 25in. Capt. J. W. Clayton's Luath XL: Age, 4 years; weight, 107lb. ; height at shoulder, 27in. ; length from nose to set on of tail, 46in. ; length of tail, 19in. ; girth of chest, 36in. ; girth of loin, 32in. ; girth of head, 23in. ; girth of forearm, 9in. ; length of head from occiput to The Bloodhound. 61 tip of nose, 13in. ; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, 14in. ; length from tips of ears across forehead, 26in. Mr. W.Herbert Singer's Judge : Age, 1 year 7 months ; weight, '891b. ; height at shoulder, 2 7in. ; length from nose to set on of tail, 48|in. ; length of tail, 18|in. ; girth of chest, 33|in. ; girth of loin, 27in. ; girth of head, 17in. ; girth of forearm, 9jin. ; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, 12in. ; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, lOJin. ; length of ears from tip to tip, 29in. Mr. J. E. W. Wilbey's Gassy (6861) : Age, 2 years 8 months ; height at shoulder, 24£in. ; length from nose to set on of tail, 45in. ; length of tail, 16|in. ; girth of chest, 32in. ; girth of loin, 25in. ; girth of head, 19 in. ; girth of forearm, 8fin. ; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, lOin. ; length of ears, 24|ir. Rev. E. Fowler's Druid: Age, uncertain; weight, 941b. ; height at shoulder, 24in. ; length from nose to set on of tail, 52in. ; length of tail, 16in. ; girth of chest, 14in. ; girth of loin, 34Jin. ; girth of head, 27in. ; girth of forearm, 10|in. ; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, 13in. ; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, 18in. ; ears from tip to tip, 27in. Eev. E. Fowler's Lufra: Age, 3 years; weight, 861b. ; height at shoulder, 24in. ; length from nose to set on of tail. 43in. ; length of tail, I7in. ; girth of chest, 12in. ; girth of loin, 33in. ; girth of head, 21in. j girth of forearm, 9f in. ; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, llin. ; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, 13iin. ; ears from tip to tip, 26in. We give an engraving of Mr. E. Bird's Brutus, winner of a cup and two firsts at Birmingham, second twice at Crystal Palace, and also second at Alexandra Palace. Brutus was bred by his owner, and he is by Mr. Eeynolds Eay's Eoswell out of Eufia, by Mr. Holford's Eegent out of Doris, by Eockwood out of Bird's Vengeance ; and the following notice of him appeared in The Country report of the Birmingham show, 1875 : "Brutus is wonderfully good, although considered by many short in leg, but he has a magnificent head, grandly carried, and is well made throughout ; anything he loses in height is compensated by his bone and substance and symmetrical frame." Don, the subject of our other engraving, is by the old champion Eoswell out of Flora, by Eufus out of Hilda. Eoswell was by the Duke 62 British Dogs. of Beaufort's Warrior out of sister to Rufus. Don is considered by many of our best judges the bloodhound of the day, and he is, unquestionably, the best framed and most symmetrical hound of the breed we have seen. He has taken first prize at Manchester, Bristol, Alexandra Palace, and many other places, and the couple of magnificent puppies by him taking second and third prizes at the Irish Kennel Club, April 1, 1879, proves his capability of transmitting his grand proportions. Although the bloodhound is now rarely hunted in packs, Lord Wolverton still does so, hunting regularly at the present time seventeen and a half couples. His lordship exhibited a few of his hounds at the Bristol show, November, 1878, and fine specimens they were, especially the grand old dog Harold and the beautifully modelled bitch Freedom. CHAPTER X.— THE FOXHOUND. BY VERT. THE writer of the following spirited article, has been a frequent contributor to The Country, and well known as a judge at many of our most important shows, and that he is equally at home and happy in the field as in the ring no reader of his article on the Foxhound can doubt. "Vert" says : " Our Saxon forefathers hunted down the fox not so much for sport as to protect their slender stock of poultry, lambs, and sucking pigs from 'the subtle, pilfering foe, prowling around in midnight shades,' and were wont to proclaim his mort-note in joyous blasts from the sonorous throat of the cowhorn ; and we do not suppose that they would be very particular as to the kind of hound they employed for their purpose. " Who ever asks where, or when, or how, the wily fox is ta'en " until victorious William and his son Eufus taught them with horn and voice to cheer and discipline the pack ? For centuries the chase was reserved for royalty and the nobles of the land ; and it was not until " our George The Foxhound. 63 was king" that the middle classes were allowed to join in the sport, when the yeomen and farmers in various parts of England got up packs of hounds for hunting the fox, each giving bed and board to one or more couples, which they brought together on appointed hunting days. These were called trencher packs, from the manner in which they were billeted out on the members of the clubs. Several such packs are still kept in the northern counties, and afford their supporters plenty of sport. The first pack of foxhounds, with huntsman and whippers-in on horseback, was established about the middle of the last century in Dorsetshire, and hunted the Cranbourne Chase country for several years, when they were purchased by Mr. George Bowes, grandfather of the present Mr. John Bowes, of Streatlem Castle, after which they hunted the Durham country, and initiated northern foxhunters into the proper way of following the sport. The Brocklesby Hound list, which is one of the earliest, dates from 1786, the first sire recorded being Dover, by Fitzwilliam' s Rumager. Mr. Farquharson hunted Dorsetshire from 1806 to 1858, fifty-two seasons, and had ninety couples of honnds in his kennels. He bred his bitches to about 21in., and his dog hounds to 23in. high, and they brought thirteen hundred and forty-seven brace of foxes to book in twenty-one seasons. In the season 1842-1843 the nose tally of this kennel was eighty-seven brace. Mr. Meynell, who hunted the Quorn for twenty-four seasons, did not care to have them under 24in., and Mr. Assheton Smith, who succeeded him, raised the standard to 25in. Of the old masters, the Duke of Grafton, Lord Lonsdale, and Mr. Warde liked to have them very little under 26in. Mr. Hall, the present master of the Holderness, has hunted that country for thirty-five seasons without intermission, having won his first spurs on the grey-tail Screveton, with Mr. Digby Legard, in 1820, and has since learnt the " hang " of every field from Sledmere plantation to Lammas stream, of which local tradition avers that, by sounding the depth of that dainty-looking water trap, Mr. "Nimrod" Apperley had the freedom of Holderness conferred on him, and that he carried away a luckless Lammas minnow in his boot as his precept of initiation. Mr. Hall cares more for the working qualities of his hounds than an inch 64 British Dogs. or so in height ; and, besides his doings at home with the Holderness, he has also carried his banner to the fore amongst the crack riders, and at all the crack meets in the shires, from Lord Yarborough's at Cainby Corner and the Quorn at Rolleston to Lord Chesterfield's at Bullock Smithy. In January of 1836, a knot of twenty-one second horses, by a lucky nick-in, gained the rising ground and caught a head view of the Belvoir bitch pack pressing hard on a Piper Hole fox up the vale, near the close of a fast forty-eight minutes ; the first flight being reduced to seven horsemen, with Tom Goosey at the fag end. " Lord Forrester is leading them, on the grey," says Tom Chambers,, alluding to a grey holding a centre lead of a good twenty lengths. Men- tally, we had already claimed the grey as one of the Yorkshire contin- gent ; and, biding our time, as he led down the swede ridges, and closely scanning his charge at the ox-fence — too stiff to bend and too tough to break — we caught the certainty, and broke out: "It's the Lord of Holderness that's on the grey, my lads ; and all the lords in Leicester- shire can't catch him!" Nor could they! And when the fox was pulled down, two fields ahead, there were only three claimants up for the twenty-one fresh horses at hand, the noble lord above alluded to not being one of them. Will. Goodall was second whip on .that day; and when he took the horn in 1842 he reduced the Belvoir standard from twenty-four to twenty-three inches, and in the season of 1854 he killed one hundred and ten foxes in one hundred and twelve days. "We don't call foxhounds dogs" was the crusty retort of Tom Parrington, the Yorkshire secretary to a Craven scut-hunter, on the eve of the Skipton hound show. But, with all due deference to the cherished reservation of the mighty mentor, we not only call the foxhound a dog, but the dog of dogs, and premise that, from a national point of view, foxhounds are of more importance than all other breeds of dogs clubbed together. We have weekly records of hunting appointments, from 167 packs of foxhounds in Great Britain and Ireland, which collectively engage to hunt about five hundred and forty days a week, besides which we are cognisant of several other established packs of foxhounds not included in the lists, and probably six hundred hunting days a week would be The Foxhound. 65 nearer the mark, and this goes on ('weather permitting') for nearly half the year. " It is a clearly ascertained fact that a country cannot be properly hunted three days a week for less than .£3000 a year, or four days a week for less than .£4000 a year, and if we make this a basis for calculation, we have as an approximate no less a sum than .£600,000 a year spent on foxhunting establishments alone, to say nothing of the enormous sums spent on the private studs of those for whom the sport is provided, nearly every shilling of which is not only spent at home, but on home products, and filters through every branch of the home trade. I do not rhyme for that dull elf Who cannot picture to himself that the chief reason why our ' flower of chivalry ' are the finest and best field officers in the world is owing to the knowledge of the manage- ment of the horse, and the courage inspired thereby acquired by early lessons taken in the hunting field. " There is no breed of dogs that have attained to such a high degree of perfection in form and substance as Foxhounds. Their pedigrees have been longer and better kept ; their breeders have united science with practice for many years past, and the result shows the master's hand. They have also been long under the control of a class with whom petty jealousies do not stand in the way of improvements, the services of a favourite hound in most packs being available for any other kennel if properly sought, of which we have an instance in the case of the late Sir Eichard Sutton, who, in a letter to a brother M.F.H., written only a few days before his death, says, * Send bitches to Glider,' Glider being considered the best hound in Sir Eichard' s kennel. "The modern Foxhound possesses in the highest degree thep roper conformation for courage, scenting powers, speed, and endurance, which proclaim him a workman of the first order and a model of canine per- fection to breed up to — a model such as Petrarch in the equine world, that we may fancy to have said at the St. Leger post, ' Tell Kisber and the gentlemen that I am here waiting.' In short, the Foxhound is a pattern card for the breeders of pointers, setters, retrievers, &c., to help them to breed out chumpy heads and lumpy shoulders, lanky backs and cranky hind quarters, leathery necks and narrow chests, cow hocks and weak feet and pasterns. F 66 British Dogs. " To give a list of the names of the patriarchs of the stud which have taken their part in bringing the foxhound to his present standard of excellence would fill a volume of no mean size. Most kennels have had their Tarquins and Furriers, their Eingwoods and Eallywoods, to make or mar their destinies. Yorkshiremen of the old regime would swear by Sir Mark Sykes's Aimwell, that Chalon transferred to canvas, and whose grand head ' gardanfc ' is considered the choicest specimen from that artist's easel. His written eulogy— Aimwell is by judges called a handsome hound, And always foremost when the fox is found, being attributed to the pen of Major Healey, than whom few had a more correct eye for horse or hound, or stronger nerve or better hand, as he proved when he jumped the iron-spiked gate in the Welham carriage drive when on the swing, without disturbing a hair on the clever brown bay, Hard Bargain. Willing and Wanton, and a long array of W's have kept up the dark patchy Aim well's reputation in this and other kennels. " Willing was a wonder at carrying a scent over sticky fallows ; but, being too fast for Tom Carter on the wolds, she was transferred to Brocklesby, where Will Smith did not give her many trials before he returned her with ' She's of no use to me ; we can't keep her in sight.' But Carter had no cause to regret the return, as she bred him Warrior and Woodman to Splendour. The former carried home the fox's head the first day he was out ; and, if allowed, he would always do so, be the distance never so great. " Of the fifty couples in the Eddlesthorpe hound list of 1842, before the kennel was transferred to Birdsall account, for the third time during the half century, Wanton and her sister Willing contributed ten and a half couples. The Mennithorpe miller never forgot his short cut across the kennel meadow at Eddlethorpe, when Wanton, catching sight of his dusky figure flitting through the early dawn, opened tongue, and, deserting her Shiner puppies, after a brief run, gave him a two hours and twenty minutes bay in the ash tree, at the end of which time he was released by Eobert Wise, the kennelman, as he arose to his duties at 5 a.m. 'Tak' her away, Eobert,' he pleaded; 'I was runnin' ti Burythorpe to fetch t' cow doctor ; dea tak' her away ! ' " The Brocklesby hounds, like the Yarborough estates, passed in male The Foxhound. 67 tail, of which the old lord, regardless alike of the tooth of time or the increase of the gods, decreed, ' We will fall our Brocklesby oaks every hundred years and our ashes every fifty.' The Brocklesby horn also descended from father to son for several generations, and old Will Smith's last command to his son and successor was, ' Stick to Banter.' " Tom Sebright was first entered to the chase by running after his father's primitive pack in the New Forest, where they would hunt any- thing from a deer to a dragon fly. He was then caught up and schooled by Mr. Musters ; thence he passed to Sir Mark Sykes for three seasons, when he was transferred to Mr. Osbaldeston as whip, with this recommendation, ' He kills all our horses.' In 1822 he entered upon his forty years' service under Earl Fitzwilliam, and hunted the Milton hounds up to his death in 1862, having spent well-nigh half a century in breeding and hunting hounds. He had his favourite Furriers and Feudals ; but the cheery face of the veteran never beamed more radiantly than when he dilated on the Quorn Tarquin of his whipper-in days. ' There never was such another hound as Trimbush ' was Will Danby's rooted belief, and he had had a lifetime of experience in the Baby, Holderness, Ainsty, and Harworth saddles. No day was too long and no seduction powerful enough for this unpledged disciple of Father Matthew, always excepting the cura9oa substitute in the coffee cup when the Holderness meet was under the old Scorbro' elms ; but he took much more kindly to this little counterfeit than any allusion to his fast fifteen minutes with the Neswick badger, which he pulled down on Tibthorpe Wold. The tastes of Danby's henchman, Ned Oxtoby, also ran in the temperance groove ; and he proved that his mother was no false prophetess when she predicted that ' he was born to be a hunts- man,' as the Holderness killed their fox under her cottage window at Long Biston in the same hour in which he first saw light, and he himself was strong in the faith that his mission in life was foxhunting. When the leading hounds once went headlong after their fox over the Speeton Cliff he begged a farmer to fetch a cart rope and lower him over the precipice, and he was drawn up first with Lavender in his arms, and then made a second descent for Petticoat, both of which, but for this gallant rope adventure, must have been left to perish among the seagulls and kittiwakes. "Will Goodall's lease of life was as brief as his hunting career was r2 68 British Dogs. brilliant. But his faith in the 23in. Brocklesby Eallywood did good service to the Belvoir kennel ; and when he laid down his horn in 1859 he left a pack of hounds which, for matchiness in size and colour, as also for steadiness and working qualities, has rarely, if ever, been equalled. His last advice to Ben Morgan was ' hold by the Alfred sort ; they are such close workers, and have got me out of many a difficulty.' " Will Derry, like Ben Morgan, preferred gay, raking hounds of the 24in. stamp, and both men were quick and clever in the field, and great killers of foxes. Nothing delighted Ben so much as to get on the trail of a good fox that would take them over the Holderness or the York and Ainsty frontier, and nothing short of failing scent or closing darkness would prevent his being brought to book. Both Derry and Morgan were hard riders, and proved the truth of the axiom that ' If welter weights break horses' backs, light weights break horses' hearts.' " Puppies are mostly whelped during the spring months, and, as soon as able to take care of themselves, they are taken out to quarters amongst the farmers, where they lead a dolce far niente sort of life, and are fetched in about the next February, when the lambs begin to drop. On their return they are branded with the initial of the hunt, and their ears are shortened by rounding off the points, to prevent them dipping into the feeding trough, and thus becoming coated and greasy, which would induce canker on the edge of the ear. Each now receives a name, and their education begins in good earnest — being constantly schooled into submission and confidence — for even Tom, the whip's, manner of rating a delinquent is open, decisive, cheery, and instructive, and in marked contrast with Whistle, the head-keeper's bullying and degrading appeal to a recalcitrant pointer, which oftener results in a fit of either the shivers or the sulks than in any knowledge of the fault committed or the duties required. " The beautiful manner in which the Quorn entries behaved at the late Yorkshire Hound Show at Skipton was worth a day's journey to witness —especially in the case of Alice, the winner in the unentered bitch class — coming up to every call and turning to every wave of Tom Firr's hand, true as the magnet to the pole. " Some of the hard riding Holderness farmers, whose hearts are in the sport, are proud of being trusted with a favourite bitch before she pups, when for her accommodation and comfort they cut a hole in the bieldy The Foxhound. 69 side of the straw stack, where she rears her whelps far better than in any kennel. It is customary in most hunts to have the young unentered hounds judged during the summer, when prizes, which take the shape of silver cups, silver teapots, or handsome silk dresses, are awarded to the lady of the house where the best looking puppy has been walked in the previous year ; so that every farmer's wife wants to have charge of a good looking one to qualify her chance for the next show day. "Draft hounds are such as can be spared from the pack, and are drawn for size as above or below the desired standard of the kennel, or for some fault, real or imaginary. These are the perquisites of the hunts- man, and usually fetch three to four guineas a couple. Drafts from the best packs are in great request, being often bespoke long before the time, and command higher prices. " Promoters of monster dog shows must have been profoundly purblind when they placed Foxhounds in their prize schedule, or they would have foreseen that M.F.H.'s of important packs would never send hounds to be cribbed, cabined, and confined for the week about, running the gauntlet of all the ills that dog flesh is heir to ; to be poked and provoked by the canes of incipient man-milliners, and submitted to the judgment and criticism of lapdog fanciers — the Whitby deadlock of '75 to wit. ' What's that lang chap, wi'd fine gleaves on keep leaking inta their e'en for ?' asked a Bilsdale jet miner, who had tramped ten miles on foot and thirty-six by rail to back ' oor Charlotte, ' and had lost his money in the first over. 'E'en,' replied his companion in travel, 'he's leaking up their noases, mum, to see which has the sharpest scent.' " From the Waterloo year to the advent of the Russian campaign may be termed the Homeric period of foxhunting. Fields were more select and less crowded, first-flight men had less difficulty in recruiting then, studs, as thoroughbreds too slow for the turf were then drafted to the hunting stable, instead of being, as of late, degraded into steeplechasers, timber-toppers, and instruments of cheating and robbery. Fallows were not generally gridironed by drain-pipes and ' catch 'em up ' wire fences, and asphalte had not taken possession of the country. Coverts were not yet sacred to St. Pheasant, nor was there then a branch railway to cross the line of every fox. However, things look brighter in the north, for the engine drivers on the Richmond branch line, who have mostly one or more crosses of the sportsmen in them, have decided to respect the 70 British Dogs. scarlet sleeve of the master of the Bedale, and when they see it standing at danger they draw up to a standstill, and allow his spotted beauties to cross scathless. But the N.E.B,. is accustomed to take things easy, and the traveller who has crawled through Quaker Straits by the North Passage without having his time wasted or his temper spoilt must have dropped into a hopeless state of uselessness. " The music of hounds breaking covert, blended with the windings of the huntsman's horn, is something to be remembered with pleasure ; but it is reserved for those whose nights are spent within earshot of the kennel to listen to that matchless song of unpricked music which, once heard, is never to be forgotten — the midnight chorus of a pack of foxhounds, as it breaks on the ear and swells in tuneful cadences in the dark and stilly night ; when Harmony and Audible pitch the keynote, and Musical and Singwell and Songstress carry on the air, waking old Charon and Crowner, that put in the bass notes, while Vocal and Tuneful and Rhapsody and Eantipole and a score more swell the choir and prolong the song. The wakened kennelman starts from his pillow, but, catching bon-accord notes ere he can clutch the handle of the riot bell, gives pious thanks that it is Harmony, and not old Discord, that breaks his dreams, composes himself, and drops off to sleep again." To the foregoing remarks by " Vert " we add the following, as giving information on points not touched upon by him. Two qualities have always been considered essential in the Foxhound — nose and endurance, and to that is now added speed. To ensure the latter two qualities perfect symmetry is essential; by which is meant harmony and due proportion of each part relatively to the other and to the whole, and as applied in the present instance, includes the adaptability for displaying a high rate of speed conjointly with great stoutness by the special development and strengthening of certain parts towards that end. Mere size has nothing to do with this, and on that point there is still difference of opinion, although still the balance, as in the days of Somerville and Beckford, is in favour of a middle sized hound, but that must always be a question to be determined to a considerable extent by the nature of the country to be hunted. On the subject of size Beckford says, " I most approve of hounds of the middle size, and believe all animals of that description are strongest The Foxhound. 71 and best able to endure fatigue." And Somerville, in "The Chase," gives his views on this point in the following words : — But here a mean , Observe, nor the large hound prefer, of size Gigantic ; he in the thick-woven covert Painfully tugs, or in the thorny brake Torn and embarrassed bleeds ; but if too small The pigmy brood in every furrow swims ; Moiled in the clogging clay, panting, they lag Behind inglorious ; or else shivering creep, Benumbed and faint, beneath the sheltering thorn. Foxhounds of middle size, active and strong, Will better answer all thy various ends, And crown thy pleasing labours with success. The head must be of good size and well balanced, forehead well pro- nounced without being unduly prominent, good length of skull and also of muzzle, which is not pointed, the nostrils being wide and open ; the ears, which are generally rounded to prevent them from getting torn, set on low and closely carried. The neck from the head should gradually swell towards the shoulder ; it is long and muscular, without coarseness, clean, and free from dewlap or throatiness, such as characterise the bloodhound and old southern hound. The shoulders should be strong and clean, not loaded, and well sloped, the arms long and muscular, the elbows thereby being well let down. It is essential the elbows should be quite straight, in a line with the body, to insure the requisite speed. The chest should be deep and fairly wide, the ribs, especially the back ribs, coming down well, giving strength and a certain degree of square- ness without clumsiness. The back and loins must be strong, and connected with abundance of muscle. The hind quarters of the foxhound must also be very strong, the buttocks firm and muscular, the thighs long, letting down the hock well, and the stifles but slightly bent. The legs and feet are of great importance. The leg bone should be great, and the muscles hard and firm. They should be " straight as arrows," and the feet round and compact, with high knuckles, strong claws, and a hard, firm sole. The coat must be close, short, and rather hard in texture. The chief 72 British Dogs. colours are black and white, black tan and white, hare pied, and badger pied. The stern should be thick at the root, gradually tapering, carried well up with a gentle arch, and fringed slightly with strongish hair. CHAPTER XL— THE OTTER-HOUND. BY CORSINCON. ALTHOUGH many writers describe the Otter-hound as a dog of mixed breed, all refer him back to the old southern hound, or the bloodhound, for his origin, whatever crosses may have been resorted to to produce the dog we now recognise as the legitimate hound to pursue the ' ' Fish- slicer." Elaine says he is the old southern hound, crossed with the water spaniel, and that those with a dash of the bulldog in them are the best, the water spaniel being supposed to supply the roughness of coat — for water spaniels of last century were very different in coat as in other points to those dogs of to-day called by that name — and also to give or increase the aptitude for swimming, whilst the bulldog cross is supposed to have infused the necessary hardiness, courage, and tenacity. Both Youatt and Richardson suppose him to be the result of a cross between the southern hound and the rough terrier, and by others the rough deerhound has been held to have had a share in the production of the otter hound. I am strongly of opinion, however, that if any such crosses have ever occurred, either by accident or design, it is so remote and slight as to be now quite swallowed up, and as a stream lost in the immensely larger volume of the river to which it is a tributary, so has any infusion of alien blood been absorbed by the true old English hound blood of the genuine Otter-hound. The hunting of the otter is one of our most ancient sports. Jesse, in The Otter-hound. 73 his researches into the history of the dog, gives many interesting quota tions from ancient documents showing the pursuit with hounds of This subtle spoiler of the beaver kind to have been a royal pastime with many of our English kings. In July, 1212, the Sheriff of Somerset received commands from King John to " provide necessaries for Ralph, the otter huntsman, and Godfrey, his fellow, with two men and two horses and twelve otter hounds as long as they find employment in capturing otters in your shire." And John, the otter hunter to King Edward I., had twelve otter dogs under his charge. An annual payment, called " Kilgh Dourgon," was made in Wales for the king's water dogs with which they hunted otters ; and James I., an ardent sports man, had for his master of Otter-hounds John Parry to super- intend the hunt and provide for the king's diversion, and so on from reign to reign, otter hunting has, with varying patronage and popularity, remained a British sport, and afc the present day there are, on the authority of " Stonehenge, " at least nine packs hunted, of which the following is a list : " Subscription packs at Carlisle, under the master- ship of Mr. Carrick ; in Northumberland, near Morpeth, under Mr. A. Fenwick ; and at Cockermouth, hunted by a committee. In South Wales, Colonel Pryse and Mr. Moore have each a pack ; while in England the Hon. Geoffrey Hill hunts the otter from his kennels at Hawkestone, Salop, and Mr. Collier's, from Culmstock, near Wellington. In the west, Mr. Cheriton and Mr. Mildmay also pursue the sport." It is neither my province to describe otter hunting nor my purpose to attempt it ; but some reference to it I have considered necessary that the hound engaged in this sport and the qualifications required in him may be better under- stood. From the time when he is driven from his " wicker couch," con- trived ' ' within some hollow trunk, where ancient alders shade the deep still pool," until Pierced through and through, On pointed spears they lif t him high in air. The mephitic otter gives his pursuers plenty to do, and when it comes to close quarters, be it with terrier or hound, makes, as opportunity offers, good use of his teeth. Traced by his sprainta and seal, and unharboured from his kennel or couch, he finds hard work for men and dogs, as the 74 British Dogs. latter follow him up from holt to holt and pool to pool, and the huntsmen eagerly watch for his vents. In recent times otter hunting has been modified to suit different cir- cumstances, and practices in vogue in one hunt are tabooed in another. The spear is discontinued, and the practice of tailing the otter — that is, rushing in on him when worn and pressed, seizing him by the tail, swing- ing him round in presence of the hounds to excite them, and finally throwing him among them — whilst treated as an act of prowess in some otter-hunting districts, is strictly forbidden in others. A breed of dogs selected and kept to this game, even if originally of the identical stock of our modern bloodhounds, would naturally diverge in some characteristics, and the wet-resisting coat, so necessary to a dog so much in the water, would be developed ; whereas, on the contrary, the treatment the companion bloodhound is subjected to tends to fine and soften his coat, or there may have been, and I think it highly probable, if not capable of absolute proof, that there were rough-coated hounds of the bloodhound type from which the otter hound has sprung, and, according to Caius, bloodhounds were used for this sport, but whether either of these suppositions is correct or not, he is in shape and voice and style so truly a hound that I cannot think he is indebted to a strain of either spaniel, terrier, or deerhound blood for his rough and wet-resisting coat. In general appearance — always excepting the coat — he much resembles the bloodhound ; he should be perfect in symmetry, strongly built, hard and enduring, with unfailing powers of scent, and a natural antipathy to the game he is bred to pursue. The head should be large, broader in proportion than the bloodhound's, the forehead high, the muzzle a fair length, and the nostrils wide. The ears are long, thin, and pendulous, fringed with hair. The neck is not naturally long, and looks shorter than it really is from the abundance of hair on it ; the shoulders should slope well, the legs be straight, and the feet a good size, but compact ; the back strong and wide, the ribs, and particularly the back ribs, well let down ; the thighs should be big and firm, and the hocks well let down ; the stern well and thickly covered with hair, and carried well up but not curled ; the colours are generally grizzle or sandy, with black and tan more or less clearly defined. The subject of our engraving is Mr. J. C. Carrick's Charmer ; the drawing was made out of the hunting The Harrier. 75 season, and when she was fat, and the position adds to that appearance, which must consequently be allowed for ; but her head and front are wonderfully well done, and the artist has caught the expression well. The following are the weights and measurements of two of Mr. Carrick's best hounds : Mr. J. C. Carrick's Lottery : Age, 3i years ; weight, 76|lb. ; height at shoulder, 24in. ; length from nose to set on of tail, 39in. ; length of tail, 17in. ; girth of chest, 30in. ; girth of loin, 24in. ; girth of head, I7in. ; girth of forearm, Tin. ; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, lO^in. ; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, llin. ; ear, S^in. Mr. J. C. Carrick's Danger: Age, 1£ years ; weight, 731b. ; height at shoulder, 25^in. ; length from nose to set on of tail, 40|in. ; length of tail, 18in. ; girth of chest, 31in. ; girth of loin, 23in. ; girth of head, 18in. ; girth of forearm, 7in. ; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, llin. ; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, lljin. ; ear, 9in. CHAPTER XII.— THE HARRIER. BY CORSINCON. OF the various breeds of hounds, none has undergone greater modifica- tions than the Harrier or hare-hound, so called from his having been kept exclusively, or nearly so, to the pursuit of that game. Caius describes him as ' ' that kind of dog which nature hath endued with the virtue of smelling, whose property it is to use a justness, a readiness, and a courageousness in hunting;" and further, "we may know these kind of dogs by their long, large, and bagging lips, by their hanging ears reaching down both sides of their chappes, and by the indifferent and measurable proportion of their making ; this sort of dog we call Leverarius, Harriers." Such a description, meagre as it is, applies more to the dog we still recognise as the old southern hound — if, indeed, that type has not been 7 6 British Dogs. entirely improved out of existence — than to the harrier of to-day, for it is long since hare hunting was revolutionised, and the slow plodding hound that would dwell on the scent, giving vent to the keenness of his own en- joyment of the chase, and delighting the sportsman with melodious tongue whilst following puss in her every wile and double, has had to make way for the modern hound, possessing more dash and speed, which force the hare to depend on her swiftness rather than on cunning devices to evade her pursuers. Harriers, like other classes of hounds, have been bred and varied to suit the requirements of the country they are hunted in and the taste and even whims of the owner. " Stonehenge," in his original work on the dog, says. "The true Harrier is a dwarf southern hound, with a very slight infusion of the greyhound in him." But I should think, to get the increased speed required, it would be unnecessary and unadvis- able to go to the greyhound for qualities to be obtained from a nearer ally — the light and fleet northern hound, which cross would not endanger or diminish the scenting power. Beckford, a sportsman and brilliant writer on sporting, whose opinions were, and still are, authoritative as far as applicable to the altered circumstances of our day, writing the end of last century, says : " The hounds I think most likely to show you sport are between the large slow hunting Harrier and the little fox beagle ; the former are too dull, too heavy, and too slow — the latter too lively, too light, and too fleet. The first, it is true, have most excellent noses, and I make no doubt will kill their game at last if the day be long enough — but the days are short in winter, and it is bad hunting in the dark. The other, on the contrary, fling and dash, and are all alive ; but every cold blast affects them, and if your country be deep and wet, it is not impossible that some of them may be drowned. My hounds," he goes on to say, " were a cross of both these kinds, in which it was my endeavour to get as much bone and strength in as small a compass as possible. I tried many years and an infinity of hounds before I could get what I wanted, and at last had the pleasure to see them very hand- some, small, yet very bony ; they ran remarkably well together, went fast enough, had all the alacrity that could be desired, and would hunt the coldest scent." The Harrier in most externals is almost a facsimile of the fox- hound, but the head is in proportion heavier, the skull flat and The Harrier. 77 broad, the ears set on low, being close and fine in texture ; the "large and bagging lippes " of the days of Caius, with the attendant abundance of dewlap, have been bred out ; the neck long and airy, rising with a gradual swell from the shoulders, which must be well placed, sloping back, and clothed with muscle ; the forearms strong, elbows well let down and in a straight line with the body ; the fore legs perfectly straight, large of bone, neat strong ankles, and a foot round, firm and close, the knuckles arched, but not immoderately so, the claws strong, and the sole firm and hard ; the chest must be capacious ; the back broad and strong, lined with hard muscle, the ribs, especially the back ones, well let down ; the loin deep, and, like the hind quarters, very strong, the thighs very muscular, clean hocks, without a suspicion of "cromping" (that is, cow hocked, leaning in towards each other), and the leg from the hock down should be short and strong, the stern must be thick at the setting, and gradually tapering to the point ; well covered with hair without being bushy, and carried gaily and almost straight. The whole build of the Harrier is most symmetrical — there should be literally no waste about him. The coat should in texture be moderately fine, very dense, and the colour various, black, white and tan, blue mottles, badger pied, hare pied, and a variety of combinations, in which the colours are often very beautifully blended. Delicacy of scent and perseverance are essential qualities in the Harrier, and the tongue should be rich and melodious. Through the courtesy of the master of the Holcombe Hunt, Alfred Ashworth, Esq., of Egerton Hall, Bolton-le-Moors, I am enabled to give the measurements of one and a half couples of the Holcombe harriers — one couple of dogs and a single bitch. I have also been favoured with measurements of two of Mr. C. D. Everett's harriers, which I give below. Sergeant: Age, 3 years; weight, 631b. ; height at shoulder, 22in.; length from nose to set on of tail, 37in. ; length of tail, 12Jin. ; girth of chest, 29in. ; girth of loin, 21in. ; girth of head IG^in. ; girth of forearm, 7|in. ; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, 10£in. ; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, llin. Swinger : Age, 3 years ; weight, 62lb. ; height at shoulder, 22in. J length from nose to set on of tail, 36|in. ; length of tail, 13in. ; girth of chest, 29Jin. ; girth of loin, 21in. ; girth of head, 16iin. ; girth of 78 British Dogs. forearm, 7f in. ; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, lOin. ; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, lO^in. Barmaid: Age, 4 years; weight, 561b. ; height at shoulder, 21|in. ; length from nose to set on of tail, 37in. ; length of tail, 13in. ; girth of chest, 27iin. ; girth of loin, 22^in. ; girth of head, 15£in. ; girth of fore- arm 7^in. ; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, lOin. ; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, lOin. These hounda have a pedigree for a hundred years back in the Holcombe Kennels. Mr. Chas. Dundas Everett's Gladsome : Age, 2 years ; weight, 34Hb. ; height at shoulder, 19|in. ; length from nose to set on of tail, 36in. ; length of tail, 14in. ; girth of chest, 27in. ; girth of loin, 21in. ; girth of head, 19in. ; girth of forearm, 6iin. ; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, lOin. ; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, lOin. Mr. Charles Dundas Everett's Glider : Age, 2 years ; weight, 321b. ; height at shoulder, 19|in. ; length from nose to set on of tail, 36in. ; length of tail, 12|in. ; girth of chest, 27in. ; girth of loin, 20in. ; girth of head, 17in. ; girth of forearm, 7in. ; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, lOin. ; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, lOin. Lancashire is the home and centre of Harrier hunting, and the Holcombe pack is pure Harrier blood. Sergeant and Swinger are a wonderful pair, pronounced by competent judges to be the grandest couple of Harriers in Lancashire, which is about equivalent to saying in the world. The three are thoroughly representative and true made Lancashire Harriers, not too large, but strong, compact dogs, with plenty of lip and plenty of music, with still a nice clean neck, grand ribs, and low, good straight legs and cat feet, just the stamp to give a good account of themselves over the rough bleak hills of the country, where it is not a question of doubling round a few fields, but, after all the windings, of killing the game three or four miles as the crow flies from the find. The Beagle. 79 CHAPTER XIII.— THE BEAGLE. BY CORSINCON. THIS is another and the smallest of hounds or hunting dogs, as the name "Beagle," which means smallness, implies. The following description from Somerville's poem, " The Chase," applies with propriety to either the Beagle or harrier, and is as clear, minute, and correct as it is beautiful : His glossy sMn, or yellow pied or blue, In lights or shades by Nature's pencil drawn, Reflects the various tints ; his ears and legs, Flecked here and there in gay enamelled pride, Rival the speckled pard ; his rush grown tail O'er his broad back bends in an ample arch ; On shoulders clean upright and firm he stands ; His round cat foot, straight hams, and wide-spread thighs, And his low drooping chest, confess his speed, His strength, his wind, or on the steepy hill Or far extended plain. Of the antiquity of the breed there can be no doubt. It is said that Queen Elizabeth owned a pack so small that they could be carried in a man's glove — a statement which we must take cum grano salts. Gervase Markham describes "the little Beagle which may be carried in a man's glove " — probably a mere quibble, the fact being that these dogs were bred so small that one could be easily carried in a gloved hand. Whilst on the subject of their size I may quote the following from the " Sportsman Cabinet," published 1803 : "The late Col. Hardy had once a collection of this diminutive tribe amounting to ten or twelve couple, which were always carried to and from the field of glory in a large pair of panniers slung across a horse ; small as they were and insignificant as they would now seem, they could invariably keep a hare at all her shifts from escaping them, and finally worry or rather tease her to death." Although Gervase Markham doubtless refers to the Beagles of the time of Elizabeth, it is singular that Johannes Caius, in his ' ' English Dogges,' ' does not mention the beagle, nor does he specially refer to any diminu- tive hound, although he lived during the first fifteen years of Elizabeth's reign, when dwarf " singing Beagles " are reported to have been popular. 8o British Dogs. These small hounds are spoken of by Oppian as one of the kind of dogs peculiar to the ancient Britons : There is a kind of dog of mighty fame For hunting ; woithy of a fairer frame ; By painted Britons brave in war they're bred, Are beagles called, and to the chase are led, Their bodies small, and of so mean a shape, You'd think them curs that under tables gape. Not only in the time of Elizabeth, but in our own, there has been an occasional rage for very diminutive Beagles, and much emulation in pro- ducing the most perfect liliputian hound. The writer of the article on this breed in " The Dogs of the British Islands" describes Mr. Crane's Southover Beagles as perfect in symmetry and excellent in nose and in- telligence, and not exceeding 9in. in height, and all of them model miniature hounds. It is to be regretted that the Beagle is not more en- couraged by committees . of shows, and that, when a class is made for them, all sizes are lumped together. I have spoken of the Beagle as a dwarf hound, which he is, but there is a considerable difference in outline between him and the modern fox- hound ; the former is not so clean in the shoulder, his head is different in shape, the skull being in proportion broader and flatter, and the jaw shorter, the ear longer, and there is always more or less dewlap or throatiness. Beagles may be fairly classified as hare Beagles and rabbit Beagles, other distinction than size being minor. Their power of scent is ex- quisitely keen and their intelligence great, and when well sorted in these respects and in size, work wonderfully together, puzzling out even the coldest scent, whilst their music is most charming. Although occasionally, they are not much used with the gun, except in driving woods and spinnies for rabbits, &c. Of whatever size, the Beagle should be shapely, as free from lumpy shoulders as possible, legs straight, and more bone and stronger pasterns than is generally seen would be an improvement ; the ears are very long, hang close, and are very fine in the leather ; ribs rather more rounded than in the foxhound, with the back ribs well let down ; back and loins strong, and hind quarters very cobby and muscular ; the tail roughish and gaily carried. The colours are various, as in the harrier, and chosen to suit individual tastes. The Beagle. 81 This article, when it appeared in The Country, called forth the following letter of friendly criticism, which is well worthy of a place here : " In his paper on the beagle, I observe that ' Corsincon ' affects to class the breed into hare and rabbit beagles, with the remark that other distinction than size is ' minor.' Now, it is not very often I find room to differ with ' Corsincon,' but I honestly confess I do here. In the first place I believe the term rabbit beagle to have been coined for a half-breed between the beagle and the terrier. The beagle pur et simple is, and ever has been, a hound valued essentially for its exquisite power of scent ; bred, as Gervase Markham tells us, ' for delight only, being of curious scents, and passing cunning in their hunting, for the most part tiring, but seldom killing the prey.' The different requirements in a hare hound and a ' rabbiter ' are strikingly pronounced. In the former, delicacy of nose is all important ; but in the latter, where the quarry is rarely found further than a stone's throw from his burrow, which he can dart into before you can shout ' knife,' the less nose in your dogs the better. Of course I am fully aware that beagles are occasionally employed in driving woods and spinnies, as well as gorse and fern brakes for rabbits, but I say there is no special breed for this purpose either in size or character. " A pack of these half-bred small-sized terrier-beagle-rabbiters is given by Stradanus in his thirty-eighth plate, with an explanatory quatrain by Dufflceus : Callidus effosais latitare curriculus antris Et generare solet. Verum persaepS catelli Anglorum celeres f allunt pecus : ore prehendunt Illusum : preedam venatorique ministrant. "Now for the second chapter of my disagreement. I maintain there are as many types of beagles as there are of spaniels, mastiffs, or St. Bernards. Some are rough as Jack Eussell's terriers, or Mr. Carrick's otter hounds ; others as smooth and silky coated as a dachshund or a toy terrier. There are strains — possibly derived from a cross with the foxhound — showing the clean cut throat and symmetry of a Manchester terrier ; and quite as familiar is the exact double of the Segusian dog mentioned by Arrian in the third chapter of his ' Book on Coursing ' : — ' Shaggy and ugly, and such as are most high bred are most unsightly.' Again, there is a very distinct variety in 'the Kerry beagle,' a G 82 British Dogs. specimen which may, roughly speaking, be described as a miniature bloodhound, being of precisely the same colour, and sharing many of that noble dog's chief characteristics. The beautiful short legged basset of France, the dachshund of Germany, and the peculiar Swedish beagle, are but branches of the one family, which most truly exists in all the symmetry of variety." The following description and points of Beagles are by H. A. Clark, Esq., Master of the Cockermouth Beagles : " Head, like a foxhound, not quite so broad across forehead, with sweet, intelligent countenance, the head long, and the nose should not come to a sharp point. "Ears long, and set on low down, and carried close to head, not too broad, and the thinner in the leather the better. " Neck and throat long and lean, but some of the heavier hounds are very loose in throat and have a deep voice. " Shoulders long and strong, well clothed with muscle. " Chest deep and wide ; ribs also deep. " Back strong and wide, and especially wide across loins. Bitches are generally better across loins than dogs, for their size. ' ' Hind quarters, the stronger the better, wide and deep ; stern strong at set on, and tapering, carried high, but not curled. " Legs straight, although for work they are no worse standing a little over on the forelegs, strong of bone ; feet round, like a cat. " Colour, black, white, and tan ; black and white. I had a heavy dog this colour, that was always first to find game, and always led. He was well known among the Cumbrians, and they knew his voice, and said, ' Dar, that's auld Duster ; we'll have a run noo.' Occasionally beagles are the colour of bloodhounds. " The beagle should be hard in condition, with plenty of muscle. "The Cockermouth beagles hunt the hare often on Skiddaw and in the lake district. Some capital runs are enjoyed about Buttermere, where it is a grand sight to see the little hounds on the breast of a mountain, when a sheet could cover them sometimes, and their cry is melodious . It takes us all our time to keep up with them on a good flat country. In the season 1878 and 1879 we killed eighty. We do not mount our huntsman. In summer the dogs are sent out to farms, &c., to walk, and are great pets with children." The Basset. 83 The following are the measurements of two good dogs : Mr. H. A. Clark's Comely. Age, 6 years ; weight, 27ilb. ; height at shoulder, 14fin. ; length from nose to set on of tail, 30in. ; length of tail, llin. ; girth of chest, 21in. ; girth of loin, 18in. ; girth of head, 13^in. ; girth of forearm, 5|in. ; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, Sin. ; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, 7£in. ; length of ears from tip to tip, 17in. Mr. H. A. Clark's dog Crowner: Age, 5 years; weight, 26£lb. ; height at shoulder, 15in. ; length from nose to set on of tail, 31in. ; length of tail, 10|in. ; girth of chest, 22in. ; girth of loin, ISJin. ; girth of head, 14in. ; girth of forearm, 6in. ; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, 7|in. ; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, Sin. ; length of ears from tip to tip, 17£in. CHAPTER XIV.— THE BASSET. BY SNAPSHOT. The following article is from the pen of "Snapshot" (a frequent contributor, under that signature, to The Country, and also well known as " Wildfowler " of the ' ' Field "), who is the author of numerous canine articles and works, including " Wildfowling," "General Sport at Home and Abroad," "The Various Breeds of Foreign Hounds and other Sporting Dogs," &c. His experience with continental sporting dogs has been considerable, which gives weight and value to his article on bassets. He says : "Any hound which stands lower than 16in. (no matter his ' provincial ' breed) is called in France and in Belgium a basset. The derivation of the expression basset is clear, i.e., bas means low ; and, therefore, basset means low set, a very appropriate denomination as applied to these diminutive hounds. G 2 84 British Dogs. "The vast army of French and Belgian bassets may be divided into three grand classes, viz., bassets & jambes droites, straight legged ; ditto, d jambes demi-torses, with forelegs half crooked ; and ditto, d jambes torses, forelegs fully crooked. And in each of these classes will be found three varieties of coats, viz., the bassets d poil ras, smooth coated ; those d poil dwr, rough coated ; and a class half rough half smooth coated, which is called half griffons. " The types vary for almost each province, but the general charac- teristics remain throughout pretty well the same. All well-bred bassets have long, pendulous ears, and hounds' heads ; but the crooked-legged breeds show always better points in these respects than the straight- legged ones, simply because, when a man wishes to breed a good basset d jambes torses, he is obliged to be very careful in selecting the stock to breed from if he does not wish his experiment to end in failure ; for, should there be the slightest admixture of foreign blood, the ' bar sinister ' will be at once shown in the forelegs. Hence, the bassets d jambes torses show, as a rule, far better properties than their congeners. " In build the basset & jambes torses is long in the barrel, and is very low on his pins; so much so, that, when hunting, he literally drags his long ears on the ground. He is the slowest of hounds, and his value as such cannot be over-estimated. His style of hunting is peculiar, inasmuch that he will have his own way, and each one tries for himself ; and if one of them finds and * says ' so, the others will not blindly follow him and give tongue, simply because he does (as some hounds, accustomed to work in packs, are apt to do), but, on the contrary, they are slow to acknowledge the alarm given, and will investigate the matter for themselves. Thus, under covert, bassets d jambes torses following a scent, go in Indian file, and each one speaks to the line according to his own sentiments on the point, irrespective of what the others may think about it. In this manner it is not uncommon to see the little hounds, when following a mazy track, crossing each other's route without paying any attention to one another ; and, in short, each of them works as if he were alone. This style I attribute to their slowness, to their extremely delicate powers of scent, and to their innate stubborn confidence in their own powers. Nevertheless, it is a fashion which has its drawbacks ; for, should the individual hounds hit on The Basset. 85 separate tracks of different animals, unless at once stopped and put together on the same one, they will each follow its find, and let the shooter, or shooters, do his or their best. That is why a shooter who is fond of that sort of sport rarely owns more than one or two of these hounds. One is enough, two may be handy in difficult cases, but more would certainly entail confusion, precisely because each one of them will rely only on the evidence of his own senses. " I have now several clever bassets djambes torses, in my mind's eye, and their general description would be about as follows : Height between lOin. and 15in. at shoulder, longish barrels, very crooked forelegs, with little more than an inch or two of daylight between the knees, stout thighs, gay sterns, conical heads, long faces, ears long enough to overlap each other by an inch or two (and more sometimes) when both were drawn over the nose, heavy-headed rather, with square muzzles, plenty of flews and dewlap, eyes deep set under heavy wrinkles, forepaws wide and well turned out, markings hare-pied and white, black-tan and white, tan and white, black with tan eyebrows, and tan legs and belly, &c. — in short, all the varieties of hound markings will be found among them. They have excellent tongues for their size, and when in good training and good condition they will hunt every day, and seem to thrive on it. They are very fond of the gun, and many are cunning enough to * ring ' the game, if missed when breaking covert, back again to the guns until it is shot. Some of these bassets are so highly prized that no amount of money will buy them, and, as a breed, it may safely be asserted that it is probably the purest now in existence in France. They hunt readily deer, roebuck, wild boars, wolves, foxes, hares, rabbits, &c., but if entered exclusively for one species of quarry and kept to it, they never leave it to run riot after anything else. I have seen one, when hunting a hare in a park, running through fifty rabbits and never noticing them. They go slowly, and give you plenty of time to take your station for a shot — hence, their great value in the estimation of shooters. They are chiefly used for smallish woods, furze fields, and the like, because if uncoupled in a forest they do not drive their game fast enough, and though eventually they are bound to bring it out, yet the long time they would take in so doing would tell against the sport. Moreover, large forests are cut about by ditches, and here and there streamlets, boulders, and rocks intervene, which difficulty the short crooked-legged hound would be slow in 86 British Dogs. surmounting. He is, therefore, not so often used there as for smaller coverts, where his voice can throughout the hunt be heard, and thereby direct the shooters which post of vantage to take. " As regards the coats of bassets a jambes torses, there are both rough, half -rough, and smooth-coated specimens ; but the two latter predominate greatly. In fact, I have but rarely seen very rough bassets d jambes torses. I saw three once, in the Ardennes. They were very big hounds for bassets, and were used chiefly to drive wolves, roebuck, and wild boars. They were d poll dur with a vengeance, and, when * riled,' their backs were up like bristles. Of course in these matters, the chasseurs breed their hounds accordingly to the ground they have to hunt over, and, accordingly, it will be found that in provinces of comparatively easy coverts, such as vineyards, small woods, furze fields, &c., smooth- coated or half -rough-coated bassets are in universal demand, In Brittany, Vendee, Alsace, Lorraine, Luxemburg, on the contrary, wherever the coverts are extensive and very rough, rougher-coated hounds are used; but poil durs are scarce, as far as diminutive hounds are concerned. ' ' Bassets d jambes demi-torses are simply crosses between bassets d jambes demi-torses and bassets d jambes droites. They are usually bigger than the former and smaller than the latter, although it must be borne in mind that there are several varieties of bassets d jambes droites, quite as small as the smallest with crooked legs. In short there are so many subdivisions in each breed that any classification must necessarily be general. ' ' The advantages claimed by the owners of bassets d jambes demi- torses are these : 1st, these hounds are almost as sure- nosed as the full-crooked breeds ; 2nd, they run faster, and yet not fast enough to spoil shooting ; 3rd, in a wood with moderate ditches, being bigger in body and higher on the leg than the full-crooked beagles, they can clear the ditches at a bound, whereas the full-mm&es torses has to go down into them, and scramble up on the other side. In points they are pretty much like their congeners, but already the cross tells. The lips are shorter, the muzzle not so stout in proportion to general size ; the ears are much shorter, the skull is less conical, the occiput being not so pronounced, the body is not so long, the stern is carried more horizontally, the feet are rounder, the wrinkles in the face are fewer, the eye is smaller, and the coat, as a rule, is coarser ; the increase in size is also great. I have seen such The Basset. 87 reaching to fully sixteen inches, and I believe they had been obtained by a direct cross from a regular chien courant (hound) with a full basset d jambes torses. When sire and dam are both good, there is no reason why the progeny should not answer the breeder's purpose, but I confess to a tendency for either one thing or another, and were I to go in for fancy for that breed of hounds I would certainly get either a thoroughly crooked basset or a thoroughly straight-on-his-pins beagle. By the way, a black and tan or a red basset d jambes torses cannot by any possible use of one's eyes be distinguished from a dachshund of the some colour although some German writers assert that the breeds are quite distinct. To the naked eye there is no difference, but in the matter of names (wherein German scientists particularly shine) then, indeed, confusion gets worse confounded. They have, say, a dozen black and tan bassets d jambes torses before them. Well, if one of them is a thorough good looking hound, they call him dachs bracken ; if he is short-eared, and with a pointed muzzle, they cap him with the appellation of a dachshund. Between you and I, kind reader, it is a distinction without a difference, and there is no doubt that both belong to the same breed. I will, at a fortnight's notice, place a basset d jambes torses, small size, side by side with the best dachshund hound to be found, and if any difference in legs, anatomy, and general appearance of the two can be detected, I shall be very greatly surprised. That the longer-eared and squarer-muzzled hound is the better of the two for practical work there is not the shadow of a doubt ; but, of course, if digging badgers is the sport in view, then the dachshund terrier is the proper article. But that is not to be admitted. One cannot breed hounds from terriers, whereas one can breed terriers from hounds, and therefore the dachshund terrier is descended from the basset a jambes torses. As for dachshund hounds, they are in every respect bassets & jambes torses ; at least, that is the opinion I have come to after a great deal of experience. Quarreling about names is an unprofitable occupation. Never mind the ' bracken ' or the ' hund,' since the two articles are alike. I say, from the evidence of my senses, that they must come from the same stock, and since they cannot come from a terrier pedigree, the hound one is the only logical solution. " The basset d jambes droites is synonymous with our beagle ; but, whereas our beagles rarely exceed 14in., it is not uncommon to see some bassets reaching even 16in. in France ; but, it should be remembered British Dogs. that, then, even among the French, appellations will differ. Thus, a certain school will call 16in. bassets petits chiens courants, and will deny them the right of being called bassets, being, in their estimation, too high on the leg. I agree with them. The characteristics of bassets d jambes droites are : a somewhat shorter face than those with crooked legs ; ears shorter, but broader, and very soft usually ; neck, a shade longer ; stern carried straight up ; good loins ; shorter bodies, very level from shoulder to rump. Whereas the other two breeds are invariably a shade lower at shoulder than at the stern. Some show the os occipitis well marked ; others are more apple-headed ; the hair is coarse on the stern, the feet are straight and compact, knees well placed, thighs muscular and well proportioned ; in short, they are an elegant looking, dashing, and rather taking breed as a lot. But in work there is a world of difference. The crooked-legged ones go slow and sure, the straight-legged ones run into the defect of fast hounds, i.e., they go too fast occasionally for their noses ; they are not either quite so free from riot ; but wherever pretty fast work is required, and when the covert requires some doing in the way of jumping drains and scrambling over boulders, &c., then they will carry the day. They are chiefly used for large game in pretty large coverts, and run in small packs. For fast fun, exercise, and music they will do ; but for actual shooting commend me to the basset ajambes torses. With such a little hound, if he knows you and understands your ways, you are bound to bag, and alone he will do the work of ten ordinary hounds, and, in truth, there are few things more exciting to the sports- man than to hear his lonely crooked-legged companion merrily, slowly, but surely, bringing his quarry to his gun. Some of the pleasantest moments of my life have been thus spent ; and once, having shot two wolves that had been led out to me by a basset d janibes torses, I fairly lifted up the little beggar to my breast and hugged him, and I called him a pet and a dear, and all that sort of bosh, and I thought that in all my life I had never seen a pluckier and cleverer little fellow. " In short, there is no doubt that for purposes of shooting, bassets, of whatever breeds, are pre-eminently excellent. They run very true, and are more easily taught the tricks of game than full-sized hounds. This I have found out by experience. The average large hound, once in full swing on a scent, runs on like a donkey. But bassets seem to reason, and when they come to an imbroglio of tracks, purposely left by The Basset. 89 the quarry to puzzle them, they are rarely taken in ; but, slowly and patiently setting to work, they unravel the maze, and eventually pick up again the wily customer's scent. Hence, for the man who can only keep one or two hounds to be used with the gun, there is no breed likely to suit him better than bassets, for they are sure not to lose the scent, whatever takes place, and their low size enables them to pick it up when it is so cold that a larger hound would, perhaps, not even notice it. " They have also a good deal of pluck, to which they add a sort of reasoning discretion. To illustrate my meaning, I will give an instance to the point, viz., very few hounds of any kind take readily to hunting wolves, and when they do take to it they hunt in a pack, each hound countenancing the other. Now, some well-bred bassets will hunt a wolf singly. I have stated already that I have had myself the pleasure of killing two wolves that were, individually, hunted by one basset. This, therefore, shows extraordinary pluck on the part of the little hound ; for, be it known that, as a rule, any hound or dog who comes for the first time on the scent of a wolf forthwith bolts home, or hides behind his master for protection. On the other hand, bassets are cautious. When they by chance come near a wolf, or a wild boar, or a stag, or any other wild animal on whom they could make but little impression, but who is, on the other hand, likely to do them an irretrievable injury, they never run the risk, but bay at him from a distance. As long as he chooses to stop they will not leave him ; they will resume hunting him as soon as he will start, but they will only run at him when the decisive shot has been fired. " Some bassets are used for vermin killing (badger, fox, &c.) ; others are employed for pheasant shooting, woodcock shooting, and partridge shooting, besides their legitimate employment in hunting ground game. When used for birds they are frequently called to, to keep them within range, and, generally, a bell or small brass grelot is fastened to their collar, that the shooter may know where they are. Some men make their bassets retrieve, even from water ; and most bassets will go to ground readily to fox or badger. " Finally, some peasants use their extraordinary powers of scent to find truffles. Their training for that sort of business is wonderfully simple. The hound, when young, is kept a day without food, and a truffle being shown to him, the peasant throws it into some small covert, or hides it in go British Dogs. stones, or buries it lightly in the ground, and makes the dog find it. When he has done so, he gives him a piece of bread. This sort of thing being repeated until the basset looks readily for the truffle, he is then taken to those places in the neighbourhood of which truffles are known or suspected to be, and the peasant, pretending to throw away the usual truffle, tells the dog, " Cherche! cherche! " (seek ! seek !) whereupon the little hound, diligently ferreting about the ground, soon comes upon a truffle scent, and begins digging for it. At the first sign of that process the peasant relieves him and digs out the precious tubercle, and so on. There are some other species of dogs also used for that sort of work ; but the basset, owing to his acute power of scent, is mostly preferred by the professional chercheurs de truffes. Some of these men, however, use pigs for the purpose. ' ' Concerning those French bassets which have from time to time been exhibited at our shows, some of them have shown fair points, but none of them have had the very long ears which one will notice with the bassets in the foresters' kennels on the Continent. Moreover, in the classes set aside for bassets, I do not remember having seen a good basset cijambes torses, though there were one or two fair specimens of half- crooked, and straight-legged bassets. If my memory serves me right, the Earl of Onslow's were straight-legged, half rough-coated bassets, with remarkably short ears. Mr. Millais' Model was a black, white, and tan smooth-coated basset, with very fair properties — the best I had seen in England, so far, and a Vendean basset was a regular griffon ; I forget now the state of his legs, but his coat was just the sort of jacket for the rough woods of Brittany and Vendee. " On the other hand, in the classes for dachshunds, I have seen some first-rate black and tan, and also red, bassets a janibes torses, all smooth- coated. No doubt, eventually, classes will be set apart for each individual breed, and in such a case there is a very fine field yet open for an enter- prising exhibitor wishing to produce bassets in open court." Measurements, &c., of celebrated French Bassets : The Earl of Onslow's Nestor : Age, 2 years 10 months ; weight, 391b. ; height at shoulder, 14in. ; length from nose to set on of tail, 36in. ; length of tail, 12in. ; girth of chest, 24in. ; girth of loin, 22in. ; girth of head, 15|in. ; girth of forearm, GJin. ; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, 9in. ; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, 9in. K I The Dachshund. gi The Earl of Onslow's Pino : Age, 3 years 8 months ; weight, 391b. ; height at shoulder, 13in. ; length from nose to set on of tail, 33in. ; length of tail, llin. ; girth of chest, 24in. ; girth of loin, 23in. ; girth of head, 16|in. ; girth of forearm, 6in. ; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, lOin. ; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, 8|in. Mr. Everette Millais' Model: Age, 7£ years ; weight, 461b. ; height at shoulder, 12in. ; length from nose to set on of tail, 32in. ; length of tail, lliin. ; girth of chest, 25in. ; girth of loin, 21in. ; girth of head, 17in. ; girth of forearm, 6^in. ; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, 9in. ; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, 9iin. ; length of ears from tip to tip, 19in. ; height from ground, forefeet, 2fin. Mr. Everette Millais' Garrenne : Age, 2| years ; weight, 301b. ; height at shoulder, 9^in. ; length from nose to set on of tail, 29in. ; length of tail, 9in. ; girth of chest, 20in. ; girth of loin, 16in. ; girth of head, 13in. ; girth of forearm, Sin. ; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, Sin. ; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, 7in. ; length of ears from tip to tip, I7in. ; height from ground, forefeet, CHAPTER XV.— THE DACHSHUND. BY VERT. To " Vert " as a sportsman we have already alluded in the preface to his article on Foxhounds, and we need only say here that his large experience of Dachshunds entitles his opinions on the breed to be considered authoritative. He writes : " So much has been said and written on this breed of dogs during the few years that they have had a place in the prize schedules of our shows, that in treating the subject we shall endeavour to unsay some of the nonsense that has from time to time been put forth by some of those journals whose pages are opened to the discussion of canine matters, in one of which a certain amusing correspondent, in a playful moment, tells 92 British Dogs. his readers that the ears of the dachshund cannot be too long. Another says the body cannot be too long. Then we read that the legs cannot be too short or too crooked, with such impossible measurements as could only be found in the fertile brain of the writer. At shows we have had our special attention drawn to the veriest mongrels, and been held by the button by enthusiastic owners, and had glaring defects pointed out as characteristics of the pure breed ; but being unable to draw on our credulity to that extent, we have had to fall back on our stock of charity, and call to mind that even Solomon was yoifng once in his lifetime. There is no breed of dogs that the English have been so tardy in taking to as the dachshund, Satan and Feldmann being the only representatives of the breed on the Birmingham show bench for several years ; and certainly we had one judge that had the courage to grapple which this little hound when he did make an attempt to emerge from his obscurity, and we have seen the best dachshund that has yet been exhibited passed over by a couple of " all-round " judges of high standing at an important show, one of those Solons arguing that he was a beagle otter hound, and the other that he was a turnspit, neither of them being aware that the turnspit was little different from a moderate crooked-legged pug of the present time, and that it would be impossible to confine a long-backed twenty pound dog in one of those small cages in which the little prisoner had to ply his calling. We have no wish to speculate on the early history of this breed, as, like other cases, it would be a mere leap in the dark from the same source as before alluded to. We have been seriously told that the breed came originally from France, and that once on a time, when the French army invaded Germany and were capturing towns and provinces, the German nobles, by way of retaliation, invaded France and carried off all the dachshunds ; but, as we do not find this theory sup- ported by any authority that we have consulted, possibly the writer of the story may be entitled to the invention also. " The dachshund is a short-coated, long-backed dog, on very short legs, of about 201b. weight, and should not be less than 181b., the bitches being 31b. or 41b. less than the dogs. They must be self-coloured, although a little white on the breast or toes should not be a disqualification, as these beauty spots will crop out now and then in any breed of dogs. " The colour most in fashion just now is the fallow red and black and tan, but we have very good specimens of various shades of red, more or The Dachshund. 93 less smutty, as well as the brown with tawny markings, some of which are very handsome. In black and tan we do not demand pencilled toes, as in the terrier, although, if good in every other respect, we should con- sider it an acquisition ; but we prefer such as nearest approach the standard of excellence, and care little for shades of colour, so that it be any of these above-named. The head, when of the proper type, greatly resembles that of the bloodhound. The ears also are long and pendulous, and in a 201b. dog should measure from 4|in. to 5in. each, and from tip to tip over the cranium, when hanging down in their natural position, from 13in. to 14in. ; the length from the eye to the end of the nose should be over 3in., 3|in. being a good length for a dog of 201b. weight ; girth of muzzle from Sin. to 8|in., which should finish square, and not snipey or spigot-nosed, and the flews should be fairly developed ; the eyes should be very lustrous and mild in expression, varying in colour with that of the coat ; the teeth should be very strong and perfectly sound, as a dog with a diseased mouth is of little use for work, is very objectionable as a companion, and is quite unfit for the stud in this or any other breed of dogs ; the neck should be rather long, and very muscular. We have a brood bitch from one of the best kennels in Germany, in which the dewlap is very strongly pronounced ; but this and the conical head are but rarely met with as yet. The chest should be broad, with the brisket point well up to the throat ; the shoulders should be very loose, giving the chest an appearance of hanging between them ; they should be well covered with muscle, with plenty of loose skin about them. The fore legs are one of the great peculiarities of the breed ; these are very large in bone for the size of the dog, and very crooked, being turned out at the eldows and in at the knees ; the knees, however, should not 'knuckle,' or stand forward over the ankles, as we frequently see in very crooked -legged dogs, which render them more clumsy and less powerful. The feet should be very large, and armed with strong claws, and should be well splayed outwards to enable him to clear his way in the burrow. Terrier -like fore feet cannot be tolerated in the dachshund, as great speed is not required, the great essentials being a good nose, for tracking ; a conformation of body that will admit of his entering the badger earth, and adapting himself to his situation ; and a lion heart and power to grapple with the quarry, in the earth or the open ; and these are no small requirements. We are frequently told so-and-so's terrier 94 British Dogs. has finished his badger in some very small numbers of minutes. But there are badgers and badgers — baby badgers ; and if we are to believe a tithe of what we hear on this head, the supposition is forced upon us that a great many badgers die in their infancy. "We do know that the premier dachshund of the present day has within the last two months drawn a wild fox from his fastness and finished him, unaided, in about four minutes ; but an unsnubbed, fully-matured badger of five or six summers is an awkward customer, and with him the result might have been quite different. "What are called dachshunds may be picked up in most German towns, but those are often of an inferior sort, or half-breds, the genuine blue blood being almost entirely in the hands of the nobles. Familiar to us in the north were those of the late King of Hanover ; those of Baron Nathasius and Baron Von Cram in the south. The Grand Duke of Baden's kennel at Eberstein Schloss is unrivalled. Prince Couza, Baroness Ingel- heim, and Baron Haber also possessed some of the best and purest strains. " In England, Her Majesty the Queen and H.I.H. Prince Edward of Saxe- Weimar have for many years possessed the choicest specimens of the best strains in Germany ; and we have been favoured with stud dogs and brood from some of the above-named kennel, which required some- thing more than gold to possess them. A habit has sprung up of late, and a very bad one it is, of entering rough-coated little dogs as dachshunds at some of our best shows, and some of them have received honours which they are in no way entitled to. This is misleading, as they are not dachs- hunds, but 'bassets,' very nice little fellows, but with no more right to be exhibited as dachshunds than a setter or a spaniel would have in a pointer class. They may be half-breds, as dachshund-basset or dach- shund-spaniel ; we have also met with others, hound marked and smooth- coated, which looked like dachshund-beagle ; these are all bassets, a term applied by the French to all low, short-legged dogs. The best we have met with were a leash owned by a French marquis ; these had grand heads of the otter hound type, with rough coats, very long bodies, and short crooked legs, and were called 'Eostaing bassets,' and were excellent workers in thick coverts, but they rarely possess either the courage or the scenting powers of the dachshund." Between the points translated from the German by Her Von Schmie- denburg, editor of " Der Hund," and the English view, as given by The Dachshund. 95 "Stonehenge" in "Dogs of the British Islands," there is some difference, and as " Stonehenge " acknowledges the assistance in drawing up the description of points of three German gentlemen and at least two Englishmen of long experience in Germany, this is the more remarkable. These gentlemen were Prince Albert Solms, Mr. Schuller (who has imported a great number of the best dachshunds seen in this country), Mr. Schweitzer, Mr. Percival de Castro, Mr. Fisher, and Mr. Barclay Hanbury. Of the skull "Stonehenge" says, "the occiput wide and its protu- berance well developed," — the German description ignoring an occipital protuberance, and indeed seeming to be in contradiction of its existence ; indeed conical heads are distinctly declared faulty. Of the ears " Stonehenge" says, "long enough to reach nearly to the tip of the nose, .... hanging back in graceful folds." By German breeders at Hanover show, 1879, we were assured they do not like the ears to come much over the angle of the jaws. Of the eye "Stonehenge" says, " rather small, piercing, and deeply set " against " medium size, round, neither protruding nor sunken." Neck "somewhat short, thick," against "long, flexible, broad, and strong." The German description is silent as to size, but this we have remedied by the actual measurements of well known dogs, which we give at the end of the chapter. The following are the points of the dachshund, as drawn up by a council of the Hanover Kennel Club, composed of many of the leading German breeders : 1. General Appearance. — Low and very long in structure, the fore part (not only the chest) especially well developed, legs very short, the fore legs turned inward at the knees, but the feet considerably bent out. The whole appearance is weasel-like ; the tail is moderately bent, and is carried very little above a horizontal line, or else downwards. Hair close, short, smooth. Expression intelligent, attentive, and lively. 2. Head. — Somewhat long, tapering towards the nose, wedge-like, broadest at the hind part of the skull, and without a stop ; skull broad, almost flat ; nose narrow, straight, sometimes a little upward-bent ; lips very little hanging, forming a small fold at the corner of the mouth. 3. Ears of medium length, tolerably broad, and rounded at the end, British Dogs. which is less broad than other part. The ear is placed high up and well backward, so that the space between ear and eye appears considerably larger than with other hunting dogs. The ears are not wrinkled, but hang down close at the cheeks. 4. The Eye is of medium size, round, neither protruding nor sunken in (klar vorliegand, i.e., well visible when seen from the side), and very sharp in expression. 5. Neck. — Long, flexible, broad, and strong ; the skin somewhat loose in front. 6. Back. — Very long, slanting towards the tail; loins well developed. 7. Breast. — Broad, framework of ribs long and deep, the flanks drawn in. 8. Tail of medium length, strong at the root, and tapering to a thin end ; almost straight, and carried as said above. 9. Fore Legs. — Muscles stronger than at the hind feet ; the shoulders very muscular, upper arm short and strong, bending outwards ; the knees bent inwards, the feet again outwards. The legs seen in the profile must appear straight, not hanging over in the knees. 10. Hind Legs. — Straighter than with other dogs, seen from behind almost straight ; the quarters have muscles well visible, almost pointing out (eikig), the bone from hock to pastern very short. 11. Feet. — The feet of the fore legs are more muscular than those of the hind legs, the toes well closed, with nails strongly curved and black ; the sole of the feet is broad and thick. The toes of the hind legs are shorter and straighter, the feet also smaller. 12. Hair. — Short, close, and glossy, not soft, but resisting to the touch (mit stechender Spitze) when stroking against it ; very fine and close at the ears, coarser and longer at the lower side of the tail, but here also lying close to the skin. On the belly the hair is a little coarser, and the skin well covered. 13. Colour. — Black, with tan at head, breast, front of neck, belly, legs, and under the tail ; also dark brown, golden brown, hair grey with darker stripe on the back : as also ash grey, silver grey with dark patches (Tigerdachs) . The darker colours are mostly united with tan markings ; with lighter colours the nails ought also to be black, and the eyes always dark. Any white is only to be endured as a small mark at the chest. 14. Teeth. — Upper and lower teeth meet exactly; in proportion to the jaws they are stronger than with any other breed, especially the corner teeth. The Dachshund. 97 As faulty are considered dogs who have a compressed or conical head ; the muzzle too short, too broad, or with a stop at forehead ; when the lips are hanging ; the ears folded, or not hanging close ; when the fore legs are so crooked that the knees touch each other, or are unable to bear the weight of the body ; when the neck is thin and the breast too narrow; when the fore feet are too much, or irregularly turned outward, when the knee joint is weak and the toes spread out ; also when the bone from the hock downward is too long and the hocks too close together. The tail is bad if it is crooked or has long hair sticking out. Any white as principal colour is also faulty. Measurements and weights of celebrated dachshunds : Mr. J. Hanson Lewis's Uhlan (K.C.S.B., 6333) : Age, 3 years; weight, 221b. ; height at shoulder, 8|in. ; length from nose to set on of tail, 27in. ; length of tail, 9in. ; girth of chest, 21in. ; girth of loin, 10|in. ; girth of head, 13in. ; girth of forearm, 4fin. ; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, T^in. ; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, 6fin. Mr. J. Temperley's Waldine (K.C.S.B., 6355) : Age, 5 years; weight, 23|lb. ; height at shoulder, lOiin. ; length from nose to set on of tail, 30Jin. ; length of tail, lOiin. ; girth of chest, 20in. ; girth of loin, 18|in. ; girth of head, 13^in. ; girth of forearm, 4|in. ; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, 8|in. ; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, 7£in. ; length of ear, 6^in. Capt. Donald Shaw's Olga (K.C.S.B., 7416) : Age, 4£ years ; weight, 191b. ; height at shoulder, 9fin. ; length from nose to set on of tail, 31in. ; length of tail, 9iin. ; girth of chest, 19in. ; girth of loin, 17fin. ; girth of head, 12in. ; girth of forearm, 5in. ; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, Sin. ; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, 7in. ; length of ear, 6in. Mr. W. Arkwright's Xaverl (K.C.S.B., 6337) : Age, 3| years ; weight, 18£lb. ; height at shoulder, lOfin. ; length from nose to set on of tail, 29fin. ; length of tail, llin. ; girth of chest, 19|in. ; girth of loin, 15fin. ; girth of head, 13in. ; girth of forearm, Sin. ; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, Sin. ; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, 7in. ; length of ear, 6in. Mr. W. Arkwright's Senta (K.C.S.B., 8401) : Age, H years ; weight, 191b. ; height at shoulder, 9fin. ; length from nose to set on of tail, 31in. ; H 98 British Dogs. length of tail, lOin. ; girth of chest, 20in. ; girth of loin, 15fin. ; girth of head, 12 Jin. ; girth of forearm, 5in. ; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, Sin. ; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, 7fin. ; length of ear, 7Jin. Mr. C. Goas's TecTc •. Age, 2 years; weight, 22 Jib. ; height at shoulder, lOJin. ; length from nose to set on of tail, 29in. ; length of tail, llin. ; girth of chest, 20in. ; girth of loin, 16in.; girth of head, 13iin. ; girth of forearm, 6Jin. ; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, Sin. ; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, 7Jin. ; width of skull, 4Jin. ; length of muzzle, 4|in. Mr. H. Jones's Zange : Age, nearly 2 years ; weight, 13 Jib. ; height at shoulder, 9in. ; length from nose to set on of tail, 26|in. ; length of tail, Sin. ; girth of chest, IG^in. ; girth of loin, ISfin. ; girth of head, lOfin. ; girth of forearm, measured lin. above elbow, 5f in. ; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, 7iin. ; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, 5|in. ; colour and markings, red ; girth of leg, measured lin. below elbow, 4^in. ; sex, bitch. Mr. H. Jones's Blitz: Age, 9 months; weight, 131b. ; height at shoulder, Sfin. ; length from nose to set on of tail, 25fin. ; length of tail, S^in. ; girth of chest, 16in. ; girth of loin, 13|in. ; girth of head, lOf in. ; girth of forearm, measured lin. above elbow, 5fin. ; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, 7gin. ; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, 5|in. ; colour and markings, black and tan ; girth of leg, measured lin. below elbow, 4fin. ; sex, bitch. Mr. H. Jones's Waldine : Age, over 2 years ; weight, 131b. ; height at shoulder, 9in. ; length from nose to set on of tail, 25in. ; tail, injured ; girth of chest, 16 Jin. ; girth of loin, 13 Jin. ; girth of head, lOfin. ; girth of arm, measured lin. above elbow, 5iin. ; girth of leg, measured lin. below elbow, 4^in. ; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, 6f in. ; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, 5|in. ; colour and markings, black and tan ; sex, bitch. Mr. H. Jones's Barbaroftma : Age, 4 years ; weight, 161b. ; height at shoulder, Sfin. ; length from nose to set on of tail, 29fin. ; length of tail, Sfin. ; girth of chest, ISiin. ; girth of loin, 14in. ; girth of head, lliin. ; girth of arm, measured lin. above elbow, 5Jin. ; girth of leg, measured lin. below elbow, 4fin. ; length of head from occiput to tip of The Dachshund. 99 nose, 7in. ; length of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, colour and markings, red ; sex, bitch. Mr. H. Jones's Waldmann I. (K.C.S.B., 6335) : Age, 4 years ; weight, 16|lb. ; height at shoulder, 10|in. ; length from nose to set on of tail, 27f in. ; length of tail, 8|in. ; girth of chest, 18£in. ; girth of loin, 15|in. ; girth of head, 12Jin. ; girth of arm, measured lin. above elbow, 6Jin. ; girth of leg, measured lin. below elbow, 5|in. ; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, 7fin. ; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, 6^in. ; colour and markings, black and tan ; sex, dog. Mr. H. Jones's Waldmann II. : Age, about 3 years ; weight, 17ilb. ; height at shoulder, 9fin. ; length from nose to set on of tail, 29Jin. ; length of tail, 9|in. ; girth of chest, 18in. ; girth of loin, 15fin. ; girth of head, ll|in. ; girth of arm, measured lin. above elbow, 6fin. ; girth of leg, measured lin. below elbow, 4fin. ; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, 7fin. ; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, 6f in. ; colour and markings, black and tan ; sex, dog. Mr. H. Jones's Donner (K.C.S.B., 8377) : Age, about 2 years; weight, 161b. 6oz. ; height at shoulder, 9^in. ; length from nose to set on of tail, 26|in. ; length of tail, lOin. ; girth of chest, 17in. ; girth of loin, 14|in. ; girth of head, 13in. ; girth of arm, measured lin. above elbow, 5|in. ; girth of leg, measured lin. below elbow, 4in. ; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, 7jin. ; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, 6|in. ; colour and markings, black and tan. Miss M. J. Bell's Faust: Age, 16 months; weight, 251b. lOJoz. ; height at shoulder, lO^in. ; length from nose to set on of tail, 32|in. ; length of tail, ll|in. ; girth of chest, 20|in. ; girth of loin, 17iin. ; girth of head, 13in. ; girth of forearm, 5|in. ; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, 8jin. ; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, 6|in. ; from point to point of ears, 14iin. ; colour, black and tan. Miss M. J. Bell's Waldine : Age, about 3 years; weight, 171b. ; height at shoulder, 9|in. ; length from nose to set on of tail, 28in. ; length of tail, lOin. ; girth of chest, 17in. ; girth of loin, 14in. ; girth of head, ll^in. ; girth of forearm, 5iin. ; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, 7|in. ; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, 6in. ; from point to point of ears, 13in. ; colour, black and tan. Miss M. J. Bell's Dessauer : Age, about 6 years ; weight, 241b. ; height H 2 ioo British Dogs. at shoulder, 10-|in. ; length from nose to set on of tail, 32|in. ; length of tail, lOin. ; girth of chest, 20in. ; girth of loin, 16in. ; girth of head, 13in. ; girth of forearm, 6|in. ; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, 8fin. ; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, 7in. ; from point to point of ears, IS^in. ; colour, black and tan. Miss M. J. Bell's Frida : Age, 1 year 4 months ; weight, 141b. ; height at shoulder, 9Jin. ; length from nose to set on of tail, 29in. ; length of tail, lOin. ; girth of chest, 17|in. ; girth of loin, 13|in. ; girth of head, lljin. ; girth of forearm, Sin. ; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, 7|in. ; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, 5fin. ; from point to point of ears, 13|in. ; colour, black and tan. Mrs. Douglas Murray's Von Josstik : Age, 4| years ; weight, 17ilb. ; height at shoulder, 9|in. ; length from nose to set on of tail, 2ft. 3in. ; length of tail, 9in. ; girth of chest, 1ft. 5|in. ; girth of loin, 1ft. lin. ; girth of head, 1ft. l£in. ; girth of arm, measured lin. above elbow, 7in. ; girth of leg, measured lin. below elbow, 4in. ; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, 7£in. ; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, Sin. ; colour and markings, red. Mrs. Douglas Murray's Von : Age, 1 year and 9 months ; weight, 18|lb. ; height at shoulder, 9^in.; length from nose to set on of tail, 2ft. 3in. ; length of tail, 9in. ; girth of chest, 1ft. 5fin'. ; girth of loin, 1ft. ; girth of head, 1ft. l|in. ; girth of arm, measured lin. above elbow, 9in. ; girth of leg, measured lin. below elbow, 4fin. ; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, 7in. ; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, 7iin. ; colour and markings, red, white spot on chest. Mr. Montague Wootten's Zigzag (K.C.S.B., 8393) : Age, 1 year 5 months ; weight, 21|lb. ; height at shoulder, ll^in. ; length from nose to set on of tail, 31in. ; length of tail, lljin. ; girth of chest, 19^in. ; girth of loin, 17in. ; girth of head, 13iin. ; girth of forearm, 5fin. ; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, S^in. ; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, 6fin. ; length of ear from root to tip, 5^in. ; colour, blood red, red nose ; breeder, owner. Mr. Montague Wootten's Zomah (K.C.S.B., 8404) : Age, 1 year 8 months ; weight, 201b. ; height at shoulder, llin. ; length from nose to set on of tail, 29in. ; length of tail, llin. ; girth of chest, 19in. ; girth of loin, 16in. ; girth of head, 13jin. ; girth of forearm, 5|in. ; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, 7iin. ; girth of muzzle midway The Schweisshund. 101 between eyes and tip of nose, 6 Jin. ; length of ear from root to tip, 5^in. ; colour, red, white fore feet, black nose ; breeder, W. Arkwright ; she is own sister to Senta (K.C.S.B., 8401). CHAPTER XVI.— THE SCHWEISSHUND. BY CORSINCON. THIS is a German hound which will, when better known in England, find a place in our shows. They are about the size of our larger fox- hounds. I had the opportunity of seeing a large class of them at the Hanover Show, 1879, about sixty competing at that exhibition, when they attracted the attention of the numerous English visitors. The schweisshund corresponds with what was once known here as the lyme hound, or lymer, as far as work is concerned, for it is impossible now to fix accurately the points of a dog long since modified or absorbed in higher types, a process which has so long gone on in this country. The schweisshund has a great reputation at home for aptitude and per- severance in his special work of tracking wounded deer. The type of head is different from our bloodhound, the occipital protuberance is not very pronounced ; there is an absence of " frown," insisted on as one of the evidences of great scenting powers by a few bloodhound fanciers here, yet these schweisshunds are marvellously clever on the coldest scent. They are shorter in the muzzle proportionately to size than our bloodhounds or even foxhounds, flatter in the skull, with little flew or dewlap. The colour is generally a red or a red brindle, from which I imagine them to be more nearly related to the immense boar- hound of Germany than to any of our hounds. The following are the points required by German breeders and sportsmen : 1. General Appear office. — Medium height, of strong and long structure, high in the back head, tail rarely carried high, earnest expression of the face. 2. Head of middling size, the upper part broad and flat, the forehead IO2 British Dogs. slightly wrinkled, the hind part of the head is moderately expressed. Nose broader than in other breeds of hounds, may be black or red. The bridge of the nose under the eyes is small or drawn in, almost arched. The eyebrows are considerable developed and protruding. Nose round, and lips falling over in the corner of the mouth. 3. Ears tolerably long, very broad, rounded at the ends, high, and equally set out, always lying close. 4. Eyes clear, with energetic expression, no red observable. 5. Neck long and strong, enlarging towards the chest. 6. Back rather long, sunk behind the shoulders, hind part broad, and slightly vaulted and sloping. 7. Breast wide, ribs deep and long, back gradually sloping up behind. 8. Tail long and well provided with hair. 9. Fore legs stronger than the hind legs, shoulders sloping, very loose and movable ; the muscles of the shoulders are well developed. 10. Hind legs moderately well developed, the lower parts not quite straight. 11. Feet strong, round, and closed toes. Nails, strong, uneven; the sole of the foot is strong and large. 12. Goat close and full, smooth and elastic, almost glossy. 13. Colour grey-brown, like the winter coat of deer ; dark brown on muzzle ; eyes and tail red-brown, or red-yellow, or brown intermixed with black, and marked mostly with the darker colour on the eyes, nose, and tail, and with dark marks on the back. Those dogs are considered as faulty which have a small high skull, narrow nose, running in the same dimension toward the forehead ; if the ears are too long, too narrow, and too pointed ; if the legs are bent, too short, or too thin, or strongly bent and too high carried tail ; as also the structure, if not in correspondence with the different parts of the body. As regards colour, white and also yellow marks, must be considered faulty. GROUP III. Dogs that find their Game by scent, and index it for the advantage of the Gun. Including : 1. The English Setter. 2. The Irish Setter. j. The Gordon or Black and Tan Setter. 4. The Spanish Pointer. 5. The Pointer. 6. The Dropper. This group corresponds sufficiently closely with Group II. in head formation to come also into the second division in the arrangement of M. Cuvier. Speaking broadly and generally, the head and muzzle of the modern varieties included in this group are slightly more elongated than the dogs embraced in Group II., with the exception of the bloodhounds. Setters are undoubtedly more closely allied to spaniels than to pointers, and naturalists would group the two former together and the pointers with the hounds, but the system of classification which for convenience I have adopted leaves no option but to place setters and pointers together, as the work they do and the manner of doing it are in strong accord. CHAPTER XVII.— THE ENGLISH SETTER. BY CORSINCON. DIFFICULT as it admittedly is to trace the history of any of our modern breeds of dogs, although, in most instances, their manufacture, if I may use the term, into their present form is of comparatively recent date 104 British Dogs. there is, in respect to the setter, a general agreement among writers and breeders that our present dog is largely derived from the spaniel ; indeed, the proofs of this are very conclusive — the family likeness is in many respects yet strongly preserved, and in some kennels, where they have kept pretty much to their own blood, following different lines from our show and field trial breeders, this is most markedly so. No more pronounced instance of this has come under my notice for years than a number of dogs, all of the same blood, shown by the Earl of Carlisle and other gentlemen at the Border Counties Show at Carlisle in January, 1877. These were mostly liver and white in colour, stood higher than the show- bench spaniel, shorter and rounder in the head than the present day setter, but strong useful looking dogs, showing a lot of spaniel character in general formation, carriage of ears, and coat and feathering, the coat having a strong tendency to curl, and some of them showing as distinct a topknot as the Irish water spaniel, although not so large. The writer on setters in the " Sportsman's Cabinet," 1802, tells us that in his day, in the northern counties, the pointer was called the smooth spaniel, the setter the rough spaniel ; and, although he speaks of this localism with surprise as a misnomer, it was really the preservation of an old distinction, the setters, or setting spaniels, being so named to divide them from their congeners, used for different work, and named cockers and springers. Our forefathers do not appear to have been so fastidious respecting the appearance of their dogs as we are, but undoubtedly the spaniel was pre- eminently their setting dog, both for use with the net and the gun. In a much older book than the " Sportsman's Cabinet," the " Gentle- man's Recreation," the writer gives the following directions how to select a setting dog : " The dog which you elect for setting must have a perfect and good scent, and be naturally addicted to the hunting of feathers, and this dog may be either land spaniel, water spaniel, or mongrel of them both, either the shallow- flowed hound, tumbler, lurcher, or small bastard mastiff. But there is none better than the land spaniel, being of a good and nimble size, rather small than gross, and of a courageous mettle, which, though you cannot discern being young, yet you may very well know from a right breed which have been known to be strong, lusty, and nimble rangers, of active feet, wanton tails, and busy nostrils, whose tail was without weariness, their search without change- ableness, and whom no delight did transport beyond fear and obedience. " The English Setter. 105 Many other writers might be quoted to the same effect, and it is quite clear that the old setter was simply a spaniel kept to certain work, and as useful to the old sportsman who netted his covey of partridge as his modern representative is to the present "shooter on the wing," who is content to bag his brace by a right and left from his patent breechloader. Somerville, that thorough sportsman and true poet, gives a lucid and very happy description of the working of the setter in the following lines : When autumn smiles, all beauteous in decay, And paints each chequered grove with various hues, My setter ranges in the new shorn fields, His nose in air erect ; from ridge to ridge, Panting, he bounds, his quartered ground divides In equal intervals, nor careless leaves One inch untried. At length the tainted gale His nostrils wide inhale, quick joy elates His beating heart, which, awed by discipline Severe, he dares not own, but cautious creeps Low-cowering, step by step ; at last attains His proper distance, there he stops at once, And points with his instructive nose upon The trembling prey. On wings of wind upborne The floating net unfolded flies ; then drops, And the poor fluttering captives rise in vain. These were the halcyon days of sport when driving, battues, and mowing machines were alike unknown, and, rude as the appliances for taking game were, they gave full play to the capabilities of a good setter, the clever working of which gave such genuine pleasure to the sportsman. Whether the modern setter has been produced from the spaniel by care- ful selection, or by a cross with the pointer or some other breed, it is difficult to decide ; many have supposed the flat coat has been obtained by a cross, but selection would quite account for that, as well as the change in formation. Since the institution of dog shows and field trials a considerable impetus has been given to dog breeding, and in the strife for fame none has been so successful as the Laveracks, which, for elegance of outline, are unsur- passed by any breed of dogs. These, and crosses from them, are now pretty well spread over the country, and are also very fashionable in America. Sam, late the property of Mr. W. Wardlaw Eeid, and the subject of our engraving, was a pure Laverack, brother to Mr. Purcell 1 06 British Dogs. Llewellyn's Countess and Nellie, by Dash II. out of Moll III., and so going back to Ponto and Old Moll. Sam was a dog showing great quality, and with a good frame, free from the extreme delicacy of appearance which not a few modern setters have ; and I am of opinion size and stoutness are sometimes a little too much sacrificed to elegance. Mr. Purcell Llewellyn now claims to have produced a distinct strain of his own ; he has been unquestionably a large and successful breeder of both good and handsome dogs, and his breed is now well known in the United States of America, to which a great number of them have been shipped as the " Llewellyn setter." The strain is founded on Laverack blood, and has on more than one occasion given rise to discussions which it would be unprofitable for us to enter upon here. We find absolute purity of Laverack blood in Mr. T. B. Bower's Bandit, Mr. George Lowe's Tarn O'Shanter, in Mr. A. P. Heywood- Lonsdale's kennels, and a few others, but good and handsome setters only part Laverack are plentiful enough. The general appearance of a well bred setter is very pleasing to the eye ; he is so nicely put together as to present a well balanced whole, showing capabilities of speed and endurance, and his expression shows a high order of intelligence, combined with a diffidence and solicitude to please, which courts attention and praise. He is in form rather long and low, as compared with the pointer, but not so much so as either the Clumber or the modern field spaniel, and is altogether of artistic shape ; the elegance of form in which he excels most breeds being heightened by the richness of his soft, wavy, silky coat, and profuse though not over- abundant feathering. The head should be rather lean and long, not so thick as the pointer' s, being narrower between the ears, with plenty of brain room before them ; the jaws should be long and level, the teeth meeting evenly, and these should be strong and white — always an evidence of sound health which should not be overlooked either in judging or in examining with a view to purchase ; little dip below the eyes ; the nose wide, slightly raised, and rather spreading — any pinched appearance there gives a terrier look ; the colour of the nose black, or dark liver for preference, but it often varies with the colour of the dog, and in orange and lemon marked is often flesh coloured ; the lips should be clean cut — that is, without flew, except a slight looseness or pouchiness at the angles. The English Setter. 107 The eyes should be set straight, and be bright, clear, and animated ; they are of various shades of brown, differing according to the body colour, and in orange and lemon marked dogs are sometimes amber or almost yellow. The ears, of medium size, should be set on low, fall straight, the leather thin, and covered with fine silky hair, falling down as a fringe from 2in. to Sin. below the leather. The neck is elegant, sloping gently, with a good curve from the head, and should be free from the tendency to bloodhound-like throatiness sometimes seen in the Gordon setter ; the shoulders muscular and well sloped, and with plenty of freedom of action ; chest deep, with the fore ribs well sprung and the back ribs deep ; the back stout, the backbone well lined on each side with muscle, very slightly arched at the loins ; thighs muscular, though rather flat, stifles wide and well bent, hocks strong, and like the elbows, well let down ; the fore legs straight — these, as well as the hind legs, well feathered ; cat-like feet are preferred, but if too much so they are apt to be bare, and those with an inclination to the hare foot are better protected with hair between the toes. The tail should be of fair length, free from curl, but not dragged, as some setters are seen to do ; the proper carriage shows a very gentle curve, and it is well feathered with fine hair, longest about the middle, and tapering off almost to a point. The coat is of a soft, almost silky, texture, wavy, but free from absolute curl ; longest in ears, fore legs, hams, and tail. The colours are various, ranging from black, black and white, with large patches and flecked, called blue Beltons, red, orange or yellow and white patched or flecked, and black and white, with a little tan, and pure white. Some whites have a brownish-creamy colour, with sprinklings of dark hair, almost approaching to a roan. Measurements, &c., of celebrated English setters : Mr. A. P. Heywood-Lonsdale's Fred V. : Age, 3 years ; weight, 511b. ; height at shoulder, 24in. ; length from nose to set on of tail, 36in. ; length of tail, 16in. ; girth of chest, 28in. ; girth of loin, 21|in. ; girth of head, 16in. ; girth of forearm, 6|in. ; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, 13in. ; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, lOin. Mr. H. Prendergast-Garde's Royal Dan: Weight, 401b. ; height at shoulder, 22in. ; length from nose to set on of tail, 38in. ; length of io8 British Dogs. tail, 12|in. ; girth of chest, 26in. ; girth of loin, 19|in. ; girth of head, 15|in. ; girth of forearm, G^in. ; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, 8|in. ; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, lOin. Mr. F. J. Staples-Browne's Fancy : Age, 1 year 4 months ; weight 46jlb. ; height at shoulder, 22in. ; length from nose to set on of tail, 3ft. ; length of tail, 1ft. Sin. ; girth of chest, 2ft. 2in. ; girth of loin, 1ft. Sin. ; girth of head, 1ft. 2^in. ; girth of forearm, 6|in. ; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, 10|in. ; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, 8^in. Mr. T. Webber's Moll ITI. •. Age, 1 year; weight, 471b. ; height at shoulder, 22in. ; length from nose to set on of tail, 37in. ; length of tail, 12|in., girth of chest, 25in. ; girth of loin, 21in. ; girth of head, 15|in. ; girth of forearm, 6fin. ; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, 9iin. ; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, 8fin. Mr. T. B. Bower's Bandit : Age, 8 years; height at shoulder, 22in. ; length from nose to set on of tail, 38in. ; length of tail, 13£in. ; girth of chest, 28in. ; girth of loin, 23in. ; girth of head, 16in. ; girth of fore- arm, 7in. ; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, 10|in. ; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, 10|in. ; ears when extended (measurement taken across the head), 17in. Mr. T. B. Bower's Blue Belle II. : Weight, 401b. ; height at shoulder, 22in. ; length from nose to set on of tail, 33in. ; length of tail, 12£in. ; girth of chest, 26in. ; girth of loin, 20in. ; girth of head, 15in. ; girth of arm lin. above elbow, 10|in. ; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, 9in. ; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, 9£in. Mr. J. H. Salter's Daisy : Age, 4 years ; weight, 501b.; height at shoulder, 21in. ; length from nose to set on of tail, 35in. ; length of tail, 14in. ; girth of chest, 27in. ; girth of loin, 22in. ; girth of head, 15in. ; girth of forearm, 8in. ; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, 8|in. ; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, 9in. The Irish Setter. 109 CHAPTER XVIII.— THE IRISH SETTER. BY CORSINCON. " A VETERAN SPORTSMAN," author of " A Correct Delineation of the Canine Race," \vriting in 1803, says : " The sporting gentlemen of Ireland are more partial to setters than pointers, and probably they are better adapted to that country. Setters, it is presumed, cover more ground than pointers, are not so liable to be footsore, and can bear the changes of weather much better than the latter, which they term the smooth spaniel. The fields in many parts of Ireland are large, very rugged, and stony ; the rains sudden, sharp, severe, and driving. Setters, therefore, particularly suit the country they go over; to this may be added the grouse shooting, which is excellent, and it is a universally- received opinion that this species of dog only is equal to the fatigues of it." The writer I have quoted from does not attempt any description of the setter in use in Ireland in his sporting days, nor dwell on his points after the manner of our modern dog show critics ; but, instead, he gives briefly the fact that the dog selected by Irish sportsmen was one specially adapted to the circumstances of the country and climate in which he had to work, a most important fact, which I think dog show managers, judges, and others cannot have too often brought under their notice, for there is undoubtedly an evil tendency in our dog show system to forget the fitness of the dog for his work, which should exist, and indeed should be made a sine qud non, and to exalt far above their legitimate value, points of beauty and arbitrary standards of perfection, giving undue weight to matters of comparatively little moment, such as the existence of a few dozen white hairs, more or less, the colour of the eyelashes, and the precise carriage of the tail to a line minutely described and insisted on. I by no means say that beauty and utility should not be combined, but great care should be exercised that in setting up a fancy standard we do not sacrifice to it absolutely essential or even desirable characteristics. I for one have little faith in the fabulous pedigrees I hear of, and as little in the assertions that a shade of colour is a proof of long descent in this or any other breed. Such a thing as well kept stud books must, at least, no British Dogs. have been rare indeed, as so far as I know there is nob a dog living of any breed whatever, if we except hounds, whose pedigree can be traced in a manner that could be considered as proven for even one hundred years, and it would still further mightily surprise me to find that the points of all, or even one of the progenitors, had been as minutely described as modern fanciers require. Hence, I fall back on general facts, and firmly believe, with the writer I have quoted, that Irish sportsmen chose the setter as best adapted to their purposes, and no one who has seen Irish setters, especially as they are to be seen at Irish shows, will doubt that the selection was a wise one, whether the originals were red or white and red, for it is the general characteristic of both ; but I must say, to my mind especially, of the reds, they impress one with their powers of hardihood and endurance and defiance alike of rough country and rough weather ; they have a " devil-may-care" look about them which plainly says it is neither hard work, hard weather, nor hard living that will stop us, although at the same time this same look creates a suspicion, if not of actual stubbornness, at least of a wilful rollicking disposition chary of too close restraint. Colour is the point which has been most warmly discussed since shows were introduced, and, without going through the arguments and asser- tions pro and con, I will merely observe that, so far, at least, as English shows and English judges go, the deep blood-red, free from any black on ears, ridge of back, or tail, and with as little white as possible — a mere line down the face and star on chest — has gained the day, and any dog with much white would in prize competition, judging from decisions of the last few years, be very heavily handicapped, if not absolutely disqualified, and I doubt very much if Dr. Stone' s grand old dog Dash were to visit the scenes of his former triumphs, whether that "white snake round his neck" would not mar his prospects. Our Irish friends provide distinct classes for the reds and red and whites, they being two distinct types of the Irish setter breed — a course highly to be approved; for, however little faith may be placed in a vague tradition that would rest purity of blood in a shade of colour, the very existence of such traditions proves that such points had existed in good dogs, and had been consequently noted and valued by old breeders. Speaking personally, I prefer the blood red, with as little white as possible, as it gives to the dogs a more distinct character, or rather it adds to their pronounced family character I The Irish Setter. in and I can see no reason why such a point cannot be bred up to without a sacrifice of higher and more essential qualities. In general appearance the Irish setter is rather lighter and more wiry- looking than the English. The head is long and narrow, the nose wide, not snipey or terrier-like ; the ears set on well back, rather narrow, hanging close and lightly feathered ; the eye should be brown, corre- sponding with the dark flesh-coloured nose ; the lips deep, but not so much so as to be hound-like ; the neck neat, light, and well placed ; the shoulders sloping ; the chest deep, but not wide, as a wide chest indicates slowness ; the fore ribs deep, the sides rather flat, loins strong and very muscular, and the flank rather tucked up ; hind quarters strong and muscular, but not heavy ; the tail set on rather low and well carried, fine in bone, and the feathering rather lighter in colour than the body ; coat is rather fine, but more wiry than an English setter ; the feather is longest about the middle of the tail, tapering off gradually towards the point ; the legs straight, feet hare-like, and fairly feathered between the toes ; the hocks strong, stifles well bent ; the feathering on the legs abundant, fine in texture, and same shade as on the tail ; the body coat is harder, of a wet-resisting texture. Many of the Irish setters of the day can be traced back with more or less certainty to kennels of renown during the early part of the century, and the number of good dogs, it is reasonable to assert, has increased since the advent of shows gave an impetus to the breeding of them ; and now it is a rare thing to find an English show where this breed is not represented. In the United States of America this dog is a great favourite, almost as much so as the Laverack, and specimens are constantly being sent across the Atlantic from Irish kennels. The most celebrated dogs of this breed of recent date, which have been exhibited, are Mr. Hilliard's Palmerston, Dr. Kennedy's Dick, Mr. Macdona's Plunket, Mr. Nuttall's Maybe, Mr. M'Haffie's Mina, Miss Lizzie War- burton's Lily, Dr. Stone's Dash, Mr. Lipscomb's Shawn Bragh, Mr. Jephson's Dash, Major Hutchinson's Bob, Major Cooper's Ranger, and others too numerous to mention. Among the most successful breeders I may mention Miss Warburton, Mr. Cecil Moore, Mr. Henry Jephson, and these and several other breeders trace the pedigree of some of their dogs to the beginning of the present century, going back through the kennels of Messrs. Evans and Lloyd, of Dungarvan, to the kennels of Lords Antrim and Enniskillen and a noted H2 British Dogs. breeder, Mr. Hazard, of Fermanagh ; and of other old strains there is the La louche, Lord Clancarty's, and the Marquis of Waterford's. Mr. Jephson was the breeder of Lilly II., Eily (both first prize winners at Birmingham and Crystal Palace), Nell (second Crystal Palace), Sheelah (ditto, 1876), March (champion cup, Dublin, 1875), Eufus (first puppy class, Crystal Palace), and other good ones less well known. The subject of our engraving is Mr. J. Fletcher's Grouse, bred by Mr. W. J. Smith. He made his debut at the Dublin Show, 1877, when he took premier honours, and has since had a victorious career, having won many prizes for his present owner under various judges. Grouse is a deep red, with capital straight coat of the right texture, feathering on legs profuse, nice comb -like flag, which he carries well; he has a good deep chest, muscular loins, and good hind quarters, with a head almost perfect. The following are the measurements of some celebrated Irish setters : Mr. J. H. Salter's Whisper : Age, 2% years ; weight, 561b. ; height at shoulder, 25£in. ; length from nose to set on of tail, 42in. ; length of tail, 19in. ; girth of chest, 28in. ; girth of loin, 21in. ; girth of head, 17in. ; girth of arm. 7in. ; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, lOin. ; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, 9in. Mr. T. Hilliard's Palmerston: Age, 11 years; weight, 651b. ; height at shoulder, 23|in. ; length from nose to set on of tail, 44in. ; length of tail, 15in. ; girth of chest, 30in. ; girth of loin, 24in. ; girth of head, 16in. ; girth of arm, 9iin. ; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, lOiin. ; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, lOin. Mr. T. Hilliard's Count : Age, 2 years 9 months ; weight, 541b. ; height at shoulder, 23in. ; length from nose to set on of tail, 37|in. ; length of tail, 13in. ; girth of chest, 28|in. ; girth of loin, 22in. ; girth of head, 15|in. ; girth of arm, lOin. ; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, 9|in. ; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, 8fin. Mr. T. Hilliard's Titty : Age, 4| years ; weight, 451b. ; height at shoulder, 22in. ; length from nose to set on of tail, 37in. ; length of tail, 14in. ; girth of chest, 27in. ; girth of loin, 20|in. ; girth of head, 14tin. ; girth of arm, S^in. ; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, 9£in. ; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, 8fin. Mr. F. A. Bird's Belle : Age, 3 years 3 months ; weight, 471b. ; height at shoulder, 22in. ; length from nose to set on of tail, 35in. ; length of i The Gordon or Black and Tan Setter. 113 tail, 14in. ; girth of chest, 28in. ; girth of loin, 21in. ; girth of head, 16in. ; girth of forearm, 7Jin. ; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, lOin. ; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, lOin. CHAPTER XIX.— THE GORDON OR BLACK AND TAN SETTER. BY CORSINCON. WHETHER the dog under consideration should be called the black and tan setter or the Gordon setter is a subject open to controversy, but of one thing there is no doubt, as the authentic records of breeders prove, that many of the best modern black and tan setters have a large commix- ture of that Gordon Castle blood which became half a century ago so famous as to stamp the generic name of Gordon Setters on its possessors. What the original colour of the Gordon setter was is still a disputed point, which was ably argued in the Field some years back, the weight of evidence produced being decidedly against the black and tan and in favour of the black, white, and tan, as the prevailing colours in this celebrated kennel, but if it was difficult to get an unanimous consent as to the colour of dogs distributed thence at comparatively so recent a date, it becomes a still more difficult problem to solve how the breed was first established. Many hold that it was originally a cross of our English setter with the red Irish setter, and, in support of this view, advance the fact that in many litters pure red puppies are met with. This does not occur so often now as we get further from the source of the red blood, but it is fair presumptive evidence of the cross having taken place. On the other hand, it has been asserted that many of the good qualities of the Gordon Castle setter were inherited from a celebrated colley of poach- ing proclivities ; and there are more unlikely things than that such a cross might be tried, for no one, seeing the sagacity of the sheepdog as dis- played in his management of his charge, can fail to be impressed by it, and if I 1 1 4 British Dogs. that wonderful sense could be infused into a setting dog and undesirable points bred out whilst retaining it, it might be a consummation devoutly to be wished. And such an attempt is far from unlikely to have been tried, so that it is not at all improbable that the Gordon and our modern black and tan have both Irish setter and colley blood in them. This pre-suppose3 that the Irish setter has been longer in existence as a distinct breed than the Gordon, and this, I think, can be established, although that breed, like all others, has probably been considerably modified. As it is generally — I may say universally — acceded that the spaniel is the foundation on which all our varieties of setters has been built, and there is no means of proving positively the modus operandi adopted, it is a fair field for conjecture to those so disposed ; but one thing is clear, the lines followed in breeding, whether as regards crossing or selection, must have differed to create three varieties with such distinctive features as the English, Irish, and black and tan, and it is with the latter I have at present to do, for, although I take black, white, and tan to have been the prevailing colour of the Gordon, these have been elbowed off the show- bench by their darker brethren for good or ill, for by all recent judging a dog with a white frill even would stand no chance at shows where the class is still described as black and tan, or Gordon setters, and under these circumstances I think it a great pity that a class is not provided for the handsome tri-coloured dog. It is a fact worth noting that black and tan setters took the prizes against all comers at the first two shows for setters ever held, these being Mr. J. Jobling' s Dandy, first at Newcastle, 1859, and Mr. F. Burdett' s Brougham, first at Birmingham in the November following. Dandy's grandsire was the Duke of Gordon's Grouse, and both his stock and that of Brougham have since frequently appeared in the prize lists. As a working dog the black and tan is excellent ; he is possessed of a fine nose, with staunchness; he is not so fast as the Laverack, and in the opinion of many, not so enduring, but on this latter point I have a different opinion, having known dogs of this breed work constantly in rough hill shooting without being knocked up, and for this kind of work his superior bone and muscle seem to adapt him better than the lighter and more elegant Laverack. The black and tan differs from the English, and especially the Laveracks, in presenting a rather heavier appearance ; the head is decidedly heavier, The Gordon or Black and Tan Setter. 115 with a nearer approach to the bloodhound type, the lips in many good specimens showing a good depth of flew, but in general points the two varieties should agree, colour of course, excepted. This should be an intense, yet brilliant black — not a dead absorbing black — relieved by a very rich warm mahogany red, and as free from white as possible. This deep tan could not be inherited from a colley cross, the prevailing colours in which are black and white, and those that are tan marked have that colour very pale. The tan should appear clear and distinct on the feet, feather of the leg, under the stern, on the vent, cheeks, lips, and in spots over the eye, as in black and tan terriers. As I do not believe in the wisdom, utility, or good taste of making a decision in judging sporting classes depend so exclusively on colour and markings, and consider it bad policy to exclude, as in this case, black, white, and tan, which many think the legitimate colour of the breed, and prefer both for beauty and work, I hope to see a class formed for them. There might, after the damaging effects of show judging on them for years past, be few exhibited at first, but in a few years this really handsome variety of the setter would take a foremost place. It was some years after shows were started that a class for fox terriers was instituted, and now they are the most numerous at all shows. The main points of difference between the black and tan and the modern English setter, after colour, are that the former are heavier built, larger in head (which is added to in appearance by tendency to throatiness and flew), a rather harsher quality of coat, and shorter stern. The hind-quarters should be particularly strong, and the stifles wide apart and well bent. A dog that appears tied in the hams, as toy spaniels are, is of no use for work. The subject of our engraving is Mr. H. B. Gibbs' Young Lome, one of the most perfect specimens of the breed. Young Lome has not been much exhibited, but has been fairly successful, and his stock have turned out well. He is also, I am given to understand, for I have not seen him work, an excellent performer in the field. Measurements of black and tan setters : Mr. E. L. Parsons' champion, Floss : Age, 5 years ; weight, 591b. ; height at shoulder, 22|in. ; length from nose to set on of tail, 39in. ; length of tail, 15in. ; girth of chest, 27^in. ; girth of loin, 22in. ; girth of head, 16in. ; girth of forearm, 6fin. ; length of head from I 2 1 1 6 British Dogs. occiput to tip of nose, 9|in. ; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, 9|in. Mr. J. H. Salter's Bex II. : Age, 5 years ; weight, 71flb. ; height at shoulder, 25in. ; length from nose to set on of tail, 42in. ; length of tail, 18in. ; girth of chest. 32in. ; girth of loin, 22in. ; girth of head, 18in. ; girth of forearm, Sin. ; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, lOin. ; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, llin. Mr. T. Jacobs' Marquis : Age, 2 years 3 months ; weight, 551b. ; height at shoulder, 22in. ; length from nose to set on of tail, 38in. ; length of tail, 14in. ; girth of chest, 29in. ; girth of loin, 22|in. ; girth of head, 15|in. ; girth of forearm, 7iin. ; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, lOin. ; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, 9£in. ; black and tan, correctly marked, free from white. Mr. T. Jacobs' Earl : Age, 2 years 3 months ; weight, 651b. ; height at shoulder, 23|in. ; length from nose to set on of tail, 38|in. ; length of tail, 14in. ; girth of chest, 30|in. ; girth of loin, 23|in. ; girth of head, 16|in. ; girth of forearm, Sin. ; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, lO^in. ; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, lOin. ; colour and markings, black and tan, correctly marked, free from white. Mr. H. B. Gibbs' Young Lome: Age, about 5| years; weight, 611b. ; height at shoulder, 23in. ; length from nose to set on of tail, 3ft. 5in. ; length of tail, 1ft. Sin. ; girth of chest, 30iin. ; girth of loin, 22|in. ; girth of head, 1ft. 6in. ; girth of arm lin. above elbow, lOin. ; girth of leg lin. below elbow, 8|in. ; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, llin. ; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, 10|in. ; colour and markings, black and rich sienna tan, correctly marked and free from white. Mr. H. B. Gibbs' NoraU : Age, about 3i years ; weight, 471b. ; height at shoulder, 21in. ; length from nose to set on of tail, 2ft. lOin. ; length of tail, 1ft. 2in. ; girth of chest, 2ft. 2fin. ; girth of loin, 20iin. ; girth of head, 15|in. ; girth of arm lin. above elbow, 9in. ; girth of leg lin. below elbow, Sin. ; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, 9^in. ; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, 9in. ; colour and markings, black and tan of a rich sienna colour, correctly marked and free from white. The Spanish Pointer — The Pointer. 117 CHAPTER XX.— THE SPANISH POINTER. BY CORSINCON. THE old heavy lumbering Spanish pointer is said to be no more, at least, in this country ; but, judging from specimens we still see occasionally at shows, he has not been entirely improved out of existence in the British Isles. As the source of our far more elegant, faster, and stauncher pointer, we must speak of him with feelings of regret for the obsolete that was useful in its day. Compared with the modern English pointer, he was bigger, coarser, and clumsier. Standing higher on the leg, his coarse head and badly balanced body gave him an over-topped appearance. His feet were apt to be flat and spreading, which added to his slowness ; but in nose he excelled, and to careful breeding from him the present pointers' high qualities in that respect are due. Close observers may still see in litters, bred without the exercise of care and judgment, specimens with unknit frames, unsymmetrical build, and heavy chumpy heads — evidence of their origin from a dog most useful in his day. No detailed description of him is necessary, but we owe too much to him altogether to ignore his existence and the influence he has had on the modern race. CHAPTER XXL— THE POINTER. BY G. THORPE-BARTRAM. THE pointer is now, and has ever been, most essentially a sporting dog. Although his origin is not quite clear, nor the country from which he was imported into England satisfactorily made out, still he is generally credited with coming to us from Spain. Even now we not unfrequently hear the phrase, "That is a regular old-fashioned Spanish pointer," applied to a heavy, lumbering dog, such as was much used by our fore- n8 British Dogs. fathers. If his footing upon British soil cannot be traced back so far as the setter's — or, at least, as the setter has existed amongst us in some form or another — still, he seems to have been bred in this country for the purpose for which he is now used, and for that alone. In France, America, Spain, and Portugal he is also used for sporting purposes. He has always, as far as I can ascertain, been considered in England a distinct breed of dog, cultivated for finding game by scent, and trained to " pointing " it when found- — i.e.. to come to a standstill upon scenting it. So innate is this propensity to point in a well bred puppy of this breed that we frequently see him point the first time he is entered to game. This is regarded by some sportsmen as evidence of an original disposition to point peculiar to this breed, but all the information that I have obtained on this matter goes to show that it was first only the result of training, and now exists more as a communicated habit than anything else. It is advanced in favour of the pre-disposition theory that the setter has been bred, trained, and used for precisely the same purpose, yet he does not exhibit this quality — spontaneous pointing — in anything like the same degree. It is a fact that the pointer does, as a rule, take to pointing much earlier in his training, but the cause of this I must leave for others to decide. The pointer, however different in form to what he now is, and in spite of the many crosses to which he has been subjected, seems to have experienced very little change in his leading characteristics. The crossing him with other dogs, which at various times has been tried, has not eradicated the " stamp " peculiar to his breed; neither is it evident that the object sought by infusing into his veins blood foreign to him was so much to change his character as to introduce qualities that it was thought he might with advantage possess. By this I mean that it was not so much to produce, by crossing with other breeds, a dog to do the pointer's work, as to render him more suitable to the work which he was, through change of circumstances, required to perform. In most cases, I believe, first crosses have proved failures, whether with foxhound or other dog. The foreign blood thus imported had to be diluted (if I may use the expression) by crossing back again with the pointer, before even so good a dog as the pure pointer was produced. " Droppers ' ' — for such is the name given to the produce of the first cross between pointer and setter — are, in some few instances, fairly good ; but they are no improve- The Pointer. 119 ment on the pointer or setter proper. The pointer of to-day is an animal that has been produced by the most careful exercise of knowledge gained by keen observation, assisted by extensive breeding and sporting expe- rience. He is now a dog specially adapted to his work. He has been rendered capable of doing it with the greatest amount of ease and effi- ciency. By careful selection he has been divested of all the lumber that was the cause of his distress in years gone by. His pace has been improved by a due regard to the formation of his chest ; it is now deeper and narrower than formerly. He is, as a consequence, capable of hunting a larger range of ground without becoming useless by excessive fatigue. The ease with which the present shape of his shoulders and chest allows him to sweep over his ground in graceful strides, and to preserve and exercise with advantage his gift of scent, is a pleasure to witness. There is no doubt that field trials and dog shows that have been held for the past fifteen years have greatly contributed towards the attain- ment of his present high state of excellence ; but, much as I admire the modern pointer, there is just one of his properties that I do not think has been improved, at least, by no means so much as have others — I mean his olfactory powers. He does not appear to possess any greater or even so great a faculty of scenting game now as he did years ago. But I am fully aware that the great speed at which most pointers hunt the ground now, as compared with the old-fashioned dog of, say, twenty- five years ago, ought to be taken into account in considering this matter. It is more than probable that the slower a dog goes the greater are his facilities for taking into his nostrils the atoms of scent. Assuming this to be the case, the slow dog of the past had an advantage in " winding " game over the flyers of to-day. Be this as it may, the pointer now, to my thinking, does not " spot" out his game with the ease and certainty at the great distance he once did. For let an old slow dog trot round or across a field of ordinary size, and if he did not point, you might depend on it there was no game in it. His nose appeared to be good enough to allow him to go almost straight to his game without the laborious quartering of the ground, which is now so necessary, and without which much game would be left behind. I may be permitted to remark that many of my sporting friends who have used pointers all their lives are of my opinion upon the subject. My father, too, has used pointers and setters for nearly fifty years, and 120 British Dogs. has, within the last few, trained some (and seen others at work) of my pointers by champions Eap, Pax, Chang, Macgregor, and Bang; and although he willingly admits their superior pace and style, yet he fails to detect any increased range of nose over that he has been accustomed to in good dogs he used very early in his sporting experience. There is no doubt whatever that the modern pointer, owing to his increased pace, and through being able to endure (by his better formation) more hard work with less fatigue, is of more service to the sportsman ; still there is room for improvement in him. What we want is to make him as much superior in nose as he is beyond his ancestors in pace. This as yet we have not accomplished. Of course increased pace allows of more ground being hunted in the same time, and this of itself is a great advantage ; and it is this alone, in my opinion, that gives the modern fast pointer the advantage over his slower rival. To illustrate what I mean I may say that I have often put down my field trial winner Eomp with good-nosed slow dogs (local celebrities, too), and owing to her terrific pace, she could always take and keep the outside beat ; consequently her chances of finding game were much increased, and she invariably beat them " hands down." But it was only her^>ace, not her nose, that gave her the advantage. The dags she could easily beat were her equals in nose. I have attended field trials for the last five years, and in no case have I seen any pointer exhibiting an increased range of nose over that I have seen in other good dogs. A fear has often been expressed that, by breeding for pace, the staunch- ness of the pointer would be detrimentally affected. I am pleased to say I do not find this to be the case. He is now, in this respect, all that a sportsman can wish for. As the pointer and setter are used for identically the same purpose, it may be expected that I should say something as to their relative merit. It is always an invidious task to draw comparisons, and in this case I think it especially so ; for each breed has a host of admirers, who are ready to swear by their favourite's superiority. As we are all too apt to be influenced in our opinion by our surround- ings, and by our likes and dislikes ; and, further, to generalise from a few instances that we may have had occasion to take knowledge of, I shall content myself by pointing out that sportsmen of great experience, both in the past and present, agree that the setter is the better adapted for The Pointer. 121 hunting rough heather. His feet seemed to stand the work better. Ifc has also been said the setter can do more hard work ; but I think that, the fact of the old-fashioned pointer being so heavy in frame and build that he could not bear the strain of continued hunting, has produced an unmerited prejudice as to the powers of endurance of the breed. I possess pointers (and I do not for one moment suppose I am an exception) equal to any amount of work. The subject of the illustration, Special, I have hunted daily week after week, and never saw him either footsore or come to a trot. And the pointer, I am fully persuaded, is more readily trained to his duties than the setter. He seems to take more kindly to his work, and is generally kept up to his training with less trouble. I have seen pointers that have not been turned into a field for a year or two go and do their work in rare form, as if they had been in full training. I do not think the pointer is such a companionable dog as the setter. He is " all there " when at work, but afterwards the kennel seems his proper place. He does not acquire so much affectionate amiability of character from his association with man- kind as does the setter and other sporting dogs. Of course there are exceptions to every rule, and I know some few pointers that are remark- able for their attachment and sagacity. By old sportsmen, and in books, too, we have had some truly astonishing accounts given of intelligence displayed by them when at their legitimate work, and I feel bound to say that, after what I have seen, I am inclined to believe quite possible much that I thought wholly incredible. Had it not been for the high authority who stated the fact that a dog, when used by him with a puppy, would worry the puppy because he flushed game, I could not have credited it for one moment ; but, since this has appeared in print, a similar fact has been demonstrated before my eyes ; and more, the dog that would do this would also, when told, run after and bite the puppy that persisted in chasing game. I have also seen a pointer leave his " point " and go round the birds that were running from him, apparently to prevent them getting up " out of shot," and this without the least instruction. These facts serve to show what a high degree of sagacity it is possible to obtain in the pointer. I feel sure that it will be said by many of my readers, ' ' No matter what you say in favour of the pointer, he is of less service to the sportsman than he has ever been. ' ' As far as partridge 122 British Dogs. shooting is concerned, I am compelled to admit that he is the victim of circumstances. The change made in the system of cultivation in Eng- land has been such that, from lack of cover to hide his game (which enabled him to get up to it), and not from degeneracy in himself, he has become of less service now than he was in the days of small enclosures and reaped stubbles. The stubbles, once the chief cover, are now cut by the machine so close that it is next to impossible for game to lie to a dog on them. This, with other changes in agriculture, militates strongly against the dog. He has now to work against very great difficulties, and difficulties which are not, I am sorry to say, likely to disappear. In spite of these disadvan- tages, I still maintain that a good pointer can be used during the first month of the season with pleasure and advantage. I have always used my dogs this season, whether I have been shooting alone or in company, and during the first three weeks, in a very rough country, over 100 brace were killed to them, and they did excellent service in finding wounded game. A friend to whom I lent my bitch Stella killed over her 100 brace to his own gun, and in the latter part of September he wrote me, ' ' I find I can still have good sport with your dog. Stella is all that I can wish for as a pointer, and I never lose any wounded game with her ; she has rendered me excellent services. She does in her work all but talk to me." Now, even in Scotland, "setting" dogs are, after the first three weeks, of little service ; so that for partridge shooting (where it is not conducted in gangs) I consider that the pointer has still, through his usefulness, a heavy claim on our regard. Before I proceed to define the points considered necessary to make up a first-class prize winning pointer, I may just say that there can be no doubt whatever that the standard of points used to decide as to which is the best looking pointer is in some measure a fancy and an arbitrary one. It makes some points essentially necessary that are of no real practical value, because they have no direct or indirect bearing on the dog's utility. The possession of them does not render him any the more fitted to assist the sportsmen with the gun. , I do not demur to the points now adopted as tests of beauty, simply because we all have our ideas of what is beautiful, and the standard The Pointer. 123 may represent the framer's views of it, but I only wish to point out that in matter of minutiae the standard of points used to decide which is the best looking pointer need not be applied to dogs bred for sporting purposes alone, for whether they possess these trifling points or not does not in any way affect their usefulness ; such, for instance, as that a pointer must have a deep stop between the eyes, and a well pro- nounced drop from skull to nose ; no loose skin on his throat, called " throatings " ; ears set on low, and lying flat to cheeks ; a nicely tapered stern, &c. That these are not absolutely necessary to render a pointer good at his work will be clearly understood by every sportsman, and in support of this statement I may add that many dogs remarkable for their excellence in the field do not possess them. That celebrated field trial winner Drake (sold at seven years old for 150 guineas to Mr. Price, of Bala), a marvel in his day, although possessing in a very marked degree the points of endurance, wear and tear qualities, cannot raise any claim to be considered good looking in a show-bench point of view. In general outline he is just the build that is looked for in a dog of whom a lot of hard work is required ; but on critical examina- tion— that is, taking into consideration all the little etceteras which go to make up a show-bench winner, he is found very deficient. Only compare him with his kennel companion, the celebrated show-bench winner Wagg, and then the points which make Wagg so successful will be seen to be entirely absent in him. These are the points which I would be understood to call " fancy points." I know well that many good-looking dogs have won at field trials, but the fact that many more that are not good-looking have taken the most prominent position as field trial runners remains. Dogs that have, by their excellent qualities in the field, quite charmed me, have been most unlike what is considered a good-looking show-bred bench pointer. I know the object of the standard of points was to combine the useful and the beautiful, and that these have not been more successfully united in the pointer of to-day is no reflection on breeders. Pointers are now, there can be no question, far better looking than in former years, but that the best for field purposes are not always the best looking is a well-established fact. In the productions of nature, and of animal nature especially, great beauty and great usefulness are very rarely com- 124 British Dogs. bined, and that pointers possessing both are the exception, not the rule, is quite certain. Our leading prize winners, under different, and even the same judges, so very frequently change places in the prize list, that it is almost impossible to select a dog as " the model " of what a pointer should be. In the midst of this strange conflict of opinion as to which is and which is not the ideal pointer, and in spite of the fickleness of individual judges, it must be admitted that many of the principal prize takers of to-day are dogs of striking symmetry, and such as possess all the essential qualities to make excellent sporting dogs, although their beauty may be of very different types. As far as can be gathered from decisions given, it now appears that — The head should be long, and that from the corner of eye to end of nose should be as long as possible. There should be a well pronounced stop between the eyes, and a good drop from the skull to nose. The space under the eye, between the eye and nose, should be cleanly cut. This seems to give character to the face ; when this part is filled up it makes the head look what is called " gummy." The skull should not be too wide between the ears, nor too prominent from corner of set of ear to the eye. Dogs with wide skulls and full temples are very frequently extremely headstrong, and far too independent of their master's instruc- tions when at work. They do not acquire in intelligence by this increased size of skull so much as a selfish liking to do as they please when beyond immediate control — a very troublesome fault. The lips should not hang down like the bloodhound's, nor yet taper up to nostrils so much as the foxhound's. The eyes should not be sunken like the hound's, nor yet " goggle-eyed," but should be full of animation and intelligence. A sullen, hard-looking eye is to be avoided ; it is frequently the indication of a headstrong, ungovernable animal, almost worthless in the field. The ears should be thin and silky, and of such a length as to reach just below the throat, that is, when hanging in the usual position. They should be set in below the square of the skull, and hang flat to the cheeks. The neck should be long and muscular, springing out cleanly from the shoulders, and pinned to the skull in the same way. It should be slightly arched. The Pointer. 125 The forelegs should be straight and strong, the arms muscular, the elbows well let down, and coming down well under the body, not out at elbow or pigeon-toed. The pastern should be short and well developed. The feet should be of proportionate size to the dog, and either round or cat-shaped, or pointed like that of the hare. I have seen dogs with both kinds stand any amount of work without going lame, therefore for use I think there is no difference ; but for show purposes the round foot, with well arched toes, looks the smartest. The shoulders should be long, thin, and sloping backwards ; great attention should be given to them, as a dog with a thick loaded, straight shoulder, will have a cramped, stilty, laboured gallop. The chest should be deep, and not wide, the ribs well sprung from backbone, and not shovelling at the brisket. The body should be long and powerful ; a weak, tucked up body is a great defect, indicating lack of constitution, and a dog without a good constitution is not capable of enduring consecutive hard work. The back ribs should be deep, and the last rib as near the hip bone as possible to get it. Much length from last rib to hip gives an appearance of a slack weak loin. The loin should be slightly arched, very wide, strong, and muscular. It is upon the hind legs and thighs that a dog chiefly depends for his propelling leverage. If they are weak and ill formed the dog is a poor " stayer." The thighs should be very long and muscular, well developed, with a prominent second thigh. The stifle fairly bent, and slightly in- clined outwards. The hocks large and strong, and coming straight with thigh, not in, or cow-hocked. The hip wide apart and well up, at least as high as the line of back, even when the dog is in good condition. The dogs with wide, ragged hip bones are generally dogs with speed and endurance. The tail should be short, but not shortened, fine at tip and strong at root. It should be set on just below the line of back, and not too low down to make the dog look " goose-rumped." It must not be curled over back like the hound's, nor yet drooping like the Clumber's. It should be carried in a lively manner just above the level of the back. Symmetry is, as far as I can define it, a perfect unity of proportion of all the points before enumerated, so as to present the beautiful outline that is so pleasing to the eye. A perfect adaptability of each part of the 126 British Dogs. dog to the exercise of all his powers to the greatest advantage. For instance, some dogs possess several points in a very marked degree of excellence, and still, because other parts are deficient, their symmetry will be said to be at fault. Unless all parts are considered collectively, no estimate can be formed of symmetry ; and then it is very difficult to estimate correctly. Colour I do not consider should have any weight in a decision at all. A predominance of white has been thought to be best, because it assists the sportsman in detecting the whereabouts of his dogs in high covert ; but as to the colour of the markings on this white ground, why I attach no importance to it whatever, and in support of this opinion I may say we frequently see equally good pointers of different colours. A few years ago the lemon and white were the most fashionable, but for the past year or two the liver and white have been the most successful prize winners. For smartness of appearance in the show ring I consider liver or lemon and white the best colours. There is much that is quite essential in making up a first-class pointer that show-bench beauty — however much it may be admired and valued — does not vouch for the possession of ; consequently, a great deal besides the points of merit as given in my standard, whereby to judge of appearance, has to enter into the calculations of a successful breeder. For instance, a dog may comply with all the conditions there laid down to make him a successful show dog, and yet be a worthless brute for the purposes for which the pointer is bred ; and as these qualities, so necessary to make the dog useful, are transmitted from parents to offspring, it is only reasonable in breeding to exercise the same care to produce what is needed in the dog to make him suited for his work as is employed to obtain the beauty that now graces the pointer classes at our large shows. As much difference exists between pointers in their working capacities as in their appearances, and sportsmen know well enough how to appre- ciate the qualities that make a dog a good performer in the field. Dogs that can successfully run through a big stake at field trials are con- sidered more valuable than those that are able to win many a champion cup on the show bench. And, having knowledge of this fact, I think it becomes me, in writing on this subject, to define that which is of such primary importance to those interested in the breed. The Pointer. 127 First, it is of great importance that pointers should have a good nose to enable them to scent game at a distance, the further off the better, provided they have sufficient discrimination in using it to prevent them false-pointing. The necessity for this quality is so evident that I will not dilate further upon it, simply adding that this subject, nose versus brains, in setting dogs, is full of interest, and one that I should like to discuss with other breeders. Next to this is a natural love of hunting, without which no dog ever attains to any great perfection, and with it many dogs, weak in other points, become, by practice, tolerably useful dogs. Those that frequently require the words of encouragement, " hold up," are very troublesome to break, and when broken often turn out lazy or display a lack of energy that is painful to witness. From their nervousness and want of heart they are unable to use to advantage the other good qualities they may It is a nice, lively, high-spirited, kindly-dispositioned dog that is so much prized — those with plenty of pluck, and yet not headstrong or reckless. Many dogs from their self-will, although possessing other admirable qualities, become very difficult to manage, and nothing but repeated and hard work will keep them under control. Such dogs are never wholly reliable, and this is especially felt when using them in braces . A good dog that is trying to do his best is tempted into doing wrong by the provocation he receives from his reckless companion. Many otherwise good dogs turn out useless because of their defective temper, and, therefore, I think it is an all-important matter to get a good- tempered dog, especially if he is to be trained for sporting purposes, for in his work he has so continually to hold in check his natural instincts that, unless he has a good temper, he is continually forgetting his previous training. As for myself, I have quite decided never again to undertake to train a dog that is thoroughly self-willed. It is, at best, a tiresome under- taking, and, as yet, I have never found it worth the trouble it entails. When a dog of this temperament gets beyond your immediate control, he is often getting into trouble by doing something that is sufficient to annoy you, or else the close attention necessary in working him destroys half the pleasure the sport should afford ; at least, such is my experience. Dogs with a jealous disposition are, I consider, very defective. They are difficult to deal with when using in braces, because they are not to be 128 British Dogs. depended upon as "backers," and, when opportunity serves them, they will take away the other dog's point — a most serious fault. This same failing makes them reckless in their range, and they have the stupid habit of folloiv the leader, instead of taking up an independent beat, and, often from sheer jealousy, commit faults (amongst others, that of " flushing"), not from want of nose, but from giving too much attention to what the other dog is doing, instead of minding their own work. What is most needed in a pointer to make him a good workman is a good nose, plenty of pace, a level sweeping stride, that will enable him to hunt a lot of ground without distressing himself, a natural love of hunting, making him anxious to find game, with sufficient perseverance to make him continue ranging, even where game is scarce ; a lively, kindly, temperament, with plenty of courage without being headstrong, not jealous of a companion, though ever ready to do his share of work, standing correction for a fault without getting sulky or refusing to work, neither sly, shy, nor wilful ; carrying his head well up, never stooping to ground scent ; having sufficient brains to make him clever at getting on to " point " by making the best use of the wind in quartering the ground. When a sportsman has succeeded in breeding or obtaining pointers possessed of the qualities I have enumerated, as necessary for success on the show-bench and in the field, if he takes my advice, he will be very chary in parting with them. The gentlemen that at present possess dogs nearest to my idea of the model pointer are — Messrs. J. H.Whitehouse, Samuel Price, G. Pilkington, E. Lloyd Price, G. Moore, T. Statter, C. H. Mason, Heywood-Lonsdale, W. Arkwright, Barclay Field, R. P. Leeche, Viscount Downe, and Lord Sefton. The brace illustrated, Special and Stella, combine in a marked degree those qualities I have attempted to describe, and which I consider are sine qua non in a first-class pointer. Stella has been decided by competent judges to be one of the best large pointer bitches in England, as evidenced by the fact that some five years ago she won the cup at the Crystal Palace, and then, after a rest of four years, was again shown and won first Palace, first Birmingham, and then took champion cup at Birmingham in 1878, which proves that for the last few years nothing has been produced that can relegate her to a "back seat." She is one of the very few Sancho bitches CJ "*l H ^ pq 4 * i 2 I P S <1 to M < ^ PQ 1 I £ i M O W N c^ ,- w Ij £ ^ 03 -2 si *. t O j, d * H tJ .* P5 §