70 CHARLES R. STOCKARD 



to manage than that involving the Saluki, unless it be those 

 with the Labrador huskies. Both males and females of these 

 breeds which have come under my observation seem slow to 

 recognize the member of another breed as one of their kind, 

 and when a Saluki and a huskie are brought into the same 

 compartment for mating, one usually attacks the other in a 

 vicious fashion before realizing the object of the meeting. 

 To prevent an attack the master must introduce the two 

 animals slowly and with great care until such time as the 

 male has scented the fact that the bitch is in heat and until 

 the bitch has shown that she is properly inclined to accept 

 the male. This hesitation to associate and mate with members 

 of other breeds is not strongly pronounced in most dogs 

 although there is often a slight tendency to mate more will- 

 ingly with individuals of the same breed. This preference, 

 however, is very rarely strong enough to inhibit the acceptance 

 of males of other breeds by a proud bitch or to discourage 

 most males from pursuing any bitch that may be in heat. 



Possibly the tendency towards exclusiveness in the Saluki 

 has aided in maintaining the purity of its type. A factor of 

 equally great importance would seem to have been the prefer- 

 ence of the Arabs and Egyptians for the Saluki as a hunting 

 hound. These people were not disposed to keep or even 

 tolerate deformed and worthless dogs. In addition, the fre- 

 quent scarcity of food and the lack of proper care would 

 probably be contributing factors. This dog is more inde- 

 pendent and a more capable forager than any other of which 

 I know, and such characteristics might save it under adverse 

 conditions sufficient to eliminate many another breed. Whether 

 or not we accept these explanations, the fact still remains 

 that the Saluki has the qualities of the persistent type and 

 has maintained a high degree of purity for long ages. 



Salukis become attached to the master in a very casual 

 way, not with the exaggerated devotion shown by many 

 breeds. Their tendency is to wander long distances from home 

 and to return at irregular intervals. On such trips they hunt 

 and forage for food and when approached by strange persons, 



