LURCHER.—Canis familiaris. 
permits it to pare its prey at a distance, and its very great speed enables it to pounce 
upon the hare or rabbit before it can shelter itself in the accustomed place of refuge. As 
soon as the Lurcher has caught its prey it brings it to its master, deposits it in his hands, 
and silently renews its search after another victim. Even pheasants and partridges are 
often caught by this crafty and agile animal. 
Sometimes the game-destroying instincts of the Lurcher take a wrong turn, and lead 
the animal to hunt sheep, instead of confining itself to ordinary game. When it becomes 
thus perverted it is a most dangerous foe to the flocks, and commits sad havoc among 
them. One farmer, living in Cornwall, lost no less than fifteen sheep in one mouth, all of 
which were killed by Lurchers. 
There are many breeds of the Lurcher, on account of the various Dogs of which the 
parentage is formed. The greyhound and sheep-dog are the original progenitors, but their 
offspring is crossed with various other Dogs, in order to obtain the desired qualifications. 
Thus, the greyhound is used on account of its speedy foot and silent tongue, and the 
sheep-dog on account of its hardiness, its sagacity, and its readiness in obeying its master. 
The spaniel is often made to take part in the pedigree, in order to give its ‘well-known 
predilection for questing game, and the hound is employed for a similar purpose. But in 
all these crossings the ereyhound must morally predonunate, although its form is barely 
to be traced under the rough lineaments of the Lurcher. 
As the Lurcher causes such suspicion in the minds of the gamekeeper or the landlord, 
the owners of these Dogs were accustomed to cut off their tails, in order to make them 
look like honourable sheep- dogs, and so to escape the tax which presses upon sporting 
Dogs, and to elude the suspicious glance of the game-preserving landlord and his emis- 
saries. So swift is this animal that it has been frequently used for the purpose of coursing 
the hare, and is said to perform this task to the satisfaction of its owner. It can also be 
entrusted with the guardianship of the house, and watches over the property committed 
to its charge with vigilance and fidelity. Or it can take upon itself that character in 
reality which its cropped tail too often falsely indicates, and can watch a fold, keep the 
sheep in order, or conduct them from one place to another, nearly if not quite as well as 
the true sheep-dog from which it sprang. 
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