262 



DOGS. (GREYHOUND, DOG-EUNNING.) 



Greyhound. The head of the greyhound 

 should be large between the ears, and, in a 

 dog from twenty-five inches to twenty-six 

 inches high, should measure at least fourteen 

 and a half inches in circumference midway be- 

 tween the eyes and ears. This point is one 

 that is not usually insisted on, many coursers 

 preferring the narrow and elegant head, which 

 will easily allow the neck-strap to slip over it. 

 The jaw can hardly be too lean, but the mus- 

 cle should be full, and there should be little or 

 no development of the nasal sinuses. The eye 

 should be full and bright, giving the idea of 

 high spirit and animation. The minor points 

 are these : 



There is a very great variety of ears in the different 

 breeds, from the large up-standing ones of the heath- 

 erjock variety to the small and elegantly falling ones 

 of most of our modern greyhounds. The bitch has 

 always a neater and more compact head than her 

 brother, and there is generally a livelier look about 

 the eye; but, though the head is smaller, it is still in 

 the same relative proportion to the whole body, which 

 is more neat and elegant also. The neck is compared 

 to that of the drake ; it is certainly not so long or as 

 round, but sometimes approaches very nearly to it. 

 This form will enable the greyhound to seize his game 

 while in full stride without losing his balance, but 

 there are many good killers with snort necks. With 

 regard to the chest, there are two things to be con- 

 sidered : capacity for the lodgment of the lungs and 

 heart, and the attainment of that form most conducive 

 to speed and working. It must not be too deep, or 

 the animal is constantly striking it against obstacles ; 

 it must not be too wide, or the shoulders are unable 

 to play smoothly upon it. A just relation between 

 these counterbalancing essentials is, therefore, the 

 best form. The shoulders must be so formed as to 

 thrust the fore-legs well forward, and to do this the 

 shoulder-blade must be as oblique as possible. The 

 reason for this is that its muscles may be able to ex- 

 ert their full power upon the arm in bringing it into 

 a straight line with the axis of the shoulder-blade. 

 This alone is a great advantage ; but, by the greater 

 angle that it forms with the arm, it also enables the 

 greyhound to bear the shock of a fall upon his legs in 

 coming down from a leap without injury, which is 

 another most important feature. An oblique shoulder 

 is li kewise usually accompanied by a longer true-arm, 

 because the point of the shoulder must be raised 

 higher from the elbow to allow of the obliquity, and 

 in proportion to the increased length will the fore-foot 

 be extended forward ; thus this form gives longer 

 levers with greater power of leverage, and more space 

 for the lodgment of muscles. From careful measure- 

 ment of various well-formed legs, it is thought that 

 from the elbow to the knee ought to be at least twice 

 the length from the same point to the ground. In 

 this measurement the dog would be standing on a 

 level surface, with his weight bearing upon both legs, 

 and the measure should be taken in this way, and not 

 from the base of the two middle nails, because in the 

 stride the action is from the ball of the foot, and not 

 from the end of the toes. In variously formed feet 

 tin -re is a difference of nearly an inch less than an- 

 other with long toes ; which latter would, neverthe- 

 i ncasure from his toe-nails to his knee nearly an 

 inch more than the former. In order to unite' the 

 hind and fore quarters, and to assist in fixing the pel- 

 vis from which the muscles composing the haunch 

 take their fulcrum, a good back is required, and, when 

 Of a good form, it has been compared to a beam. The 

 back is composed of a scries of vertebrae, having ribs 

 attached to the sides of the first thirteen, but, in those 

 of the loins, depending alone upon the hip-bones and 

 lateral processes for the lodgment and attachment of 

 muscles. It must be self-evident that every additional 



inch in length of back increases" the stride by that 

 amount exactly; and, therefore, if prolonged indefi- 

 nitely, it would be advantageous, till counterbalanced 

 by the disadvantages inseparably connected with this 

 form, in consequence of the diminished strength. The 

 length of back should, therefore, be looked for be- 

 tween the neck and the last rib, rather than between 

 the last rib and the hip-bone. The back ribs should 

 be well spread and deep ; for, unless they are in this 

 form, a sufficient attachment can not be afforded to 

 the muscles of the loins, which constitute the chief 

 moving-power in drawing the hind-legs forward, and 

 fixing the pelvis. The loins must, therefore, be broad, 

 strong, and deep, and the measure of their strength 

 must be circular. Breadth alone will not do, since 

 the lower muscles require to be well developed as well 

 as the upper, but a good measurement round the loin 

 is a good test of power in that quarter. These are of 

 more importance than the fore-quarters, and are com- 

 posed of three separate divisions, varying greatly in 

 total and comparative length in different individuals. 

 These three divisions are : the true thigh, between 

 the hip and stifle joints ; the false or lower thigh, an- 

 swering to the leg of a man, and situated between the 

 stifle and hock; and, lastly, the leg, between the 

 hock and foot. The first two of these divisions should 

 be nearly equal in length, and, in most well-propor- 

 tioned greyhounds, are each about one fifth longer 

 than the lower arm ; while the leg, from the hock to 

 the grgund, should bear about the same relation to 

 each of the thigh-bones as the fore-pastern does to 

 the arm that is to say, it should be about one half, 

 generally rather more than less. Many good grey- 

 hounds vary much in these proportions ; and the 

 stifle-joint is often placed far from midway between 

 the hip-joint and the hock. With a greyhound thus 

 formed, having both the upper and lower thigh-bone 

 one fifth longer than the lower arm, with the hock 

 also placed a little above the level of the knee, and 

 the top of the shoulder-blade only the length of the 

 thigh-bone above the elbow, it follows either that the 

 top of the hind-quarter will be considerably higher 

 than the fore, or that the hind-legs will be bent at the 

 hock and stifle-joint considerably out of the straight 

 line. Either of these forms is conducive to speed ; 

 but the latter is the more elegant, and also appears to 

 be the best calculated for preserving the equilibrium 

 in the turn. If the hind-legs are straight, and yet 

 the back is level, the fore-legs must be long, or else 

 there can scarcely be sufficient speed. This form is, 

 however, inferior to the bent hind-legs and corre- 

 spondingly short anterior extremities. The type of 

 the best formation is seen in the hare, in which there 

 is a still greater disproportion, and, as the greyhound 

 has to cope with her in speed and working, he must, 

 to a certain extent, be formed upon the same model, 

 and so he really is. The feet of the greyhound are 

 met with in two varying but usei'ul forms, the cat-like 

 and the hare-foot. In the former they are round and 

 close, with upstanding knuckles, and by many are 

 much preferred. Such toes are, however, likely to 

 " break down " ; and, for use, the hare-foot, longer 

 and flatter, is by many coursers preferred. In any 

 case, a flat, open foot is to be discarded.^ The tail 

 should be fine, and nicely curved ; but this point is 

 only to be looked at as a mark of good breed. The 

 colors preferred are black and red, or fawn, with 

 black muzzles. Black-tan is very rarely seen, but al- 

 most every other color is occasionally met with. White 

 greyhounds are by many dislikedj being considered 

 delicate, but I do not know that this objection is well 

 founded. The brindled color is supposed, without 

 reason, to be a mark of the bull-dog cross. 



The greyhound proper is used in England to 

 a great extent for public and private coursing 

 matches, a sport little if at all known in this 

 country. 



Dog-running. A great sport in England, es- 

 pecially among the middle and poorer classes, 



