146 THE AMERICAN BOOK OF THE DOG. 



The Gauls coursed with Greyhounds both the smooth 

 and rough coated varieties for the pleasure and excite- 

 ment of the chase. The oldest coursing club we have any 

 record of was that founded by Lord Orford, at Norfolk, in 

 1776. At the present day, there are a large number in 

 England alone. The natives of Sahara (Northern Africa) 

 have great love and admiration for the Greyhound. No 

 matter how useful other breeds may be in watching, hunt- 

 ing, etc., they are looked upon as comparatively worth- 

 less, troublesome, and deserving of the great amount of 

 abuse usually heaped upon them; while the rich regard the 

 Greyhounds as fit companions for their pastimes, and to the 

 poor they prove bread, or rather meat, winners; therefore, 

 neither class begrudge them the best of care and attention. 

 Herds of goats are often kept to feed the Hounds, and 

 instances are recorded of women themselves having nursed 

 the whelps of a particularly promising litter. 



Sir Walter Scott was a great admirer of dogs, and was 

 especially fond of the Greyhound. His famous dog, Maida, 

 was presented to him by the Chief of Glengarry. It is 

 said that this dog could eat from his master's table stand- 

 ing flat-footed. He was said to be the finest specimen of the 

 breed in Scotland, not only on account of his symmetry of 

 form, but also on account of his extraordinary size and 

 strength. He had a cross of Staghound in him. Scott's 

 poem to Bonny Heck, a celebrated Greyhound, will live as 

 long as the memory of Scott itself. Kings, and noblemen 

 of all ranks, in all ages, have loved and fostered the Grey- 

 hound, and, have honored him with a place in their homes 

 and by their firesides. 



By his respect for decency, his cleanliness, and his dig- 

 nified aspect, the Greyhound sustains the exalted position 

 he occupies; and the daintiness with which he handles 

 coarse or unclean food proclaims him the aristocrat of all 

 canines. He is full of self-love and vanity, rivaling the 

 peacock in these qualities. He is much more affectionate 

 than he generally gets credit for being, and there are few 

 passions felt by man that he does not share. Nor is he 



