148 THE AMERICAN BOOK OF THE DOG. 



erally, in the West, upon large game. Of course, scent is 

 not as well developed in the Greyhound as in other breeds, 

 because the uses to which he is put do not require scent, 

 and, under the law of evolution, it has deteriorated as a 

 natural consequence. Unrivaled in speed and endurance, 

 these qualities have been developed and bred for, while 

 the olfactory organs have been neglected, necessarily, by 

 restricting the work of the dog to sight-hunting. 



Size and external form are of the greatest importance. 

 Yet the fact that they can and do run in various sizes and 

 forms is, nevertheless, generally apparent. These cases, of 

 course, are the exception, and in making selection of stud 

 dogs, or brood bitches, it should be remembered that those 

 formed in the mold most like the greatest number of win- 

 ners, will be the speediest. 



For open coursing on rabbits, I prefer a dog of medium 

 size, say fifty-five pounds, because, being nimble in turning, 

 he is enabled to work close to the game, and to rapidly run 

 up a large score of points, when once placed, that a larger, 

 more unwieldy, and longer-coupled dog, that necessarily 

 runs wide at the turns, can not wipe out, unless placed 

 repeatedly. For general use, on the Western plains, the 

 larger and stronger the dog the better; for, by his immense 

 powers of endurance, hardihood, and strength, he brings 

 the larger game to bay, and either holds, kills, or harasses 

 it until the arrival of his master. 



My old Snowflight, standing thirty inches at shoulder, 

 weighing one hundred pounds, measuring sixty -five inches 

 from tip to tip, the hero of many a hard-fought battle on 

 the Plains and in the Rockies, also winner of numerous 

 coursing matches, and first prizes on the bench, was the 

 typical dog for this purpose. The smaller dogs would 

 stand but little show against the sharp hoofs and pointed 

 antlers of the mule deer and buck antelope, to say noth- 

 ing of the glistening ivories of the gray timber- wolf, who 

 is a most formidable antagonist when run down to a death 

 finish. 



For an inclosed coursing meeting, similar to those held 



