THE RUSSIAN WOLFHOUND, OR BARZOI. 263 



plainly requisite that it be flat. A rough or shaggy coat is 

 evidently incongruous. The same as to head. The dog 

 belongs to the Greyhound family, and must have a long, 

 clean, narrow head; great strength and arch of loin; depth 

 and capacity of chest; firmness of feet; muscle in the fore- 

 arm and hind quarters; length and carriage of tail. Well- 

 bent hocks and an absence of all useless lumber are plainly 

 requirements of the breed. 



As to the history of this breed, there seems to be no 

 authentic records. "The Book of the Dog," by Yero 

 Shaw, is the first work in English that mentions them. 

 Their uses seem to be in general those of the Greyhound. 

 Mr. Rosseau was disposed to resent the application of the 

 name of "Wolfhound" to them, saying that they were used 

 for coursing hares and chasing foxes, and were in no sense 

 wolf -hounds. However, the industry of Mr. F. Freeman 

 Lloyd disinterred pictures of the breed showing them in 

 combat with a wolf, with the wolf at bay, a huntsman 

 astride of it, holding it by the ears while an assistant cut 

 its throat. 



This acrobatic performance was so hard to swallow that 

 it raised a storm of criticism, which resulted in bringing 

 out evidence that the feat was actually practiced; It seems 

 probable that in the more settled districts of Russia, where 

 wolves are extinct, the dog is used for coursing hares only; 

 while in the wilder districts, where wolves are still to be 

 found, these dogs are used for hunting them. Certainly it 

 would indicate a lack of judgment on the part of the Rus- 

 sians if they did not use a breed so peculiarly fitted for 

 wolf -hunting in that sport; this dog having the speed, 

 power, and courage for the task. As confirmatory of the 

 opinion that they are so used, I note the report of a cours- 

 ing-match near St. Petersburg, given in the Fancier's 

 Gazette, of London, in December, 1889, wherein it is stated 

 that after coursing hares for some time, the gameness of 

 the dogs was tried on wolves, with the result that a single 

 bitch chased, caught, and threw a dog wolf; and, with all 

 due respect for the cracks among Greyhounds and Deer- 



