1 6 British Dogs. 



outlined in this description is seen in perfection in the greyhound. 

 To some it may sound contradictory to speak in one sentence of elegance 

 and beauty of form, and in the next of a tucked-up flank ; and fox- 

 terrier and mastiff men, who want their favourites well ribbed back, 

 with deep loin and flanks well filled, to make a form as square as a 

 prize shorthorn, may object, but we must remember that beauty largely 

 consists in fitness and aptitude for the uses designed and the position to 

 be filled. 



This being so, in estimating the greyhound's claim to be the hand- 

 somest of the canine race, we must remember for what his various ex- 

 cellences, resulting in a whole which is so strikingly elegant, is designed. 

 Speed is the first and greatest quality a dog of this breed can possess ; to 

 make a perfect dog there are other attributes he must not be deficient in, 

 but wanting in pace he can never hope to excel. The most superficial 

 knowledge of coursing or coursing literature will show this, and it is a 

 quality which, although developed to its present high pitch, has always 

 been recognised as most important. Chaucer says, 



Greihotmds he hadde as swift as fowl of flight, 



And again following the example of the immortal scoundrel Wegg to 

 drop into poetry, Sir Walter Scott, in his introduction to " Marmion," 

 thus eulogises the speed of the greyhound : 



Remember'st thou my greyhounds true ? 

 O'er holt or hill there never flew, 

 From leash or slip there never sprang, 

 More fleet of foot, more sure of fang. 



Well does he deserve the encomium of Markham, who declares he is, " of 

 all dogs whatsoever the most princely, strong, nimble, swift, and 

 valient." 



In addition to speed, the dog must have strength to last out a severe 

 course, nimbleness in turning, the capacity to catch and bear the hare in 

 his stride, good killing powers, and vital force to give him dash, staunch- 

 ness, and endurance. What a dog possessing these qualities should be 

 like, I shall, by the assistance of the keenest and most experienced 

 observers and writers on the subject, endeavour to show ; and whilst 

 gladly sitting at the feet of modern Gamaliels, not slighting the wisdom of 

 the past, but offering gleanings from the works of old, that may prove 



