38 British Dogs. 



means to restore to us that most noble of the canine race the Irish 

 wolfhound. 



Since the foregoing was written by Capt. Graham the subject of the 

 Irish wolfhound has been occasionally before the public both in this 

 country and in America, but no new and authenticated facts have, so 

 far as we are aware, been elicited in the discussion, and, unless we 

 accept statements unsupported by evidence, we are left in the position 

 that although there are dogs unquestionably possessing some of original 

 Irish wolfhound blood, none are known to exist of absolutely pure pedigree. 



In March, 1878, a sketch of a supposed scion of this race appeared in 

 " The Country " newspaper of New York, followed by a fair resume of his- 

 torical notices of the breed. A month following a letter appeared in the 

 same journal from Mr. Frank Adcock, of Shevington Hall, Wigan, in 

 which he says, " It may interest your readers to know that this dog 

 (the Irish wolfhound) is still in existence and exhibits all the various at- 

 tributes ascribed to him by ancient writers. Those that I possess are 

 blackish grey and grizzled in colour, with stiff wiry coats. In shape they 

 resemble the great Scotch deerhound, but are somewhat more stoutly 

 made, and very much superior in size and courage, the head also, although 

 as long, is more massive and punishing in character, and the sense of 

 smell is marvellously acute." 



We, through the same medium, expressed our surprise at Mr. Adcock's 

 statement that the pure breed existed and were in that gentleman's pos- 

 session, knowing him to be an exhibitor of rare breeds, and yet that he 

 kept such an interesting fact from his countrymen, and had given them no 

 opportunity of seeing, even at a Kennel Club Show, one specimen of this 

 rarity, and suggested that he should substantiate a statement which had 

 astonished more than ourselves. Unfortunately, the American ' ' Country ' ' 

 is now more extinct than the Irish wolfhound, but in its last issue appeared 

 a letter from Mr. Adcock, in response, we presume, to an editorial article on 

 the subject, in which occurs the following sentence : " It certainly seems 

 strange that the first intimation of it (the existence of the breed) should have 

 been published in our columns, but we have no complaint to make on that 

 score, if Mr. Adcock will make his claim good by proving that he really 

 owns, as he has stated, more than one of the original breed." The 

 letter from Mr. Adcock, however, is headed "Wolfhounds," says a 

 good deal about Spain and the Pyrenees wolf dogs, and distinctly adds, 



