86 British Dogs. 



surmounting. He is, therefore, not so often used there as for smaller 

 coverts, where his voice can throughout the hunt be heard, and thereby 

 direct the shooters which post of vantage to take. 



" As regards the coats of bassets a jambes torses, there are both rough, 

 half -rough, and smooth-coated specimens ; but the two latter predominate 

 greatly. In fact, I have but rarely seen very rough bassets d jambes 

 torses. I saw three once, in the Ardennes. They were very big hounds 

 for bassets, and were used chiefly to drive wolves, roebuck, and wild 

 boars. They were d poll dur with a vengeance, and, when * riled,' 

 their backs were up like bristles. Of course in these matters, the 

 chasseurs breed their hounds accordingly to the ground they have to hunt 

 over, and, accordingly, it will be found that in provinces of comparatively 

 easy coverts, such as vineyards, small woods, furze fields, &c., smooth- 

 coated or half -rough-coated bassets are in universal demand, In Brittany, 

 Vendee, Alsace, Lorraine, Luxemburg, on the contrary, wherever the 

 coverts are extensive and very rough, rougher-coated hounds are used; 

 but poil durs are scarce, as far as diminutive hounds are concerned. 



' ' Bassets d jambes demi-torses are simply crosses between bassets d 

 jambes demi-torses and bassets d jambes droites. They are usually bigger 

 than the former and smaller than the latter, although it must be borne in 

 mind that there are several varieties of bassets d jambes droites, quite as 

 small as the smallest with crooked legs. In short there are so many 

 subdivisions in each breed that any classification must necessarily be 

 general. 



' ' The advantages claimed by the owners of bassets d jambes demi- 

 torses are these : 1st, these hounds are almost as sure- nosed 

 as the full-crooked breeds ; 2nd, they run faster, and yet not fast enough 

 to spoil shooting ; 3rd, in a wood with moderate ditches, being bigger in 

 body and higher on the leg than the full-crooked beagles, they can clear 

 the ditches at a bound, whereas the full-mm&es torses has to go down into 

 them, and scramble up on the other side. In points they are pretty much 

 like their congeners, but already the cross tells. The lips are shorter, the 

 muzzle not so stout in proportion to general size ; the ears are much 

 shorter, the skull is less conical, the occiput being not so pronounced, 

 the body is not so long, the stern is carried more horizontally, the feet are 

 rounder, the wrinkles in the face are fewer, the eye is smaller, and the coat, 

 as a rule, is coarser ; the increase in size is also great. I have seen such 



