CHAPTER XXII 

 THE BASSET-HOUND 



SINCE the time of the gentleman who at one time wrote over the 

 nom de guerre of " Snapshot," and who is better known to the 

 present generation of doggy men as " Wildfowler," the Basset-hound 

 has, in this country, attained to very considerable numerical strength. 

 The fact that Mr. Everett Millais, when acting as judge at the show 

 held at the * Royal Aquarium, Westminster, in 1886, had 120 entries 

 to deal with, shows that admirers of the breed have not been 

 wanting ; and that exhibition was in strong contrast to the time 

 not more than ten years before when Lord Onslow and Mr. 

 Everett Millais were the only exhibitors of these crook-legged, slow 

 hounds, and had to show them in the omnium gatherum class, which 

 may be described as the show committee's finest-mesh net, that 

 secures all the fish and finance that escape the regulation nets. 



Though it will be necessary to take a closer view of the Basset 

 in England since his introduction into this country, yet the following 

 remarks, contributed by " Wildfowler " to the original edition of 

 this work, are so interesting that they merit reproduction. 



" Snapshot " was a frequent contributor, under that signature, 

 to the Country^ and was also well known as " Wildfowler " of the 

 Field ; he was the author of numerous canine articles and works, 

 including "General Sport at Home and Abroad," "Modern Wild- 

 fowling," etc. His experience with Continental sporting dogs was 

 considerable, which gives weight and value to his article on Bassets. 

 He says : 



" Any hound which stands lower than i6in. (no matter his 

 ' provincial ' breed) is called in France and in Belgium a Basset. 

 The derivation of the expression Basset is clear : bas means low ; 

 and, therefore, Basset means low set, a very appropriate denomina- 

 tion as applied to these diminutive hounds. 



The vast army of French and Belgian Bassets may be divided 

 into three grand classes viz. Bassets a jarnbes droites (straight- 

 legged), ditto a jambe* demi-torses (with fore legs half crooked), and 



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