THE FOXHOUND'S FEET 



This over-development of the feet is said to 

 withstand wear and tear better than the more 

 open and natural toot, but seeing that it is an 

 indisputable fact that the hind feet of the standard 

 type hound require less attention in kennel than 

 the fore, the evidence entirely gives away the 

 case for the latter. 



In order to show how breeding for certain points 

 has altered the shape of the hound's fore Hmbs, we 

 will glance briefly at the anatomy of those parts 

 as ordained by nature. 



Beginning with the shoulder, we have the 

 scapula or shoulder blade. The lower end of this 

 connects with the humerus or arm which is 

 situated below it. Next we have the forearm 

 composed of two bones one behind the other, 

 that at the back being known as the ulna, and the 

 one in front as the radius. The forearm connects 

 with the knee, below which is the metacarpus 

 or pastern, which works in conjunction with the 

 basal phalanges or bones of the foot. In the 

 hare or natural foot, these bones are longer than 

 they are in the club-like foot, while the metacarpal 

 or pastern bones also show length, and lie in an 

 oblique direction. Turning from the skeleton to 

 the foot as we see it on the hound, we find that the 

 pad and heel are thin, flat, and not at all fleshy. 

 The toes, being long, secure a good grip of the 

 ground, are closely knit together with little 

 tendency to lateral strain, and they have in 

 addition a certain amount of play and upward 

 extension. With such a foot, the hound's 

 weight is distributed along a lengthy surface, the 

 animal standing squarely on its feet. In as- 

 cending a steep incline or scrambling up rocks, 

 the whole foot comes on the surface, while in 

 descending similar places the foot comes to the 



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