Afghan Greyhotind. 33 



The Sliighi, or Gazelle- Hound, is one of the oldest 

 ^ ' breeds of Do<?8, being represented (under the name 

 of Zelughi) in the frescoes on the tombs of Beui- Hasan, in the valley 

 of the Nile, Egypt (fig. 17). A copy of one of these paintings is shown 

 in the wall-case on the north side of the Hall. The true Sluglii is 

 kept by the tribes of the Eastern deserts, the finest strain being in the 

 possession of the Bedouin chiefs. The breed is also known as the 

 Syrian or Persian Greyhound, although short-haired Dogs are likewise 

 included under the former name. These Dogs are used for 

 hunting gazelles, hares, etc. ; often with the assistance of falcons, 

 which fly at the head of the quany. They are bred to match the 

 desert sand in colour, their tint ranging from rufous fawn to dirty 

 white. In the collection the Slughi is represented by ' Luman ' 

 (fig. 18, a), who died in 1907 at tiie age of Hi years. This Dog was 

 imported as a puppy from the chief of the Tahawi tribe. Lower 

 Egypt. In its prime it had bright golden-yellow hair, passing into 

 deep cream-colour on the face, limbs, under-parts, and the middle 

 of the tail. At the time of its death the face had, however, turned 

 white, and the ears had lost much of their fringe of long hair. The 

 specimen was presented by the Hon. Florence Amherst in 1907. 



The Afghan Greyhound not improbably represents 

 f^ 1. ^ very nearly the primitive ancestral type from which 

 Ureynouna. mojei.^ Borzois, Deerhounds, and Greyhounds are 

 descended. The breed is native to Balk, in North-eastern Afghan- 

 istan, and belongs to the Sirdars of the Barakhzy family. These 

 Dogs hunt in couples — male and female— and are of high courage. 

 ' Shahzada,' the Dog exhibited (fig. 18, b), was the most typical specimen 

 of the breed in his time in Europe ; and as these Dogs are owned by 

 native chiefs, it is difficult to secure good examples. ' Shahzada ' 

 was a fine, upstanding hound, reddish-fawn — almost wheaten — in 

 colour. The body is covered with a profusion of soft, golden-coloured 

 hair extending over the ears, shoulders, and half-way down the legs, 

 the lower half of the latter being bare of long hair although the toes 

 are heavily feathered. ' Zardin,' another famous Dog of this breed, 

 of which a picture is exhibited, differs in carrying a greater pro- 

 fusion of coat, and in being creamy rather than golden or reddish 

 fawn in colour, the long hair extending down the legs. ' Zardin ' 

 also has a tuft of hair on the head, which is otherwise smooth, as in 

 ' Shahzada.' He stood at least 26 inches at the shoulder ; and was 

 brought from Seistan, in Eastern Persia, to Quetta, where he was 

 shown before being imported to England. Nothing is known about 



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