252 THE RED DEER OF EXMOOR. 



" The bloodhound and the old Southern hound 

 were, beyond doubt, amongst the ancestors of the 

 pack which, when sold, consisted of about thirty 

 couple. In height the hounds were about 26 to 

 28 inches ; colour generally hare-pied, with long 

 ears, deep muzzles, large throats, and deep chests. 

 In tongue they were perfect, and when hunting in 

 the water, or on a half scent, or when baying a deer 

 they might be heard at an immense distance. Even 

 when running at speed they always gave plenty of 

 tongue, and their great size enabled them to cross 

 the long heather and rough, sedgy pasturage of the 

 forest without effort or difficulty." 



Such is the only detailed, written description of 

 them which, so far as the writer knows, is extant. 



The great difficulty at first sight is the size : 26 

 to 28 inches is a standard which hardly seems 

 credible, though it would be rash to say what could 

 not be done by two hundred years' careful breeding. 

 The very few people who actually remembered the 

 old pack, with whom the writer has talked, had no 

 very clear recollection on the subject, but from their 

 accounts the hounds seem to have been undoubtedly 

 bigger and longer-bodied than the modern pack ; 

 this is fully borne out by the picture of two hounds 

 of the old pack in the possession of Dr. John 

 Collyns, of Dulverton. 



The phrase Southern hound is used in such an 

 indefinite way by many writers that too much 

 reliance should not be placed on Dr. Collyns's 



