174 



THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG. 



and Bateson of Cambusmere ; the last 

 mentioned providing the originals of some 

 of the paintings by Landseer, who con- 

 sidered them the finest Deerhounds he had 

 ever seen. The Marquis of Breadalbane 

 also owned a famous strain on the Black 

 Mount Forest, as did Lord Campbell of 

 Glendarule. The hounds kept at Windsor 

 were usually of splendid type. Three of 

 these, including the magnificent dog Keildar 



grand specimen of his race, strong framed, 

 with plenty of hair of a blue brindle colour. 

 Captain Graham's own dog Keildar, who 

 had been trained for deerstalking in Windsor 

 Park, was perhaps one of the most elegant 

 and aristocratic-looking Deerhounds ever 

 seen. His full height was 30 inches, girth 

 33^- inches, and weight, 95 lbs., his colour 

 bluish fawn, slightly brindled, the muzzle 

 and ears being blue. His nearest competitor 



head OF CH. BLAIR ATHOL 



and his sister Hag, came into the hands of 

 Captain G. A. Graham, of Dursley, who is 

 still one of our greatest authorities on the 

 Deerhound. 



Five - and - twenty years ago Captain 

 Graham drew up a list of the most notable 

 dogs of the last century. Among these 

 were Sir St. George Gore's Gruim (1843-44). 

 Black Bran (1850-51) ; the Marquis of 

 Breadalbane's King of the Forest, said to 

 stand 33 inches high ; Mr. Beasley's Alder 

 (1863-67), bred by Sir John McNeil of 

 Colonsay ; Mr. Donald Cameron's Torrum 

 (1869). and his two sons Monzie and Young 

 Torrum ; and Mr. Dadley's Hector, who 

 was probably the best-bred dog living in 

 the early 'eighties. Torrum, however, ap- 

 pears to have been the most successful of 

 these dogs at stud. He was an exceedingly 



for perfection was, after Hector, probably 

 Mr. Hood Wright's Bevis, a darkish red 

 brown brindle of about 29 inches. Mr. 

 Wright was the breeder of Champion Sel- 

 wood Morven, who was the celebrity of his 

 race about 1897, and who became the 

 property of Mr. Harry Rawson, of Joppa 

 House, Midlothian. This stately dog was a 

 dark heather brindle, standing 32I inches 

 at the shoulder, with a chest girth of 34! 

 inches. 



A few years ago breeders were inclined 

 to mar the beauty of the Deerhound by a 

 too anxious endeavour to obtain great size 

 rather than to preserve the genuine type ; 

 but this error has been sufficiently corrected, 

 with the result that symmetry and elegance 

 conjoined with the desired attributes of 

 speed are not sacrificed. The qualities 



