THE GREAT BREEDERS MR. LUKEY. 177 



"for; the pup's mother was by my Nero, (the dog with a 

 broken leg, since dead) out of my Countess, a fawn, broad 

 11 chested bitch, rather heavy, and her father was Bruce. 

 " Nero's mother was got by the Marquis of Hertford's Pluto, 

 " a better bred or larger dog I have never seen, or one 

 " showing more character ; he was so great a favourite with 

 "the Marquis that lie always travelled with him, and was 

 " shot by the Arch Duke John of Austria's keeper, a strong 

 " but certainly not rough coated one, the pup himself was 

 " got by my Young Bruce, town brother to the dog you had).' 

 Signed T. H. Y. Lukey. To J. W. Thompson. 



1 may point out that Nero, (the broken legged dog) whose 

 grandsire was Pluto, as Mr. Lukey states in this letter, was 

 full brother and same litter as Bruce ist. by Couchez, and 

 alter reading this letter I wrote to Mr. Lukey for a correct 

 version ; he replied June 23rd, 1673 : " ^ v Dear Sir. Countess 

 " cost 40, bought of White of Knightsbridge, she had only 

 " two bitch puppies by Pluto : 1 sold Countess back to White 

 " for ^40, and he sent her into Scotland for the purpose of 

 " giving height and power to the degenerated Scotch deer- 

 -hound. It was the old Duke of Gordon's nephew who 

 " bought her." Signed T. H. Y. Lukey. 



I wrote to Mr. Lukey again on the subject, and his reply 

 dated 28th June, 1873: -My Dear Sir, Yarrow was from 

 Countess, by Pluto, Bruce ist. by Couchez, out of Yarrow. 

 - he was at that time the property of George White, who sold 

 him to Capt. Waldegrave, at whose death he came into 

 possession of his brother, the Earl, who married his brother's 

 * widow, the daughter of Braham, the singer. Bruce 2nd 

 was In him, out of a bitch bred from Yarrow, by a brindle 



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