350 DEER DOGS OF COLONSAY. 



elegance, and dignity ; all these qualities are possessed by 

 this dog in a very high degree, and all of them (with the 

 exception of the two latter) are called eminently into ex- 

 ertion in pursuit of the game, for which he is so well 

 calculated. Every attempt to improve this race by a cross 

 with any other species has utterly failed. Such has been 

 the result of the attempts made with the bull-dog, the 

 blood-hound, and the Pyrenean wolf-dog ; by the cross 

 with the bull-dog courage was gained, but speed, strength, 

 weight, and that roughness which is necessary for the 

 protection of the feet in a rocky mountainous country, 

 was lost. In the cross with the bloodhound no quality 

 was gained but that of smell, while the speed and size 

 were diminished ; and with the Pyrenean wolf-dog, though 

 weight was in some cases gained, yet this was of no avail, 

 as speed and courage were both lost. 



All these crosses were found totally unfit for the pur- 

 pose of deer coursing, as was effectually proved by the late 

 Glengarry, who made many attempts to perpetuate this 

 sport. Of the cross with the bloodhound was Sir Walter 

 Scott's dog, bred and presented to him by Glengarry. 



The finest, I believe, and apparently the purest speci- 

 mens of the deerhound now to be met with, are those in 

 the possession of Captain M'Neill the younger, of Colonsay, 

 of which he has in particular two dogs, Busker and Bran, 

 and two bitches, Runa and Cavack. 



These dogs, though all more or less related to each 

 other, vary somewhat in colour, two being of a pale 

 yellow, and two of a sandy red ; and vary also in the 

 length and quality of the hair. 



There is one peculiarity common to all, viz. that the 



