26 THE GREYHOUND. 



in judging of it ; the colour varies with that of the coat, 

 as in all breeds. I have only met with one instance of 

 wall-eye, or china-eye, such as is so common in the peculiar 

 dappled grizzle-coloured Colleys, and that was in a pure 

 bred and very handsome dog with light blue briiidle 

 markings; it is certainly a disfigurement, but in no way 

 interferes with the dog's vision. 



Of the ears Arrian writes : " They should be large and 

 soft, so as to appear broken; but it is no bad indication 

 if they appear erect, provided they are not small and stiff. " 

 This description would not be accepted as satisfactory now, 

 as ears are preferred small and free from all coarseness. 

 Neither does Markham's "a sharp ear, short, and close- 

 falling," quite convey the modern idea of a Greyhound's 

 ear; it should be soft, fine in leather, and folded, with 

 the shoulder of the ear strong enough to carry the whole 

 up when the dog is excited or his attention fixed. 



The neck is the next point, and it is one of very great 

 importance ; it must be long, strong, well-clothed with 

 muscle, yet withal light, airy, and possessing wonderful 

 flexibility and suppleness. Arrian says: "The neck should 

 be long, round, and flexible, so that if you forcibly draw 

 the dogs backwards by their collars it may seem to be 

 broken from its flexibility and softness." The neck is 

 certainly wonderfully pliant, and readily bent to either 

 side at will. Our Eoyal writer says : "The neck should 

 be grete and longe, and bowed as a swanne's neck"; 

 Markham : " A long neck, a little bending, with a loose, 

 hanging wezand." The last point is not correct, and 

 might convey the idea that there was a looseness of skin 

 underneath : the windpipe, although easily felt, does not 



