12 Modern Dogs. 



favourably with any hounds of the kind that lived 

 fifty, a hundred, or more years ago. 



Readers will no doubt be aware that, about 1889 

 and a little earlier, considerable commotion had 

 been caused in the metropolis by the perpetra- 

 tion of some terrible crimes. The police arrange- 

 ments were quite futile, and the murderers still 

 remain at large. The attention of the authorities 

 was drawn to the fact, that bloodhounds might be 

 of use to them in such a case. Mr. Hood Wright 

 offered the loan of his hound Hector, but, owing to 

 the fact that he required some indemnity in case his 

 dog was killed or injured, Hector remained at home. 



Mr. E. Brough was then communicated with, and 

 he brought from Scarborough to London a couple of 

 his hounds, when they had several " rehearsals " in 

 St. James's Park, where they acquitted themselves 

 to the satisfaction of the Chief Commissioner of 

 Police ; but it may be said, that, though repeatedly 

 the line of scent was crossed by a strange foot, 

 without throwing off the hound, when the same was 

 done in the streets and on the pavement hounds 

 were quite at fault. Indeed, to be useful in tracking 

 criminals in a town very special training would be 

 needed, and, personally, I believe that bloodhounds, 

 even with that training, would be useless in our 

 large centres for police purposes. 



