The Bloodhound. 31 



The late Mr. J. H. Walsh (" Stonehenge "), in a 

 previous edition of this book, appears to have ob- 

 tained a prejudice against the temperament and 

 character of the bloodhound, formed evidently by a 

 very savage and determined dog of Grantly 

 Berkeley's, called Druid. Whether modern dog 

 shows have been the means of improving this hound's 

 temper, and making him as amiable and devoted a 

 friend as any other dog, I cannot tell ; but, that he 

 is so, no one who has ever kept the variety will doubt. 

 Bring a bloodhound up in the house or stable and 

 use him as a companion, and he will requite you for 

 your trouble. He is gentle and kind, less addicted 

 to fighting than many other big dogs ; he is sen- 

 sible, cleanly, of noble aspect, and in demeanour 

 the aristocrat of hounds. 



Of course, there are ill-conditioned dogs of every 

 variety, but the average bloodhound will develop 

 into as good a companion as any other of his race ; 

 he may be shy at first, but kindness will improve 

 him in this respect. In hunting, he is slower than 

 the foxhound, but more painstaking than are the 

 members of the fashionable pack. He dwells on the 

 quest a long time, seemingly enjoying the peculiar 

 sensation he may derive through his olfactory 

 organs, and will cast well on his own account. 

 The latter, a faculty that ought not to be lost, 



