The Irish Wolfhound. 203 



Club, the following statistics of the height and weight 

 of some of the best specimens will perhaps not be 

 without interest : Captain Graham's Brian, figured 

 in " Dogs of the British Isles," stood 30^ inches at 

 the shoulder and weighed I281b. ; Dhulart was 

 31 inches at the shoulder and I261b. weight; Bam- 

 tree, 29! inches and i o i Ib. weight ; Mask, 30^ inches, 

 and io61b. weight ; Tara, 29 inches and about 

 roolb. ; Fintragh, 29! inches and iiolb. weight. 

 Colonel Gamier showed a particularly fine young 

 dog at the Kennel Club's Show at Islington in 1888, 

 which unfortunately died soon after the exhibition. 

 The hound, called Merlin, stood 33 inches at 

 the shoulders, and, though unfurnished, scaled 

 i5olb. He was fawn in colour, and undoubtedly 

 the finest specimen of the race I have seen or has 

 yet appeared at any of our shows. 



It is rather unfortunate that so fine a dog has 

 not attracted popular fancy. Had it done so, there 

 would have been as much a run on the Irish wolf- 

 hound as there has been on other and perhaps less 

 deserving varieties. The club to look after its interests 

 is fairly successful, but there is a sad lack of enterprise 

 amongst the general public. Even the natives of 

 the Emerald Isle themselves have refused to answer 

 the call, and, as a rule, the prizes at Dublin for the 

 national breed of dogs are swept away by the Saxon 



