CHAPTER \M I I . 



THE DEERHOUND. 



Failing any further information on the subject 

 than we at present possess, it will always be a moot 

 point whether the hounds used for Queen Elizabeth's 

 delectation at Cowdray Park, in 1595, that "pulled 

 down sixteen bucks in a laund," were ordinary 

 greyhounds or Scottish deerhounds. The latter 

 were likely enough to be fashionable animals at the 

 close of the sixteenth century, for they had already 

 been described by Hector Boece, in his History of 

 Scotland, printed in France 1526-7, which by royal 

 command was translated into English in 1531. 

 Thirty years later, Gesner, in his '' General History 

 of Quadrupeds," gives an illustration of three 

 " Scottish dogs," one of them answering to our 

 modern deerhound in general appearance. The 

 drawing for this was supplied by Henry St. Clair. 

 Dean of Glasgow at that time, whose family kept 

 the breed for very many years, an interesting story 

 in connection therewith being told on another page. 



