The Irish Wolfhound. 279 



prey, though perhaps, if brought up to the work and 

 at an early age trained to hunt, they would be able 

 to do as well as any other breed of dog. But it is 

 folly for a young fellow to obtain a hound of any of 

 these varieties — Great Dane, deerhound, or Irish 

 wolfhound — from some of the show kennels, rush 

 him over to the Cape, or into the interior of Africa, 

 and expect him to take as kindly to hunt " the king 

 of the forest " or the leopard as he would to accept- 

 ing a biscuit from the hand of some fair mistress- 

 An Irish wolfhound requires to be properly entered 

 to game just as carefully as do the pointer, setter, 

 and retriever ; and generations passed in kennels or 

 in the drawing-room have no tendency to improve 

 him as a destroyer of wild animals when they come 

 in his way. 



A modern Irish wolfhound is in appearance just a 

 big and rather coarse deerhound, and, previous to 

 giving his description as drawn up by the Wolfhound 

 Club, the following statistics of the height and weight 

 of some of the best specimens will perhaps not be 

 without interest : — Captain G. A. Graham's Brian, 

 figured in " Dogs of the British Isles," stood 30J 

 inches at the shoulder, and weighed ] 281b. ; Dhulart 

 was 31 inches at the shoulder and 1 261b. weight ; 

 Banshee, 29! inches and loilb. weight; Mask, 30;^- 

 inches, and io61b. weight ; Tara, 29 inches and about 



