The Borzoi or Russian Wolfhound. 293 



and he expects everything to be In readiness for a 

 hunt in ten minutes from the time he sends his 

 orders. 



'' In the kennels above described can be seen 

 perhaps the finest pack of wolfhounds in the 

 world, numbering twenty-two couples. They form 

 a magnificent collection, their owner having spared 

 no expense in getting the best to be found in 

 Russia, and of the oldest blood. Some of them 

 have cost ;^3oo each ; and the estimated worth 

 of the pack is considerably over ;^5ooo. 



" A perfect wolfhound must run up to a wolf, 

 collar him by the neck just under the ear, and, with 

 the two animals rolling over, the hound must never 

 lose his hold, or the wolf would turn round and 

 snap him through the leg. Three of these hounds 

 hold the biggest wolf powerless ; so that the men 

 can dismount from their horses and muzzle the wolf 

 to take him alive. 



" The biggest Scotch deerhounds have been tried, 

 but found wanting ; they will not hold long enough. 

 And to show how tenacious is the grip of the Russian 

 hounds, they are sometimes suffocated by the very 

 effort of holding. Some of them stand 32in at the 

 shoulder, are enormously deep through the girth, 

 and their length and power of jaw are something 

 remarkable. They have a roach back, very long, 



