64 Hounds 



into gracefully-sloping quarters, which in all hounds 

 must be particularly well-developed, so much de- 

 pending upon great strength of loins, combined with 

 muscular development in the region of the first and 

 second thighs, which in the Greyhound are long, but 

 in the Foxhound are of medium length, the second 

 thigh being particularly strong, more especially at 

 the hock joints, which latter ought to be clean, broad, 

 and look directly backwards, neither over bent nor 

 too straight. A hound that has either sickle hocks 

 or cow hocks is no use either for show or for breeding 

 purposes, although both are extremely common 

 defects of conformation. The pasterns of the fore 

 limbs occasionally assume a similar direction, being 

 turned outwards, constituting the so-called " splay " 

 feet. The carriage of the stern varies in the different 

 hounds, and according to whether at repose or work. 

 Regarding the conformation of the head, a passing 

 reference has already been made to this, and there is 

 nothing to add excepting that in some varieties of 

 hounds the skull is flat, or nearly so, as in the Grey- 

 hound, whereas in Bloodhounds and Basset-hounds 

 the occipital bone is high, therefore the so-called 

 " stop " becomes more pronounced in proportion 

 to the height of the dome of the skull. 



