202 Hounds 



hunted by the Duke of Buecleuch's and the Berwick- 

 shire Foxhounds, thus proving that the Basset is not, 

 from a sportsman's point of view, at anyrate so 

 far as the British is concerned, of any particular 

 utiHty; in fact it never has been used to any extent 

 excepting for companionship. For the last-named 

 purpose it would be difficult to find an animal more 

 suitable, its sweet temperament and lovable dis- 

 position rendering it second to no other canine 

 companion. 



The Basset-hound Club was founded in 1883 and 

 established a Stud Book, in which the best specimens 

 have subsequently been registered. 



The smooth-coated Basset has always been in 

 greater demand than the rough-coated, though the 

 latter, so far as appearances go, is a more workman- 

 like-looking hound. The ground colour of the body 

 is usually white, with black-and-tan, hare-pied or 

 any typical Foxhound-coloured markings. As a 

 rule the markings on the head and ears are fairly 

 evenly distributed, but not so upon the body, the 

 patches being of variable size and irregularly 

 scattered. Little importance need be attached to 

 this, provided the colour is typical. All Bassets 

 have an exceptional degree of muscular and bony 

 development in the region of the fore-quarters and 

 breast, and the prominence of the latter, together 

 with the shortness of the limbs, brings the body very 



