VARIOUS NOTICES OF WOI.FDOG. 207 



being the greatest of the dog kind to be seen in the world. The largest of those I 

 have seen and I have seen about a dozen was about four feet high, or as tall as a calf of a 

 year old. He was made extremely like a Greyhound, but more robust, and inclining to the 

 figure of the French Matin or the Great Dane,'' &c. 



Brooke, in his "Natural History" of 1772, states: "The Irish Wolfdog is, as 'Ray' 

 affirms, the highest dog he had ever seen, he being much larger than a Mastiff dog, but more 

 like a Greyhound in shape." 



Smith, in his "History of Waterford " (1774), uses very similar words: "The Irish 

 Greyhound, though formerly abounding in this country, is likewise become nearly extinct. 

 This dog is much taller than the Mastiff, but made more like a Greyhound." 



Pennant (1776-81) informs us that the Irish Gre-hound -a variety once very frequent in 

 Ireland, and used in the chase of the wolf, now very scarce is a dog of great size and 

 strength. 



From Bewick (1792) we gather that "the Irish Greyhound is the largest of the dog 

 kind, and its appearance the most beautiful. It is only to be found in Ireland, where it was 

 formerly of great use in clearing that country from wolves. It is now extremely rare, and 

 kept rather for show than use, being equally unserviceable for hunting the stag, the fox, 

 or the hare. These dogs are about three feet high, generally of a white or cinnamon colour, 

 and made somewhat like a Greyhound, but more robust. Their aspect is mild ; their disposition 

 peaceable ; their strength is so great that in combat the Mastiff or Bull-dog is far from 

 being equal to them. They mostly seize their antagonists by the back and shake them 

 to death, which their great strength generally enables them to do." M. Buffon supposes 

 the Great Danish dog to be only a variety of the Irish Greyhound. About this time (1794) 

 certain dogs in the possession of the then Lord Altamont were put forward as being Irish 

 Wolfdogs ; but there appears to be no doubt whatever that these dogs were degenerate 

 specimens of the Great Dane. Mr. Lambert, describing them to the Linnaean Society, 

 stated that "they were the only ones in the kingdom; their hair was short and smooth, the 

 colour brown-and-white and black-and-white." An engraving of one of these dogs is given 

 in the " Encyclopaedia Britannica" published in 1810, and it represents an under-bred Great Dane, 

 of dull and mild appearance. Richardson at one time was in error regarding these, dogs, 

 for he accepted them as being true specimens of the Irish Wolfhound ; but he was afterwards, 

 from careful inquiry and research, quite disabused of any such idea, and concluded that the 

 Irish Wolfhound was a rough Greyhound of gigantic stature and immense power. 



To suppose that these dogs were Irish Wolfhounds was absurd to a degree, as that 

 breed was known to be very scarce, whereas the Great Dane was (and is) to be met with 

 in great numbers on the Continent. 



The present Marquis of Sligo informed the writer about twelve years ago that he had 

 often made inquiries from persons who had seen his father's dogs, and as far as their 

 descriptions would enable one to judge, they rather resembled some of the German Boarhounds, 

 being rather like powerful, shaggy Greyhounds, but a good deal larger. It is probable that 

 the shagginess was a mistake, as Mr. Lambert distinctly states them to have been smooth. 



E. Jesse tells us that the late Lord Derby purchased the portrait in Mr. Lambert's 

 possession of one of Lord Altamont's dogs. Now, it is a well-ascertained fact that, in the 

 face of this model (!), Lord Derby bred, as Irish Wolfdogs, a very powerful and robust dog 

 of Deerhound character (! !), showing that he set small value on the picture as representing 

 the true breed of Irish Wolfdo"-. 



