220 THE BOOK OF THE DOG. 



of us take away hia- dog.' Fingal objected to this, whereupon the Sutherland chief said 

 with a taunt that it was now evident that the Fingalians did not possess a dog that could 

 match with Phorp. 



" Angered and mortified, Fingal immediately extended his ' venomous paw,' as it is 

 called (for the tradition represents him as possessing supernatural power), and with one hand 

 he seized Phorp by the neck, and with the other which was a charmed and destructive 

 one he tore out the brave animal's heart. This adventure occurred at a place near the 

 March, between the parishes of Clyne and Wildonan, still called ' Lcck na Con ' (the stone 

 of the dogs), there having been placed a large stone on the spot where they fought. The 

 ground over which Fingal and the Sutherland chief hunted that day is called ' Dirri-leck-Con.' 

 Bran suffered so severely in the fight that he died in Glen Loth before leaving the forest, 

 and was buried there ; a huge cairn was heaped over him, which still remains, and is known 

 by the name of ' Cairn Bran.' " 



Our next authority is Bewick (1792). Having described the Irish Wolfhound, he then 

 goes on to say: "Next to this in size and strength is the Scottish Highland Greyhound or 

 Wolfdog, which was formerly used by the chieftains of that country in their grand hunting- 

 parties. One of them, which we saw some years ago, was a large, powerful, fierce-looking dog ; 

 its ears were pendulous, and its eyes half hid in the hair ; its body was strong and muscular, 

 and covered with harsh, wiry, reddish hair, mixed with white." 



The "Encyclopaedia Britannica" (1/97) says: "The variety called the Highland Gre-hound, 

 and now become very scarce, is of great size, strong, deep-chested, and covered with long 

 rough hair. This kind was much esteemed in former days, and used in great numbers by the 

 powerful chieftains in their magnificent hunting matches. It had as sagacious nostrils as the 

 Bloodhound, and was as fierce." 



There is no allusion to the Deerhound in the "Sportsman's Cabinet," published in 1803; 

 and, curiously enough, but little information regarding him from the beginning of this 

 century up to about 1838, when McNeill wrote regarding him and the Irish Wolfhound in 

 Scrope's book. That the breed was kept up in some families will be presently shown 

 in one case it was claimed that it had been in the owner's family for at least one hundred 

 years. However, be that as it may, we have few, if any, reliable accounts of this dog until 

 McNeill wrote. That gentleman, writing in 1838, says: "It is not a little remarkable 

 that the species of dog which has been longest in use in this country for the purposes of 

 the chase should be that which is least known to the present generation of naturalists 

 and sportsmen." 



Mr. McNeill takes exception to the crosses which had been resorted to by " Glengarry " 

 and others for the purpose of giving increased vigour and size to a breed then rapidly 

 degenerating ; but there seems every reason to suppose that had it not been for these 

 judicious crosses the breed would have been almost extinct : at any rate, it would still 

 further have deteriorated. It is very evident, from the following description of Captain McNeill's 

 Buskar, that the Deerhound of forty years ago was a very inferior animal in size and 

 power to the Deerhound of the present day, though possibly he equalled him in courage 

 and speed. Buskar was a sandy-coloured dog, with dark ears, which were nearly erect 

 when excited. He stood 28 inches in height, girthed 32 inches round the chest, and 



