BREEDERS OF DEERHOUNDS. 225 



of Mr. McNiel, of Colonsay, the late Mr. Stewart Menzies, of Chesthill, and one or two others, 

 were the only gentlemen's kennels in which it was preserved. There were also three or four 

 large farmers in various parts of the country who knew the value of the true breed, and took 

 great pains to preserve the pure strain ; but since the great increase of deer forests, in most 

 of which the use of Deerhounds is strictly prohibited, the breeding of these dogs has been very 

 much discontinued, and it is now exceedingly difficult to find one worth anything. Colonel 

 Inge and Lord H. Bentinck have both got my blood. I do not like the Glengarry blood. It 

 was spoilt many years ago by old Glengarry crossing his dogs with the Bloodhound." 



The Marquis of Breadalbane, many years ago, owned a famous strain of Deerhounds. 

 They were kept at the Black Mount Forest Lodge. As many as fifty or sixty were kept. 

 A dog called King of the Forest was of extraordinary size. He was an ancestor of a 

 well-known modern prize-taker, also of great size, called Torrom, bred and first exhibited by 

 Mr. Cameron of Lochiel. 



The late Sir St. George Gore owned some very fine Deerhounds ; one of his is stated to 

 have stood 32 inches. A young dog shown by him at Birmingham, about thirteen years ago. 

 stood nearly 31 inches, and weighed 105 Ibs. ; a remarkably fine, well-shaped dog, of a cream 

 colour, but nearly smooth-coated. A bitch, Corrie, brindled, was also large, but poor in coat. 



The strain of the late Lord H. Bentinck was very similar to Sir St. G. Gore's indeed, 

 they bred together for years, and the consequence was that Lord Henry's strain was sadly 

 devoid of coat A bitch he owned, called Ferret, of McNiel of Colonsay's breed, was smooth, 

 and from her, in all probability, the want of coat was introduced ; indeed, in many of the older 

 strains the coat would appear to have been decidedly indifferent, to say the least of it. Lord 

 Henry's Fingal, considered by him to be one of his very best, was a large red dog, almost smooth. 

 From a bitch of this breed, called Carrac, at one time owned by the writer, many of our best 

 modern dogs are descended. At Lord Henry's death his dogs were sold at Edinburgh in 1871, 

 realising by no means large prices. 



Some extremely fine Deerhounds were owned many years ago by the late Duke of Leeds. 



Mr. Campbell of Monzie, Perthshire, had a very pure breed of Deerhounds about fifteen 

 or twenty years ago. " Lochiel," speaking of them, says : " I doubt if any Deerhounds except 

 Mr. Campbell's of Monzie are quite pure. There were very few of them left at his death. 

 His was the best and purest blood in the North." From his dog Grumach Mr. Cameron's 

 Pirate and Torrom were bred. 



Lieutenant-Colonel Inge of Thorpe for many years bred Deerhounds of remarkably good 

 descent; but he ceased to do so about 1862, when he sent sixteen to be sold at Aldridge's. 

 They fetched prices ranging from 15 to 60 guineas. His celebrated old dog Valiant was bought 

 in at a large figure. They were all well-made dogs and well covered with rough hair, but 

 were not remarkable for size. Colonel Inge kad the honour of winning the first prize with 

 Valiant at the first dog show ever held at Birmingham in 1861. He was a very rough brindle 

 dog of lengthy make. Valiant's pedigree was given as by Lord Saltoun's famous Bran out of 

 Seaforth's Vengeance, and he was presented to Colonel Inge when a puppy. 



The late Mr. John Cole, for many years head keeper to Her Majesty the Queen at 

 Windsor Park, owned several splendid Deerhounds, bred from Prince Albert's Hector of 

 Monzie's breed, and a bitch of a strain he had brought from Chillingham. At his death the 

 writer purchased three, amongst them the well-known and superb dog Keildar and his sister 

 Hag, a bitch of great size and very good shape, but wanting in coat. 

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