230 THE BOOK OF THE Doc. 



full and dense on head, body, legs, and tail, without being " exaggerated ; " that on the 

 head should be softer in character than that on the body ; the hair over eyes and under 

 jaws being of greater length, and rather more wiry than that on the rest of the head. 

 The well-covered head gives much "character," and adds vastly to the general beauty 

 of this magnificent dog. The length of the hair should be from three to four inches. Some 

 breeders hold that no Deerhound is worthy of notice unless he has a good rough head, with 

 plenty of beard and coat generally ; also, that the purity of a smooth skulled dog is to be 

 doubted. Here, however, they are at fault, as several of the best known dogs have had nearly 

 smooth heads. 



In colour the Deerhound varies much from nearly black, through dark brindle, blue, 

 light brindle, grey, fawn, and sandy, and cream of all shades, to pure white. Black-and-tan 

 dogs of the breed have also been known. As a matter of taste, the darker colours, as iron- 

 grey and brindle, are to be preferred ; but many first-class specimens have been and are of a 

 lighter colour. On a dark heath a light-coloured dog shows plainer. 



These dogs are usually remarkably fine and graceful jumpers, and possessed of great 

 activity. In the matter of speed they often equal the smooth Greyhound, but owing to their 

 great size are unequal to making such quick turns as their smaller congener. The scenting 

 powers are developed in a remarkable way, and many wonderful tales are told of the tracking 

 powers of these dogs. When unsighted, they often recover for their masters "cold" stags by 

 their unerring powers in this line. 



They are bad swimmers, but occasionally will take the water, and never shrink from it 

 when in pursuit of their quarry. 



The Deerhound is justly considered a difficult dog to rear, and to a certain degree delicate, 

 though some authors put him forward as being the " hardiest of the hardy." They also are 

 not a long-lived dog. 



It was supposed that the gradual dying out of the practice of coursing the red deer 

 would soon put an end to the breeding of the Deerhound ; but such, happily, is not the case. 

 This dog, in reality, has wonderfully increased the last twenty years, and is now, compara- 

 tively speaking, common. His beauty, gentleness, power, and courage, have so recommended 

 him as a pet and companion, and his appearance is so ornamental and graceful, that he is 

 highly esteemed by all the gentle in the land ; and the fear that the breed would become 

 extinct has long since vanished. 



The late Sir St. George Gore, a breeder of experience, was of opinion that the Deer- 

 hounds of the present day are far finer than they were thirty and forty years ago ; also that 

 a dog could not then be found to run at 85 Ibs., whereas now the standard is from 90 to 

 100 Ibs. 



Since Lord Henry Bentinck's demise in 1871 no large kennels of Deerhounds remain. 

 Formerly there were from twenty to sixty kept in several kennels ; at the same time, many 

 magnificent specimens are scattered broadcast through the land, as many as six or seven, or 

 even more, being in the same hands, and it is probable that instead of having decreased 

 ; n numbers it has increased considerably ; where one person owned a Deerhound or two 

 formerly twenty do so now. Lord Breadalbane, the Duke of Athol, Lord H. Bentinck, 

 " Glengarry," and others, kept large kennels of these superb dogs, but they have all passed 

 away now. 



This article will hardly be considered complete unless some allusion be made to the 

 much-vexed question of cross-breeding. 



