FEET OF THE GREYHOUND. 241 



desirable, rare though the acquisition of both virtues is, that speed and stamina should be 

 combined. A very fast dog from the slips is not usually a great stayer ; and though he may 

 lead his rival and score a few points in the earlier portion of the course, it is more than likely 

 that he will die away all to nothing if the hare is a good one, and his opponent knows his 

 work. Stoutness and stamina, although not identical, resemble each other in this respect, that 

 they both depend upon the amount of courage possessed by the Greyhound ; and therefore one 

 of the chief characteristics of a good Greyhound is a sufficiently deep and wide chest. In an 

 animal where speed is so essential, too great a width of chest would be detrimental to his 

 success in the field ; but a narrow-chested, shoulder-tied Greyhound would have equally poor 

 chances of winning courses in any company. As in the racehorse, so in the Greyhound, as 

 much space is required for the due exercise of the heart and lungs as will not detract from 

 the animal's speed. The neck, too, is an essential point to a good Greyhound, which is often 

 injured by the introduction of Bull blood. The comparative length which is required to help 

 the dog to pick up his hare stands a very good chance of being obliterated by this cross of 

 blood ; for though the neck of a Bulldog may be moderately long in comparison with that 

 animal's size, its length is far less than that of a Greyhound, and its girth is quite out of all 

 proportion to it. 



Before alluding to the principal modern breeders and exhibitors of this class of dog, it is 

 necessary to allude to the difference of opinion which exists on the subject of the shape of a 

 Greyhound's feet. Dame Juliana Berners was most decided in her views, as she emphatically 

 laid it down that the Greyhound was to be " footed lyke a catte." This formation, however, has 

 several enemies amongst later breeders, many of whom prefer the long or hare-shaped foot. In 

 fact, more than one authority on Greyhounds has expressed himself unable to decide upon this 

 subject ; and a coursing man of some position remarked to us, " I think I like the cat 

 foot best, but I have owned good dogs with hare feet." For our own part we are certainly 

 in favour of the cat foot, though we should be loth to discard a dog in competition, if he were 

 good in other points, merely because he did not possess this shaped foot provided always that 

 the hare feet were not splayed out, and were in good condition. 



As the following chapter will be devoted to coursing, it will be only necessary, before 

 passing on to a description of the modern Greyhound, to mention the names of some of the 

 principal exhibitors on the bench, who may or may not be in the habit of using their dogs in 

 the field as well. It is a somewhat remarkable fact that Greyhound classes rarely fill well in 

 the south of England, though at several of the northern shows Darlington, for instance they 

 are one of the chief features of the exhibition. This may be accounted for by the fact that 

 coursing men do not care to show their dogs as a rule, and that the best performers, on their 

 withdrawal from training, are valuable for stud purposes, and so never get into the possession 

 of exhibitors who ire not coursing men. There are, however, some grandly-shaped Grey- 

 hounds shown in various oarts of the country, and the only regret is that their number is 

 so limited. 



By far the most successful show-dog from the years 1873 to 1880 has been Lauderdale, 

 who is the property of Mr. Tom Sharpies. As this dog is the subject of our coloured plate, 

 due attention will be paid to him and his performances later on. Mr. Tom Swinburne's 

 Marigold, too, is a bitch who has done her owner good service on the bench, and Mr. Fawdry's 

 Ada is another which is near the top of the tree. Sister Mary, Dreaded Falcon, Mr. Waddington's 

 Doctor, Mr. Bearpark's Game Cock, Mr. Sharpies' Queen Bertha, and Mr. J. H. Salter's Amethyst 

 and Fair Rosa, have each and all of them made a reputation. 

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