CHAPTER LXVIII. 



ASIATIC DOGS. 

 The Siberian Wolfhound. 



UNFORTUNATELY, this most handsome variety of dog is seldom met with in Great Britain, 

 though some beautiful specimens have appeared at some of the leading dog-shows. The Siberian 

 Wolfhound partakes very much of the nature of the Scotch Deerhound, and in structure much 

 resembles the latter. There is, however, a distinct dissimilarity in the coats of the two races, 

 and the colours of the two breeds do not agree. In the first place the texture of the Siberian 

 Wolfhound's coat is certainly finer than that of the Deerhound, and it is generally longer in 

 addition, which gives the dog a more elegant appearance. Again, instead of the sombre jacket 

 of the Scotch dog, we usually find in his Siberian prototype lemon-and-white to be the pre- 

 vailing colour, though blue or stone-grey and white specimens of the variety also exist beyond 

 a doubt. The accompanying engraving gives an admirable illustration of what these beautiful 

 dogs are like, and we trust that the breed will soon become more generally known in this country. 

 The best specimens which we have seen have belonged to the Rev. J. C. Macdona and Lady 

 Emily Peel, whose Sandringham and Czar have never appeared on the show-bench without 

 exciting universal admiration. As the formation of the Siberian Wolfhound so closely fol- 

 lows that of the Deerhound, we can confidently refer our readers to the, chapter on the latter 

 breed, whi:h, with the exception of coat and colour, strictly applies to the Siberian Wolf- 

 hound. 



The Persian Greyhound, 



Is very rarely met with in England, and as it is not strikingly handsome or even taking 

 in appearance there does not seem to be much probability of extreme popularity ever falling to 

 the share of the Persian Greyhound. Like its relatives the English Greyhound, the Deer- 

 hound, and the Siberian Wolfhound, the Persian Greyhound hunts its prey by sight and not 

 by scent. The variety in question is a smooth-coated dog extremely like our Greyhound, 

 but is distinguished from him by the smallness of his size and the fact that the tail and ears 

 of the Persian dog are feathered with silky hair. An illustration of this dog will be found on 

 page 239, in the Greyhound family. 



The Thibet Mastiff 



Is very dissimilar in coat and colour to his English namesake, and in fact, to our mind, 

 very much more resembles a sour-faced, heavy-eared Newfoundland. The skull is short, thick, 

 and heavy ; the eyes sunken, and the flews very heavy and deep. The above combination 

 gives the dog a sullen, savage look, which makes strangers cautious in approaching a Thibet 

 Mastiff. He is heavy in bone, powerful in body, and, as will be seen in our illustration, 

 carries his tail well up over his back. The coat is rough and harsh, and not unlike that of 



