18 NATURAL HISTORY OF THE DOG. 



In this division are also included the Dhole or wild dog of the 

 East Indies, Can. Orientalis ; a South American wolf-like va- 

 riety ; and the celebrated Albanian dog, which is one of great size 

 and strength ; his body covered with long silky fur, with a bushy 

 tail. This variety is supposed to have furnished the Molassian dog. 

 Var. D — Greyhound, Can. grains, Lin.; LevrieVy Buff. Ge- 

 neral characters : long head, slender limbs, deep chest, narrow 

 waist, and great swiftness. It branches into the following sub- 

 varieties — a, Irish greyhound^ ; h, Scotch greyhound^ ; c, Rus- 



matian, or Coach Dog, Le Braque de Bengal, BufFon, is a beautiful animal, 

 regularly spotted over his body with black or dark blue spots on a light ground. 

 In form he is between the hound and pointer, and without doubt might be 

 cultivated into the one or the other. Bewick is severe on BufFon, under the 

 idea of its incapacity of scenting game. But to give validity to his criticism, 

 he should have proved that it wanted the faculty, which I make no doubt was 

 as inherent in him as in any hound whatever. It had not been taught the 

 pursuit of game, and was therefore not impressed with the ardour. Had Bewick 

 confined his objection to the locality chosen by BufFon, that of Bengal, where 

 a dog of his markings is not common, he might have had reason. 



' The Irish and Scotch greyhounds. Can. grains Hyhernicus, Ray, et Sco- 

 ticus, Fleming, do not differ very materially from each other ; the Irish grey- 

 hounds which I have seen were the largest. Both however, in all probability, 

 own the same origin and are of the same stamp with the German boar-hound 

 and wolf-hound, which, as is well known, are rough wire-haired dogs. Such 

 as I saw in Ireland were majestically large, and united considerable speed 

 with immense strength : they were of a light grey colour, with a mixure of 

 yellow or fawn-coloured tinting. A century back, the Irish wolf-dog, it is 

 said, was nearly four feet high. The Marquis of Sligo is among the few who 

 preserve this race, which he does at Westport, in the county of Mayo. The 

 Scottish greyhound, deer-dog, or ratche, is somewhat less in size than the 

 Irish ; at least such as I have seen more resemble a strong, coarse-wire-haired 

 true greyhound ; but which, probably, depends on the deterioration of inter- 

 mixture : for it is said that a few yet exist in the Highlands of nearly the same 

 proportions with those of Ireland. Captain Brown, in his interesting Biogra- 

 phical Sketches of Dogs, informs us that Capt. Macdonell, of Glengarry, a 

 gentleman remarked for his attachment to whatever characterizes the sports 

 and customs of former times, keeps up this breed ; and in order to preserve it 

 from degenerating by consanguineous origin, he crosses them with both the 



