NATURAL HISTORY OF THE DOG. 19 



sian greyhound^; c?, Italian greyhoundQ; e, Turkish grey- 

 hound*^; to which should be appended the smooth or mo- 

 dern greyhound, Leporariits, Fleming* i. The principal of 



bloodhound from Cuba, and the shepherd's dog of the Pyrenees ; which latter 

 is distinguished for its size, beauty, and docility. Tlie Duke of Athol, if we 

 are rightly informed, encourages the breed of Scottish greyhounds we have 

 described. Sir Walter Scott's celebrated dog Maida was also of this breed, 

 and is said to have been a most noble animal. The boar-hound of Germany 

 is not, however, of necessity a rough-coated dog, for it is more than probable 

 that he derives his origin from the great Dane ; whereas the rough- coated 

 may be presumed to have drawn his from intermixture from some of the larger 

 northern varieties, as the Siberian, Esquimaux, &c.j all of which are guarded 

 with a thick curled coat 



^ The Russian greyhound is not very unlike that of Scotland, and possesses 

 much agility. It remains to remark, that under whatever name this variety 

 passes, whether of boar-hound, or of Irish or Scotch greyhound, it is a dog of 

 some scenting powers, brave, gentle, and affectionate : when, therefore, natu- 

 ralists take on themselves to attach certain qualities, as vast courage, great 

 speed, and even great scenting powers, to this breed, they extend their quali- 

 ties beyond their just limits. It is true that the olden greyhound, of ex- 

 panded dimensions and wide-spread cerebral cavities, could scent the game he 

 pursued ; but when, in sporting phraseology, he has been drawn fine to in- 

 crease his speed, his scenting powers diminish, otherwise the balance of power 

 between the pursuer and the pursued would be destroyed, which equalization 

 in almost every instance may be seen in Nature's works. 



^ The Italian greyhound is a pigmy variety, of elegant form, but timid, 

 sensitive, and tender in the extreme. 



'*' The Turkish greyhound is even smaller, but less slender, and is fre- 

 quently naked. 



'• The modern or smooth greyhound of our times and of our country ex- 

 hibits, in a wonderful manner, the power of cultivation. In early times this 

 dog in all probability hunted as well by scent as by sight ; and with such quali- 

 fications he must have proved very destructive to the larger kinds of game, as 

 deer, wild goats, foxes, &c. At least, such a dog was the gazehound, of whose 

 extraordinary powers in selecting and keeping his game in view we have many 

 accounts. But as the larger varieties of game became scarce, or was princi- 

 pally hunted by dogs in packs, so the use of the real greyhound became con- 

 fined to the taking of the hare. To do this, however, effectually, the arts of 

 cultivation and selection were called into practice, thereby to produce an in- 

 creased celerity of motion in the dog, by a corresponding alteration in the 



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