COURSING. 451 



The feet rnay be either cat-like or more like the hare's 

 foot; but a foot that avoids either extreme is preferable. 

 It should be close, giving the dog the appearance of 

 standing on his toes. A splay-footed dog is to a great 

 disadvantage, especially when running a plowed field. 



The bones should be large, but not coarse, in order to 

 give firm attachment to the muscles. 



For coursing, the male should weigh about sixty 

 pounds and the female fifty -five. 



The Grecian and Persian greyhounds are owned and 

 bred almost exclusively in the countries from which they 

 derive their names, and are little known in connection 

 with public coursing. 



The Grecian greyhound is not as large as the English 

 greyhound, and has a coat of hair more like a setter, with 

 rather long, drooping ears and a bushy tail. He has a 

 very pleasing and graceful outline. 



The Persian greyhound is smaller than the English 

 greyhound, but made on a more graceful model. On the 

 body, the coat is closer than the Grecian, but the ears 

 have a coat of long, silky hair, like a spaniel. The ears 

 are long and drooping, and the legs are more or less 

 feathered, like the setter. The tail is long, and well 

 curved, and is unfortunately provided with a super- 

 abundance of long, bushy hair, giving it the appearance 

 of being overburdened. 



They are used for coursing the hare, antelope, wild 

 ass, and boar. Although they are slender and delicate 

 in appearance, they are possessed of most wonderful 

 courage. 



They are used, in connection with the falcon, in pursu- 

 ing the wild ass and antelope, which are more than a 

 match for even these fleet-footed dogs; and not infre- 

 quently the rifle is brought into requisition to assist in 

 their capture, as these fearless riders pursue the game 



