16 ALL ABOUT DOGS 



beauty and fitness for the work he has to perform, and 

 the immense amount of speed, strength, courage, and 

 endurance, he so often requires, will be fully appreci- 

 ated by the observant spectator, even if he cannot be 

 strictly classed amongst " Sportsmen." 



The Harrier. While I am writing these lines, I 

 have not the statistics before me, but I am certainly 

 under the impression there are not so many packs of 

 Harriers in the country as there formerly were. The 

 name of " Heirers," or Harriers is known to have been 

 given to hounds used for hare hunting in the time of 

 King Henry V., but they were also, occasionally used 

 for hunting deer! Before this, the same hound was 

 known as the Brachetis, or Bercelettus, the diminutive 

 from the word " Brache." The breed, in a more or 

 less coarse form, has, undoubtedly existed for " ages," 

 and it is thought by many, that it is more likely Fox- 

 hounds were derived from it, than that it was the other 

 way about. The same colours are found amongst 

 Harriers as with his larger and more numerous com- 

 rades, but usually, for some reason, not disclosed, more 

 of the " pied," (particularly the hare-pied, yellow and 

 white, shaded with black or grey on the back or saddle) 

 and the sort of dapple, or freckle, generally termed 

 "blue mottle," is thought to be peculiar to Harrier 

 blood, and that, when it makes its appearance amongst 

 any other of the hounds, it shows a cross of " Harrier 

 blood," somewhere in the strain ! This colour is often 

 accompanied with hound-tan markings on head, and 

 black patches on body, although the latter do not con- 



