28 ALL ABOUT DOGS 



met. Seldom when I came across him at any Dog 

 Show, which was very often in the days I was an ex- 

 tensive exhibitor, but that he kept up the company to 

 a late hour with his entertaining stories of men and 

 dogs! I much regret that, owing to advancing years, 

 he has discontinued his attendance at the gatherings, at 

 which he had such troops of friends and where he, un- 

 der the title of " Papa-Nichols/* was so universally 

 popular. It is a tradition that the Bloodhound is iden- 

 tical with the Sleuth, or Slouth, Hound (from the 

 word " Slouth " probably meaning " scent/') and that 

 he is of a very ancient breed in these Islands, used for 

 tracking " Moss Troopers " and other wrong doers in 

 the olden days; the earliest record of them occurs in 

 King Henry III.'s time, when they were used in track- 

 ing offenders. The most usual colours are shades of 

 rich tan with more or less dark markings on body and 

 head, which latter is long, lean and " peaked," the face 

 thin and narrow, the skin loose and puckered; 'long 

 folded and pendulous ears; broad nose, expanded nos- 

 trils; long thin, flabby and pendulous flews; deep and 

 voluminous dewlap ; sunken, bloodshot eyes, and flexi- 

 ble, active stern, thick at root, tapering to a point. 

 The Hound strikes you as not over large, but with 

 great character, quality and much dignity, well knit; 

 plenty of bone ; symmetrical, straight legs ; wide across 

 the back, full in body, and back ribs ; and game in tem- 

 perament ; with fine, deep sloping shoulders, and enor- 

 mously powerful hind quarters. The points associated 

 with the Bloodhound, are as follows : Skull, long, nar- 

 row and very much peaked, square, deep muzzle ; ears, 



