262 



THE PERSIAN GREYHOUND. 





his sword, and stiff with his wounds, was not more entirely the opposite of the carpet 

 knight, with pouncet box to nose, and full of " parmaceti " babblings, than is the 

 rough, fierce Greyhound of Persia, of the delicate, shivering, faint-hearted Italian 

 Greyhound ; sad type of the people from which it takes its name. 



In truth, the Italian Greyhound is but a dwarfed example of the true smooth Grey- 

 hound, dwarfed after the same manner that delights our Celestial friends, when tried 

 on vegetable instead of animal life. The weight of a really good Italian Greyhound 

 ought not to exceed eight or ten pounds ; and there are animals of good shape which 

 only weigh six or seven pounds. One of the most perfect Dogs of the present day weighs 

 eight and three-quarter pounds, and is fourteen and a quarter inches in height. His color 

 is uniformly black. 



PERSIAN GREYHOUND.-Cafl/s familiarls. 



Attempts have been made to employ the Italian Greyhound in the chase of rabbits, 

 but its power of jaw and endurance of character are so disproportioned to its speed, 

 that all such endeavors have failed. A mixed breed, between the Italian Greyhound 

 and the terrier, is useful enough, combining endurance with speed, and perfectly capable 

 of chasing and holding a rabbit. 



In this country, it is only used as a petted companion, and takes rank among the 

 " toy dogs," being subject to certain arbitrary rules of color and form, which may render 

 a Dog worthless for one year through the very same qualities which would make it a 

 paragon of perfection in another. The Dutch tulip-mania afforded no more capricious 

 versatility of criterion than is found in the " points " of toy Dogs of the present day. If 



