300 



LURCHER. 



speed enables it to pounce upon the hare or rabbit before it can shelter itself in the 

 accustomed place of refuge. As soon as the Lurcher has caught its prey it brings it to 

 its master, deposits it in his hands, and silently renews its search after another victim. 

 Even pheasants and partridges are often caught by this crafty and agile animal. 



Sometimes the game-destroying instincts of the Lurcher take a wrong turn, and lead 

 the animal to hunt sheep, instead of confining itself to ordinary game. When it be- 

 comes thus perverted it is a most dangerous foe to the flocks, and commits sad havoc 

 among them. One farmer, living in Cornwall, lost no less than fifteen sheep in one 

 month, all of which were killed by Lurchers. 



There are many breeds of the Lurcher, on account of the various Dogs of which the 

 parentage is formed. The greyhound and sheep-dog are the original progenitors, but 

 their offspring is crossed with various other Dogs, in order to obtain the desired quali- 

 fications. Thus, the greyhound is used on account of its speedy foot and silent tongue, 

 and the sheep-dog on account of its hardiness, its sagacity, and its readiness in obeying 



LURCHER. Caais famillaris. 



its master. The spaniel is often made to take part in the pedigree, in order to give its 

 well-known, predilection for questing game, and the hound is employed for a similar 

 purpose. But in all these crossings the grey-hound must morally predominate, although 

 its form is barely to be traced under the rough lineaments of the Lurcher. 



As the Lurcher causes such suspicion in the minds of the gamekeeper or the land- 

 lord, the owners of these Dogs were accustomed to cut off their tails, in order to make 

 them look like honorable sheep-dogs, and so to escape the tax which presses upon 

 sporting Dogs, and to elude the suspicious glance of the game-preserving landlord and 

 his emissaries. So swift is this animal that it has been frequently used for the purpose 

 of coursing the hare, and is said to perform this task to the satisfaction of its owner. 

 It can also be entrusted with the guardianship of the house, and watches over the prop- 

 erty committed to its charge with vigilance and fidelity. Or it can take upon itself 

 that character in reality which its cropped tail too often falsely indicates, and can watch 

 a fold, keep the sheep in order, or conduct them from one place to another, nearly if 

 not quite as well as the true sheep-dog from which it sprang. 



