THE DOG. 55 



should be the very slightest arch in the loin, so as to be scarcely 

 perceptible. 



" The hind-quarters (value 10) or propellers are required to be very 

 strong, and as endurance is of even more consequence than speed, 

 straight stifles are preferred to those much bent, as in the grey- 

 hound. 



" Elbows (value 5) set quite straight, and neither turned in nor 

 out, are a sine qua non. They must be well let down by means of 

 the long true arm above mentioned. 



" Legs and feet (value 20). Every master of foxhounds insists 

 on legs as straight as a post, and as strong ; size of bone at the 

 ankle being specially regarded as all-important. The desire for 

 straightness is, I think, carried to excess, as the very straight leg 

 soon knuckles over, and this defect may almost always be seen more 

 or less in old stallion hounds. The bone cannot, in rny opinion, be 

 too large, but I prefer a slight angle at the knee to a perfectly straight 

 line. . . . The feet in all cases should be round and cat-like, with 

 well-developed knuckles and strong horn, which last is of utmost 

 importance. 



" The color and coat (value 5) are not regarded as very important 

 so long as the former is a f hound-color' and the latter is short, dense, 

 hard, and glossy. Hound-colors are black, tan, and white, black 

 and white, and the various ' pies' compounded of white and the 

 color of the hare and badger, or yellow or tan. In some old strains 

 the blue mottle of the Southern hound is still preserved, but it is 

 generally rated ' slow/ 



" The stern (value 5) is gently arched, carried gaily over the back, 

 and slightly fringed with hair below. The end should taper to a 

 point. 



" The symmetry (value 5) of the foxhound is considerable, and 

 what is called < quality' is highly regarded by all good judges." 



THE RETRIEVER. 



In this class we shall include the Chesapeake Bay dog and the 

 Irish water-spaniel. The latter is not classed as a retriever in Eng- 



