138 THE BLOOD-HOUND. 



were anciently employed 011 the borders of England and Scot- 

 land, Somerville describes them as snowy white, and Scott as 

 black ; whereas Professor Bell, on what authority I know not, 

 says the original colour was a deep tan, ivith large black spots. 

 But that it was either a pure white or a pure black, I think 

 may be gathered from the following quotation from a work 

 on hunting, published in 1611 : " Saint Hubert's hounds are 

 commonly all blacke, yet, nevertheless, their race is so mingled at 

 these days, that we find them of all colours. These are the 

 hounds which the abbots of St. Hubert have always kept some 

 of their race or kind, in honour or remembrance of the saint, 

 who was a hunter with St. Eustace. These dogs have been 

 dispersed through the countries of Heiiault, Lorayne, Flanders, 

 and Burgoyne. They are mightie of body, nevertheless their 

 legs are low and short 5 likewise they are not swift, although 

 they be very good of scent ; hunting chases which are far 

 straggled, fearing neither water nor cold, and do more covet 

 the chases that smell, as foxes, bores, and such like, than other, 

 because they find themselves neither of swiftness nor courage 

 to hunt and kill the chases that are lighter and swifter. The 

 blood-hounds of this colour prove good, especially those that 

 are coal-blacke, but I make no great account to breed on them, 

 or to keep the kind 5 and yet I found a book which a hunter did 

 dedicate to a prince of Lorayne, who seemed to love hunting 

 much, wherein was a blason which the same hunter gave to his 

 blood-hound, called Souyllard, which was white : 



My name came first from holy Hubert's race, 

 Souyllard my sire, a hound of singular grace. 



Whereupon we may presume that some of the kind prove white 

 sometimes, but they are not of the kind of the GrefBers or 

 Bouxes, which we have at these days."* 



* The Noble Art of Venerie or Hunting (1611), p. 15. 



