DOMESTIC DOGS. 



533 



distinct fringe of hair on its under surface. Tlie favourite, or true hound colour, 

 is black, white, and tan ; but there are also several " pies " in which the respective 

 colours are blended with white ; while whole colours, or black-and-tan only, are 

 not unknown. The endurance and speed of the modern foxhound is fully attested 

 in numerous works on sport, and will not, therefore, be further mentioned here. 

 '■ Stonehenge "' observes that a peculiar " faculty in which the hound ditt'ers from 

 his congeners is a mental one, leading him always, when he loses scent of his 

 quarry, to cast forward rather than backward, and to do this with a " dash " 



FOXHOUNDS IN FULL CRY (J nat. size). 



altogether unlike the slow and careful quest of the bloodhound. This, of course, 

 may be overdone, and in that case the hound constantly overruns the scent ; but 

 without it in these days few foxes would be killed, for unless they are hard pressed 

 the scent soon fails and is altogether lost." For ordinary country the male fox- 

 hound, such as shown on p. 576, should average 24 inches, and the female 22 i 

 inches in height ; but in hilly districts smaller hounds are preferred. 



This is a breed of hound trained to hunt hares instead of foxes, 



^^^^^' and intermediate in point of size between the foxliound and beagle. 



Pure-bred harriers, probably descended from the old Southern hound, are to be met 



with in Wales, but many of those used in England are crossed with the foxhound. 



