THE DEERHOUND 99 



rather silky hair, and a fair beard. Ears The ears should be set on high, 

 and, in repose, folded back like the Greyhound's, though raised above 

 the head in excitement without losing the fold, and even, in some cases, 

 semi-erect. A prick ear is bad. A big, thick ear, hanging flat to the 

 head, or heavily coated with long hair, is the worst of faults. The ear 

 should be soft, glossy, and like a mouse's coat to the touch, and the 

 smaller it is the better. It should have no long coat or long fringe, 

 but there is often a silky, silvery coat on the body of the ear and the 

 tip. Whatever the general colour, the ears should be black or dark- 

 coloured. Neck and Shoulders The neck should be long that is, 

 of the length that befits the Greyhound character of the dog. An 

 over-long neck is not necessary, nor desirable, for the dog is not required 

 to stoop in his work like a Greyhound, and it must be remembered 

 that the mane, which every good specimen should have, detracts from 

 the apparent length of neck. Moreover, a Deerhound requires a very 

 strong neck to hold a stag. The nape of the neck should be very 

 prominent where the head is set on, and the throat should be clean-cut 

 at the angle and prominent. The shoulders should be well sloped, 

 the blades well back, with not too much width between them. Loaded 

 and straight shoulders are very bad faults. Stern Stern should be 

 tolerably long, tapering, and reaching to within 1$ inches of the ground, 

 and about 1$ inches below the hocks. When the dog is still, dropped 

 perfectly straight down, or curved. Wien in motion it should be 

 curved when excited, in no case to be lifted out of the line of the back. 

 It should be well covered with hair, on the inside thick and wiry, under- 

 side longer, and towards the end a slight fringe is not objectionable. 

 A curl or ring tail is very undesirable. Eyes The eyes should be dark : 

 generally they are dark brown or hazel. A very light eye is not liked. 

 The eye is moderately full with a soft look in repose, but a keen, far- 

 away gaze when the dog is roused. The rims of the eyelids should be 

 black. Body The body and general formation is that of a Greyhound 

 of larger size and bone. Chest deep rather than broad, but not too 

 narrow and flat-sided. The loin well arched and drooping to the tail. 

 A straight back is not desirable, this formation being unsuitable for 

 going uphill, and very unsightly. Legs and Feet The legs should be 

 broad and flat, a good broad forearm and elbow being desirable. Fore- 

 legs, of course, as straight as possible. Feet close and compact, with 

 well-arched toes. The hind-quarters drooping, and as broad and 

 powerful as possible, the hips being set wide apart. The hind-legs 

 should be well bent at the stifle, with great length from the hip to the 

 hock, which should be broad and flat. Cow hocks, weak pasterns, 

 straight stifles, and splay feet are very bad faults. Coat The hair 

 on the body, neck, and quarters should be harsh and wiry, and about 

 3 inches or 4 inches long ; that on the head, breast, and belly is much 

 softer. There should be a slight hairy fringe on the inside of the fore 

 and hind-legs, but nothing approaching to the feathering of a Collie. 

 The Deerhound should be a shaggy dog, but not over coated. A woolly 

 coat is bad. Some good strains have a slight mixture of silky coat 

 with the hard, which is preferable to a woolly coat, but the proper 

 covering is a thick, close-lying, ragged coat, harsh or crisp to the touch. 

 Colour Colour is much a matter of fancy. But there is no manner of 



