CHAPTER XXVI 

 THE BASSET-HOUND 



THE Basset was not familiarly known to British sportsmen 

 before 1863, in which year specimens of the breed were seen 

 at the first exhibition of dogs held in Paris, and caused general 

 curiosity and admiration among English visitors. In France, 

 however, this hound has been used for generations, much as 

 we use our Spaniel, as a finder of game in covert, and it has 

 long been a popular sporting dog in Russia and Germany. In 

 early times it was chiefly to be found in Artois and Flanders, 

 where it is supposed to have had its origin*; but the home of 

 the better type of Basset is now chiefly in La Vended, in which 

 department some remarkably fine strains have been produced. 



There are three main strains of the French Basset the 

 Lane, the Couteulx, and the Griffon. The Griffon Basset is a 

 hound with a hard bristly coat, and short, crooked legs. It 

 has never found great favour here. The Lane hounds are 

 derived from the kennels of M. Lane, of Franqueville, Baos, 

 Seine-InfeYieure, and are also very little appreciated in this 

 country. They are a lemon and white variety, with torse or 

 bent legs. The Couteulx hounds were a type bred up into a 

 strain by Comte le Couteulx de Canteleu. They were tri- 

 colour, with straight, short legs, of sounder constitution than 

 other strains, with the make generally of a more agile hound, 

 and in the pedigree of the best Bassets owned in this country 

 fifteen years ago, when the breed was in considerable demand, 

 Comte de Couteulx 's strain was prominent and always sought 

 for. 



With careful selection and judicious breeding we have now 



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