THE BASSET-HOUND 173 



produced a beautiful hound of fine smooth coat, and a rich 

 admixture of markings, with a head of noble character and the 

 best of legs and feet. Their short, twinkling legs make our 

 Bassets more suitable for covert hunting than for hunting 

 hares in the open, to which latter purpose they have frequently 

 been adapted with some success. Their note is resonant, with 

 wonderful power for so small a dog, and in tone it resembles the 

 voice of the Bloodhound. 



The Basset-hound is usually very good tempered and not 

 inclined to be quarrelsome with his kennel mates ; but he is 

 wilful, and loves to roam apart in search of game, and is not very 

 amenable to discipline when alone. On the other hand, he 

 works admirably with his companions in the pack, when he is 

 most painstaking and indefatigable. Endowed with remark- 

 able powers of scent, he will hunt a drag with keen intelligence. 



There are now several packs of Bassets kept in England, and 

 they show very fair sport after the hares ; but it is not their 

 natural vocation, and their massive build is against the possi- 

 bility of their becoming popular as harriers. The general 

 custom is to follow them on foot, although occasionally some 

 sportsmen use ponies. Their pace, however, hardly warrants 

 the latter expedient. On the Continent, where big game is 

 more common than with us, the employment of the Basset is 

 varied. He is a valuable help in the tracking of boar, wolf, and 

 deer, and he is also frequently engaged in the lighter pastimes 

 of pheasant and partridge shooting. 



The Earl of Onslow and the late Sir John Everett Millais 

 were among the earliest importers of the breed into England. 

 They both had recourse to the kennels of Count Couteulx. 

 Sir John Millais' Model was the first Basset-hound exhibited 

 at an English dog show, at Wolverhampton in 1875. Later 

 owners and breeders of prominence were Mr. G. Krehl, Mrs. 

 Stokes, Mrs. C. C. Ellis and Mrs. Mabel Tottie. 



As with most imported breeds, the Basset-hound when first 

 exhibited was required to undergo a probationary period as a 

 foreign dog in the variety class at the principal shows. It was 



