178 DOGS AND ALL ABOUT THEM 



writers have professed to trace the breed or representations of 

 it on the monuments of the Egyptians. Some aver that it is 

 a direct descendant of the French Basset-hound, and others 

 that he is related to the old Turnspits the dogs so excellent 

 in kitchen service, of whom Dr. Caius wrote that " when any 

 meat is to be roasted they go into a wheel, where they, turning 

 about with the weight of their bodies, so diligently look to their 

 business that no drudge nor scullion can do the feat more 

 cunningly, whom the popular sort hereupon term Turnspits." 

 Certainly the dog commonly used in this occupation was long 

 of body and short of leg, very much resembling the Dachshund. 



In all probability the Dachshund is a manufactured breed 

 a breed evolved from a large type of hound intermixed with a 

 terrier to suit the special conditions involved in the pursuit 

 and extermination of a quarry that, unchecked, was capable 

 of seriously interfering with the cultivation of the land. 

 He comprises in his small person the characteristics of both 

 hound and terrier his wonderful powers of scent, his long, 

 pendulous ears, and, for his size, enormous bone, speak of his 

 descent from the hound that hunts by scent. In many 

 respects he favours the Bloodhound, and one may often see 

 Dachshunds which, having been bred from parents carefully 

 selected to accentuate some fancy point, have exhibited the 

 very pronounced " peak " (occipital bone), the protruding haw 

 of the eye, the loose dewlap and the colour markings char- 

 acteristic of the Bloodhound. His small stature, iron heart, 

 and willingness to enter the earth bespeak the terrier cross. 



The Dachshund was first introduced to this country in 

 sufficient numbers to merit notice in the early 'sixties, and, 

 speedily attracting notice by his quaint formation and un- 

 doubted sporting instincts, soon became a favourite. At first 

 appearing at shows in the " Foreign Dog " class, he quickly 

 received a recognition of his claims to more favoured treat- 

 ment, and was promoted by the Kennel Club to a special classi- 

 fication as a sporting dog. Since then his rise has been rapid, 

 and he now is reckoned as one of the numerically largest breeds 



