112 THE DOGS OF THE BRITISH ISLANDS. 



so classed in all our shows, I shall not attempt to displace him from his old 

 time-honoured position. As a companion he must depend for a good character 

 on his ornamental appearance, rather than on his utility as a protector of dames, 

 in which capacity he is quite useless as compared with the mastiff, St. Bernard, 

 or Newfoundland. He is not so quarrelsome as the colley, but when attacked 

 defends himself with great power, quickness, and courage. His chief defect as a 

 companion is his proneness to chase any moving object, and he will even pick 

 up little dogs, especially if they attempt to run away from him ; and if not broken 

 early from this habit, he often occasions trouble to his owner. On the other hand, 

 he is seldom offensive to strangers, but he does not take to children, and is seldom 

 to be trusted with them. Unless well broken, he will chase hares and rabbits, and 

 of course deer, and on that account he should not be taken into deer parks or game 

 preserves by those who are not sure of being able to control him. 



The disproportion between the sexes is greater than in any other breed of 

 dogs, the average difference in height in the same litter being often from five to 

 six inches. 



When this dog is slipped at a wounded deer, he pursues it either by scent or 

 sight, the latter being, of course, used in preference, but the nose being lowered for 

 the trail the moment the deer is lost to the eye. In hunting the trail, however 

 hot and fresh, the deerhound does not throw his tongue out as a rule, though, as is 

 the case even with some of the highest bred greyhounds, occasionally a low whimper 

 is heard. When a stag stands at bay, the dog opens with a loud sharp bark, and 

 continues till his master appears to give the coup de grace, unless his quarry is 

 sufficiently exhausted by loss of blood to permit his pinioning him; but a stag 

 in possession of his full powers is beyond the reach of any dog from the front, 

 and a well-bred deerhound does not make the attempt unless he sees an opening 

 from behind. A cross with the bulldog was tried some years ago in order to give 

 courage, which it did ; but it also gave the peculiar bulldog tendency to go at the 

 head of the deer, and led to the loss of so many valuable animals that it was 

 abandoned. 



The numerical value of the points of this dog is as follows : 



Value. 



Skull 10 



Nose and jaws 5 



Ears and eyes 5 



Neck _10 



30 



POINTS OF THE DEERHOTTND. 



Value. 



Chest and shoulders... 10 

 Back and back ribs ... 10 



Elbows and stifles 10 



Symmetry and quality 10 



40 

 Grand Total 100. 



Value. 

 Legs and quarters ... 7 



Feet 7i 



Colour and coat 10 



Tail 5 



30 



1. In skull (value 10) the deerhound resembles the large coarse greyhound, it 

 being long and moderately wide, especially between the ears. There is a very slight 

 rise at the eyebrows so as to take off what would otherwise be a straight line from 

 tip of nose to occiput. The upper surface is level in both directions. 



