NATURAL HISTORY OF THE DOG. 43 



Teutonic tribe) of Southern Britain. \. people also, called 

 Cruithore by the Irish annalists, who are identifiable with the 

 Picts of Northern Britain, continued to inhabit a portion of 

 the island distinct from the Scoti, until after the Christian 

 mission ; and it is observable that the names of mountains and 

 remarkable places in that district, still strikingly resemble the 

 topographical nomenclature of those parts of North Britain 

 which have not been affected by the Scotic conquest. The 

 monuments and relics which attest the presence of a people* 

 considerably advanced in civilization, at some period in Ire- 

 land such as Cyclopean buildings, sepulchral mounds con- 

 taining stone chambers, mines, bronze instruments and weap- 

 ons, of classic form and elegant workmanship would appear 

 to be referable to some of the predecessors of the Scoti, and 

 indicate a close affinity between the earliest inhabitants of Ire- 

 land and that ancient people." We may infer, then, that as 

 Ireland was peopled by the Itelgce, the Belgic dog of antiqui- 

 ty was the source whence we derived our Irish greyhound. 



We are informed by two very eminent authorities the Ven- 

 erable Bede, and the Scottish historian, Major that Scot- 

 land was peopled from Ireland. We k-now, and I have shown 

 as much in my extract from Sir James Ware, that by the ear- 

 ly writers Scotland was styled Scotia Minor, and Ireland, Sco- 

 tia Major ; and it is scarcely necessary for me to make any 

 remark as to the identity of the native languages of the prim- 

 itive inhabitants of the two countries. The colonization, 

 therefore, of Scotland from Ireland, under the conduct of 

 Reuda, being admitted, can we suppose that the colonists would 

 omit taking with them specimens of such a noble and gallant 

 dog, and one that must prove so serviceable to their emigrant 

 masters ; and that, too, at a period when men depended upon 

 the chase for their subsistence ? True, this is but an infer- 

 ence ; but is it not to be received as a fact, when we find that 

 powerful and noble dog, the Highland deerhound, a tall, rough 

 greyhound, to have been known in Scotland since its coloni- 

 zation ? Formerly it was called the wolf-dog ; but with change 

 of occupation came change of name. In Ireland, wolves were 

 certainly in existence longer than in Scotland ; but when 

 these animals ceased to exist in the former country, the wolf- 

 dogs became gradually lost. Not so in Scotland, where 

 abundant employment remained for them, even after the days 

 of wolf-hunting were over : the RED DEER still remained ; and 

 useful as had these superb dogs proved as wolf-dogs, they be- 

 came, perhaps, even more valuable as deerhounds. 



