NATURAL HISTORY OF THE DOG. 73 



animal of the breed, bred by me, and recently in my own 

 possession, but now the property of Robert Sproule, Esq., of 

 Kildevin, to be greatly superior to the Bloodhound portrayed 

 by Landseer. Malvina's sire, "Be vis," figured above, was 

 likewise transferred to canvass by my friend C. Grey, who, 

 a an animal painter, can be reckoned second only to the 

 great master above-mentioned. Malvina stands twenty-six 

 inches in height, and her ears measure twenty-five in extent, 

 and upwards of five in breadth. The color of the Blood- 

 hound is tan, or black and tan, like an English terrier ; if 

 white be present, the breed is impure. The jowl of the 

 bloodhound is deep, and his air majestic and solemn. The 

 vertex of the head is remarkably protuberant, and this pro- 

 tuberance is characteristic of high breeding. The Blood- 

 hound is not, as Colonel Smith supposes, " silent while fol- 

 lowing the scent ;" but he is certainly less noisy than other 

 hounds, and only opens occasionally, and even then his bay 

 is easily distinguished, after having once been heard, from 

 that of every other description of dog. 



It has been frequently suggested that the Bloodhound should 

 be once more employed in tracing felons to their hiding-place. 

 Many have objected to this, on the score of its supposed cru- 

 elty ; but they are not, perhaps, aware that the British Blood- 

 hound does not injure the object of his pursuit ; he merely 

 traces it to its lair, and then, by his loud baying, indicates its 

 position to his human auxiliaries. I am, however, far from 

 advocating any thing of the kind I leave the matter where 

 I found it, to be canvassed'by others as they please. 



In 1603, the " Thrapston Association" a society formed 

 in Northamptonshire for the suppression of felony procured 

 and trained a Bloodhound, for the detection of sheep-stealers. 

 In order to prove the utility of the dog, a man was dispatched 

 from a spot, where a great concourse of people were assem- 

 bled, about ten o'clock, A. M., and an hour afterwards the 

 hound was laid on the scent. After a chase of an hour and 

 a half, the hound found the man secreted in a tree, many 

 miles from the place of starting. 



Mr. Boyle, in his " Treatise on Air," informs us that a per- 

 son of quality, in order to ascertain whether a young Blood- 

 hound had been well trained, caused one of his servants to 

 walk to a town four miles off, and then to a market town three 

 miles from thence. The dog, without seeing the man he was 

 to pursue, followed him by the scent to the above-mentioned 

 places, notwithstanding the multitude of market-people that 



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