70 COVERT-SIDE SKETCHES. 



to be a (or shall we say the) indigenous breed, there is surely no 

 reason why the Eomans, the Saxons, the Danes, or the Normans, 

 should not have introduced a lighter and fleeter kind. They 

 may even have been the result of the Crusades (as was the 

 grey breed of hounds brought from Tartary by St. Louis of 

 Erance), and imported into England by some proud baron, with 

 a taste for pace a Kttle in advance of the age in which he lived. 



In a former chapter I commented on the similarity of descrip- 

 tion between the perfect hound of Xenophon and a model fox- 

 hound of the present day. May not the race of which he wrote 

 by some chance have come to our shores, either through the 

 Romans or when our Crusaders returned from the East ? At 

 any rate, in Markham's time, he was here in England as an 

 established breed, and that writer who has sketched his portrait 

 says not one word as to his being produced from a cross, 

 but rather, on the other hand, recommends a cross with him and 

 the southern, or heavy hound, as the means of procuring the 

 hound most adapted for the chase of the hare in his day — a very 

 similar proceeding to that in vogue with many masters of harriers 

 now, who go to the fox-hound to infuse a little more dash and 

 speed into their pack. His description of the northern hound, 

 both in shape, make, and style of hunting, tallies exactly with 

 the hound of the present day. Let us see what he says : — 



" But if you will choose a swift, light hound, then must his 

 head be more slender, and his nose more long, his ears and flews 

 more shallow, his belly more gaunt, his tail small, his joints 

 long, his foot round, and his general composure much more 

 slender and greyhound-like ; and this in the generality for the 

 most part, and all your Yorkshire hounds whose virtues I 

 can praise no further than for scent and swiftnesse, for to speak 

 of their mouths they have only a little sharp sweetnesse like a 

 jigge, but no depth or ground like more solemn music. 



" If you would have your kennel for the training of your 

 horse only, labouring thereby to bring him to the full per- 

 fection of speed, touch, and toughness, then you shall compound 



