88 THE DOMESTICATION OF ANIMALS 



craft of hunting." Laws were made regulating the breeding 

 of hunting dogs, and watch-dogs were held in such esteem 

 that an Act of David I (1124-1153 A.D.) demanded that a 

 man who slew another man's house-dog should watch on 

 his midden a year and a day, and should be responsible for 

 any loss during that time. 



The result of such attention was that at an early date, 

 according to the ancient writers, Scotland came to possess 

 dogs peculiarly her own. " Bloodhounds were known in 

 England at least as early as 1570," wrote Mr R. Lydekker, 

 but many years earlier the "sleuth " was a familiar Scottish 

 dog. It is impossible to deal here with the many influences 

 of selection and cross-breeding brought to bear in the crea- 

 tion of new races. It will be enough to indicate the main 

 results of the earlier Scottish influence as recounted by 

 Hector Boece in 1527. 



In Scotland ar doggis of mervellus nature: for abone the commoun 

 nature and conditioun of doggis, quhilkis^ar sene in all partis, ar thre 

 maner of doggis in Scotland, quhilk ar sene in na uthir parts of the warld. 

 The first is ane hound, baith wicht, hardy and swift. Thir houndis ar 

 nocht allanerlie feirs and cruell on all wild beistis, bot on thevis and 

 ennimes to thair maister, on the same maner. The secound kind is ane 

 rache, that sekis thair pray, baith of fowlis, beistis and fische, be sent and 

 smell of thair neis. The thrid kind is na mair [larger] than ony rache; reid 

 hewit, or ellis blak, with small spraingis of spottis: and ar callit be the peple 

 sleuthoundis. Thir doggis hes sa mervellus wit, that thay serche thevis 

 and followis on thaim allanerlie be sent of the guddis that ar tane away; 

 and nocht allanerlie findis the theif, bot invadis him with gret crueltie, 

 and thoucht the thevis oftimes cors the watter, quhair thay pas, to caus the 

 hound to tine the sent of thaim and the guddis, yit he serchis heir and 

 thair with sic deligence, that, be his fut, he findis baith the trace of the 

 theif and the guddis. The mervellus nature of thir houndis wil have na 

 faith with uncouth peple; howbeit the samin ar richt frequent and rife on 

 the bordouris of Ingland and Scotland. Attour it is statute, be the lawis of 

 the Bordouris, he that denyis entres to the sleuthound, in time of chace 

 and serching of guddis, sal be haldin participant with the crime and thift 

 committit. 



Bishop Leslie (1578) adds further details regarding the 

 first clearly an early deerhound that it is "gretter than 

 ane tuelfmoneth [twelvemonth] aide calfe ; and this sorte 

 commonlie huntis the gretter beistes, as ye sail sie, athir 

 the harte or the wolfe." Leslie also describes several other 

 Scottish races of "senting dogs" and "slwthhundes," and 

 concludes, "Of the varietie of Messen dogs, w c quhilkes 



