THE IRISH WOLFHOUND. 



167 



muscular, strongly though gracefully built: move- 

 ments easy and active ; head and neck carried 

 high ; the tail carried w-ith an upward sweep, 

 with a shght curve towards the extremity. The 

 minimum height and weight of dogs should be 

 31 inches and 120 pounds, of bitches 28 inches 

 and 90 pounds. Anything below this should 

 be debarred from competition. Great size, includ- 

 ing height at shoulder and proportionate length 

 of body, is the desideratum to be aimed at, and 

 it is desired firmly to establish a race that shall 

 average from 32 inches to 34 inches in dogs, 

 showing the requisite power, acti\-ity, courage, 

 and symmetn,-. 



2. Head. — Long, the frontal bones of the fore- 

 head ver\- sUghtly raised and ver^' little indenta- 

 tion betiveen the eyes. Skull not too broad ; 

 muzzle long and moderately pointed ; ears small 

 and Greyhound-like in carriage. 



3. Neck. — Rather !ong, very strong and mus- 

 cular, well arched, without dewlap and loose skin 

 about the throat. 



4. Chest. — Ver^' deep, breast vrde. 



5. Back.^Rather Ion J than short. Loins arched. 



6. Tail. — Long and shghtly curved, of moderate 

 thickness, and well covered with hair. 



7. Belly. — Well dra-wn up. 



8. Forequarters. — Shoulders muscular, giving 

 breadth of chest, set sloping, elbows well under, 

 neither turned inwards nor outwards. Leg — Fore- 

 arm muscular and the whole leg strong and quite 

 straight. 



9. Hindquarters. — iluscular thighs, and second 

 thigh long and strong as in the Greyhound, and 

 hocks well let down and turning neither in nor 

 out. 



10. Feet. — Moderately large and round, neither 

 turned inwards nor outwards ; toes well arched 

 and closed, nails very strong and curved. 



11. Hair. — Rough and hard on body, legs, and 

 head ; especially ^\-iry and long over eyes and 

 under jaw. 



12. Colour and Markings. — The recognised 

 colours are grey, brindle, red, black, pure white, 

 fawn, or any colour that appears in the Deer- 

 hound. 



Faults. — Too light or heavv in head, too highly 

 arched frontal bone, large ears and hanging 

 flat to the face ; short neck ; full de%ylap ; too 

 narrow or too broad a chest ; sunken and hollow 

 or quite level back ; bent forelegs ; overbent 

 fetlocks ; twisted feet ; spreading toes ; too curly 

 a t£dl ; weak hindquarters, cow hocks, and a 

 general want of muscle ; too short in body. 



BRIAN BORU: the irish guards' wolfhound 



Photograph by Pictorial Agency. 



