THE DEERHOUND. 



i6g 



extensive hunting expeditions ha\'e all had 

 their effect in the work of distribution. 

 King Arthur and his noble knights of the 

 Round Table — all of them imbued with 

 enthusiasm for the chase — were experts in 

 the knowledge of hunting dogs, and they 



took their hounds with them wherever they quaintly records that 



distinct from its now larger Irish relative, 

 it was recognised as a native dog in Scotland 

 in very early times, and it was distinguished 

 as being superior in strength and beauty to 

 the hounds of the Picts. Stewart in his 

 ■•Bulk of the Cronicles of Scotland"* 



SCENE AT ABBOTSFORD. 



SIR WALTER SCOTTS MAIDA AND TORRUM. 



FnoM THE Painting by SIR EDWIN LANDSEER. R.A. 



went. It is difficult, even with the help of 

 illuminated manuscripts and the records of 

 contemporary scribes, to determine the 

 particular breeds most in vogue ; but King 

 Arthur's Cavall and the yet more famous 

 Hodain were almost certainly of a rough 

 Greyhound type. Hodain himself — the 

 hound who shared the love potion with Sir 

 Tristram and Iseult — was brought by the 

 knight of Lyonesse over from Ireland, a 

 gift from King Anguish of that land, and 

 was presumably of the breed we are now 

 considering. There is nothing more prob- 

 able than that in the days of chivalry hounds 

 were numbered among the presents given 

 by king to king. 



Whatever the source of the Highland 

 Deerhound, and at whatever period it became 



" The Pictis houndis were nocht of sic speed 

 As Scottis houndis, nor yet sae gude at need, 

 Nor in sic game they were nocht half sae 



gude, 

 Xor of sic pleasure, nor sic pulchritude." 



The reference is included in the description 

 of a battle fought on account of a Deer- 

 hound. The hound's name is not given, 

 but he is said to have excelled all others 

 " sae far as into licht the moon does near 

 a star." He was the property of a Scots 

 king who had been enjoying a great hunting 



* This was a metrical version of Hector Boece's 

 History, which was written in Latin and pub- 

 lished in Paris in 1526-7. The translation was 

 made in 1 531 by command of Margaret, Queen 

 of James the Fourth. 



