178 



THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG. 



CH, TALISMAN, BRIDE OF LAMMERMOOR and FAIR MAID OF PERTH. 



BRED AND OWNED BY MRS. H. ARMSTRONG. 



Phologiaph by Rusficll. 



Mr. Goultcr, from a very famous bitch, 

 Hedwig. Swift is described as a red brindle, 

 30J inches at the shoulder, and possessing 

 in a marked degree, those most desirable 

 points, size and quality. Before him 

 again we have Ch. Fingall II., another 

 ancestral dignitary. He is described as 

 being the most noted Deerhound of his day. 

 He was not only an excellent dog at the 

 deer, but a winner of more first prizes than 

 any Deerhound then living. He was a very 

 dark blue in colour. 



" Another celebrated hound was Ch. Sel- 

 wood Dhouran, by Ch. Swift. This was an im- 

 mense dog, said by his owner, :\Ir. R. Hood 

 Wright, to weigh over 100 lbs., and to stand 

 31 inches at the shoulder. Ch. Sclwood 

 Morven, also bred by :\Ir. Hood Wright, 

 was another enormous hound, standing 

 32f inches at the shoulder, while m girth 

 he measured 34V inches. Many of the old 

 breeders assert that this is too large, and 

 that the present day craze for size is not in 

 accordance with what used to be considered 

 correct in the old days of exhibiting and 

 hunting. For instance in 1859 the repre- 

 sentative dog chosen by " Stonehenge," 



viz. : Buscar, was 28 inches, and in 1872 

 the following hounds measured :— 



" So that four out of fourteen dogs were 

 over 28 inches high, and three out of 

 eight bitches over 26 inches. 



" Personally, I think a dog of 30 inches a 

 very fair size, and it is unnecessary to strive 

 after anything taller, for about this height 

 we generally get the better type, character 

 and quality, while dogs taller than this have 

 a tendency to appear coarse and heavy a; 



