THE NECK AND FORE-QUARTERS. 25 



on the contrary, if the shoulders do their duty, but the hind-legs 

 are not brought well forward, or when they do not thrust the 

 body onwards with sufficient force, the action may be elegant, 

 but it is not powerful and rapid. For these various purposes, 

 therefore, we require good shoulders, good thighs, a good back, 

 and good legs ; and lastly, for lodging the lungs and heart, whose 

 actions are essential to the maintenance of speed, a well-formed 

 and capacious chest. 



IN THE FORE-QUARTERS, therefore, I repeat, the shoulders 

 must be so formed as to thrust the fore-legs well forward, and to 

 do this the shoulder-blade must be as oblique as possible. The 

 reason for this is, that its muscles may be able to exert their full 

 power upon the true arm j 9 in bringing it into a straight line with 

 the axis of the shoulder-blade. It will be seen by the diagram 



at page 18, that the upright shoulder (Fig. 2, o), when it has 



<*i 

 raised the true arm p to a straight line with its own axis, has 



not thrown the end attached to the lower arm nearly so far 

 forward, as the oblique shoulder-blade (Fig. 1, i) has been able 

 to do by the same amount of muscular contraction. This alone 

 is a great advantage ; but, by the greater angle which it forms 

 with the arm, it also enables the greyhound to bear the shock of 

 a fall upon his legs in coming down from a leap without injury, 

 which is another most important feature. An oblique shoulder 

 is likewise usually accompanied by a longer true arm, because 

 the point of the shoulder must be raised higher from the elbow 

 to allow of the obliquity, and in proportion to the increased 

 length will the fore-foot be extended forward; thus this form 



