646 JOUBNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HTSTORY SOCIETY, 1S92. 



brute ; probably from worse fare. Perhaps an imaginary cross between the Dane 

 and a ratlier coarse Greyhound (or even Pointer) wouhl give the best idea of these 

 "Asal Wanjari" dogs. They were very fierce and brave, and were kept in 

 order chiefly by force ; though not at all dangerous to their friends. An old 

 Wanjari lady once reduced a dog who attacked me to order by throwing her skirt 

 over his head and sitting down on liim. 



These dogs had fine short coats, commonly black, or mostly black, but some- 

 times fawn or brindled. I never saw nor heard of one of this race in the 

 possession of any one but a "Wanjari, and even amongst that caste they were not 

 very common. 



A second breed kept by the Wanjaris was a coarse lurcher-like greyhound 

 usually of a deep fawn-colour; with short, harsh, and rather scanty but uniform 

 hair. These resembled what have been shown to me as " Rampur hounds " 

 (whether rightly so called or not I cannot say) ; but the Wanjari Greyhound was 

 the bigger antj handsomer brute of the two. 



A third breed, chiefly owned (as far as I saw) by half settled Wanjaris in the 

 East of Khandesh, was a sort of large coarse Spaniel something the sort of dog 

 that one might suppose to be obtainable by crossing the English Spaniel with the 

 Scotch Oollie; and the offspring with a big stout village " pie dog." 



I have repeatedly known the Wanjaris to sell pups of this and of the second 

 race, and have owned them, and their hybrid descendants, myself. Their vile 

 temper renders them undesirable pets, and their dishonesty makes them bad 

 neighbours. But they are good watch-dogs and lurchers, hardy, and very good 

 at running into w.)unded game, though too little amenable to discipline for such 

 services as we break tlie sporting dogs of Eurojjc to. 



The Thilaris, a race of wandering shepherds, goat-herds, and pony-breeders, 

 have or had a breed of dogs called by then* name. This is a tall shaggy lurcher- 

 like dog, whose appearance suggests a cross between a Greyhound and a black 

 Nevvfoundland of the lesser race. The Thilaris sell these dogs to other natives, 

 who sometimes value them highly and use them well. The finest Thilari hound 

 that I ever saw was in the possession of a Wanjari. But I never owned one 

 myself nor saw one with an European. 



The Ramusis of the Deccan and especially of the low hills between the Bhima 

 and Nira Valleys, had a breed of Greyhounds that they called "Lut." These 

 were true Greyhounds in form, though not equal in size, beauty, or speed to the 

 English race. They have, however, very hard feet, and are less apt to be lamed 

 in a course over stony ground than imported Grej^hounds. Their usual colours 

 are blue and fawn; the blue are the most valued. The hair is short, stiff and 

 scanty, sometimes almost to nakedness. 



I suppose these to be allies of the Polygar dog, if there be indeed a true 

 Polygar race. Eor Polygar is only a Madras word for a local chief, hardly worth 

 calling a Raja, and the Eamusis are believed to be an immigrant race from the 

 South, or else the remnant of a race whereof the main body has gone South. 



