( 16.) 
CHAPTER II. 
DOMESTICATED DOGS, HUNTING CHIEFLY BY THE EYE, AND KILLING 
THEIR GAME FOR THE USE OF THEIR MASTERS. 
1. The Smooth English Greyhound—z. The Deerhound and Rough Grey- 
hound—3. The Irish Greyhound or Wolf-Dog—4. The Gazehound—s. 
The French Matin—6. The Hare-Indian Dog—7. The Albanian Grey- 
hound—8. The Grecian Greyhound—g. The Russian Greyhound—tro. 
The Turkish Greyhound—11. The Persian Greyhound—12. The Italian 
Greyhound. 
I.—THE SMOOTH ENGLISH GREYHOUND. i 
Tuis beautiful animal is by many considered to be the original of 
all our domestic breeds, dividing that honour with the bulldog and 
mastiff. The authorities for these theories are chiefly founded on 
ancient statues and paintings, aided by written descriptions. At 
all events, the greyhound of these islands can be traced to the 
time of King Canute, who confined his use to the nobility by 
statute. Buffon considers him to be identical with the French 
matin, and very probably there was little difference between the 
two breeds; but we possess no reliable painting or statue of either 
of a very early date, and a written description will seldom serve to 
identify a species, while a definition of the variety is generally 
wholly beyond its powers. For these reasons, therefore, I shall 
not attempt to go into the history of the greyhound, nor shall I 
claim for it any greater antiquity than justly belongs to the bull- 
dog, the mastiff, the terrier, or the turnspit. 
Until the passing of the present game-laws, the use of the grey- 
hound in coursing the hare was confined in England to the class 
who could qualify for that purpose by the possession of £100 a 
year in land; and meetings for that purpose were held only at 
Swaffham, Lowth, and Ashdown, where clubs were formed, con- 
