THE ITALIAN GREYHOUND. 213 
good at vermin, though some which I have known to be half 
Italian have been bold enough to attack a good strong rat as well 
as most dogs. Many of these half-bred Italians are used for 
rabbit-coursing, in which there is a limit to weight, but it is 
chiefly for toy purposes that long prices are obtained for them. 
When the cross with the spaniel has been resorted to, the fore- 
head is high, the nose short, and the eye large, full, and often 
weeping, while the general form is not so symmetrical and com- 
pact ; the chest being full enough, but the brisket not so deep as 
in the true terrier or in the Italian cross. 
At page 115 will be found an engraving of the black-and-tan 
toy-terrier contrasted-with the larger Manchester. 
1V.—THE ITALIAN GREYHOUND. 
This little dog is one of the most beautifully proportioned ani- 
mals in creation, being a smooth. English greyhound in miniature, 
and resembling it in all respects but size. It is bred in Spain 
and Italy in great perfection, the warmth of the chmate agreeing 
well with its habits and constitution. In England, as in its 
native country, it is only used as a pet or toy-dog, for, though its 
speed is considerable for its size, it is incapable of holding even a 
rabbit. The attempt, therefore, to course rabbits with this little 
dog has always failed, and in those instances where the sport (if 
such it can be called) has been carried out at all, recourse has 
been had to a cross between the Italian greyhound and the terrier, 
which results in a strong, quick, little dog, quite capable of doing 
all that is required. 
The chief points characteristic of the Italian greyhound are 
shape, colour, and size, and the scale must, therefore, be altered 
from the English dog as follows :— 
Scale of points of the Italian greyhound :— 
VALUE | . VALUE 
ea 5 : , ; : ae g : 5 
ec : ne 
Ears and eyes, eS Colour, . 15 
Legs and feet, + . 10 Symmetry, Ame 
Fore-quarters, 10 Size, . ‘ : 15 
Hind-quarters, 10 | ae 
Total, . 100 
