224 



THE BEASTS OF PREY. 



assistant, and consequently treat him as such even 

 from his puppyhood. 



TheSchweisz- Resembling a smooth - coated 

 hund or German Pointer in size and form is the 

 Bloodhound. German Bloodhound or Schweisz- 

 hund ( Cards familiaris sagax sanguinarius) . Nothing 

 definite is known as to the origin of these Dogs. 

 They are of vigorous build and of a brown, red or 

 pale yellow color, with a blackish tinge on muzzle 

 and ears, and frequently also have a black stripe on 

 the back. The head is wide and only slightly 

 arched; the nose is black or nearly flesh-colored and 



THE B£AGL£. A small but valuable Hound, which is especially useful in chasing Hares and other 



small but fleet-footed game, is the Beagle. Its characteristics are a stout build with a development of the chest 

 especially adapting it for a long chase, large, pendent ears, pointed muzzle, short but strong and sinewy legs and 

 rather short tail. {Canis familiaris sagax irritans.) 



much wider than that of other Hounds; the lips of 

 the wide snout hang over and form deep creases 

 at the corners of the mouth. The wide ears are of 

 moderate length and rounded. The expression of 

 the face is grave, intelligent and noble. The tail 

 gradually tapers toward the extremity. The voice 

 is full and deep and the bark is a peculiarly long 

 sound. Whoever has heard it once easily recognizes 

 it again. 



The Schweiszhund is a nearly indispensable assist- 

 ant in the chase of large game; his ofifice is to pur- 

 sue the track of the wounded quarry. He is held 

 on a line and quietly leads the hunter to the place 

 where the animal has broken down. When he is let 

 loose and has found the game dead he announces it 

 by his bark; but if the hunted animal has fled, he 

 pursues it and "sets" it until his master comes and 

 ends the hunt with a shot. 



The Staghound Another member of the group is the 

 a Very Rare Staghound ( Cams familiaris sagax 

 Animal. acceptorius), which is said to be a 

 descendant of the Bloodhound and Greyhound, 

 whose good qualities he is believed to combine. He 

 is distinguished by his keen scent and great speed. 

 There are but few specimens of this breed left, and 

 they are in the possession of the Queen of England. 

 It was very different in former times. George HI. 

 was passionately fond of Stag hunts, in which he 

 frequently took part personally. Not infrequently 

 the hunt was conducted with such zeal that of the 

 one hundred riders who originally set out after the 



Stag ten or twenty only were left when the fleet 

 quarry was finally taken by the Hounds. Astonish- 

 ing distances were covered with wind-like speed, 

 and the hunt was continued so long that a large 

 number of Horses and even many Dogs perished. 

 Now things are different, as the cultivation of the 

 ground offers too many obstacles to .this mode of 

 hunting. 



rhe Foxhound An animal of much greater impor- 



Greatest of tance than the Staghound is the Fox- 



Hunting Dogs, hound ( Canis familiaris sagax vulpeca- 



pus). Many people of distinction have occupied 



themselves with him more 

 than with other animals or 

 things, and large books 

 have been written about 

 him. He possesses the 

 speed of the Greyhound, 

 the courage of the Bull- 

 dog, the delicate scent of 

 the Bloodhound, the sagac- 

 ity of the Poodle, in short, 

 he has, in combination, the 

 superior qualities of all 

 other Dogs. His speed 

 and endurance are extraor- 

 dinary. A good pack may 

 follow the Fox for half a 

 day, or longer, with untir- 

 ing zeal. Bell tells us, for 

 instance, that, the Hounds 

 of the Duke of Richmond 

 found a Fox at 7:45 o'clock 

 in the morning, and caught 

 up with him only after ten 

 hours' hard running, shortly 

 before 6 in the evening. 

 Several of the sportsmen 

 changed Horses three 

 times, and some of the 

 Horses died from exhaustion; but of the Dogs there 

 were twenty-three present at the end of the chase. 

 The Beagle Famous The Beagle (Canis familiaris sagax 

 as a Hunter irritans) is an extremely sympa- 

 0/ Hares. thetic little animal. His height at 



the shoulder does not exceed fourteen inches. He 

 resembles the Foxhound in appearance, fur and ears, 

 but his legs are shorter and stouter, and it therefore 

 would seem plausible that he is a cross between Fox- 

 hound and Badger-Dog. 



Beagles are used in packs to bait Hares, and on 

 such hunts it is pleasant to hear their harmonious 

 voices, which sound like bells. The scent of the 

 Beagle is extremely acute, and he is capable of pro- 

 longed running. 



THE SPANIELS. 



Several Dogs which differ a great deal from each 

 other are grouped under the common title of Span- 

 iels (Canis familiaris extrarius). All Spaniels are 

 possessed of great speed, but they lack endurance. 

 They have a delicate scent and great intelligence, 

 but are not very docile. Some of them are used 

 in hunting small game, especially birds; but they 

 stand in need of very careful training, for their innate 

 hunting fever is excessive. Even when they have 

 had the best of training they will tremble with ex- 

 citement at finding a spoor, unable to restrain their 

 joy or zeal, and will yelp and bark almost inces- 

 santly. For this reason they are more frequently 

 kept as pets than used for the chase. They are very 



