THE DOG. 



The seventh yere he will avayle 



Grete bitches for to assayle ; 



Eat when he is come to the ninth yere, 



Have him than to the tannere ; 



For the best hound that ever bytch had. 



At the ninth yere is full bad." 



Formerly the greyhound was principally employed in chasing 

 tiie stag; in modern times, however, its nse appears in the 

 sport of hare-coursing. Swift as is the hare, the greyhound is 

 swifter ; and if the former ran in a straight line it would be 

 overtaken in a very short space. The instincts of the hare, 

 however, teach it better. Its fore legs being very short, it is 

 enabled to turn an acute angle with little diminution of speed j 

 whereas the long-limbed and impetuous hoxind finds it impos- 

 sible to halt or make short turns at will, and so is carried be- 

 yond his mark, as it were, and has the chase to renew with a 

 fair start for the hare. Should the latter once gain cover, 

 it is tolerably safe, as the greyhound hunts solely by 

 sight. Its muzzle is so narrow in proportion to its length, 

 that the nasal nerves have no room for proper development, 

 the result being that the animal's power of scent is very defi- 

 cient. 



The largest of the species is the Irish greyhound, which 

 measures four feet in length, and is altogether rougher and 

 sturdier than the English greyhound. Like all good dogs, it 

 is peaceful enough when not angered or excited by the sight of 

 game. When this latter is the case, its ferocity is terrible. In 

 ancient times, when the Irish forests were infested by the wild 

 boar and wolf, the hound ia question was wont to do good 

 service to its masters. There are very few of the genuine breed 

 existing at the present day. 



The greyhound peculiar to Scotland is a shaggier creature 

 than the Irish one, but is not so large or so powerfully built, 

 This is the dog towards which Sir Walter Scott evinced so 

 much afiection, and whose disputed intelligence and sagacity 

 he was at such pains to vindicate. The Scotch greyhound, cit 

 deerhound as it is sometimes called, is used ia the chase ol 

 hares and deer. 



The Bussian greyhound, which is smaller than the others, 

 is used as a chaser of wild beasts, in which occupation he has 

 an advantage over his English and Scotch brethren, inasmuch 

 as he is gifted with the power of scent. Persia has its grey- 

 hound. It is of rather slender build, and its ears are " fea,' 

 en 



