34 DOMESTICATED DOGS. 



The deerhound follows the wounded deer, like all other dogs, by 

 the eye in preference to the nose, but the moment he loses sight 

 he drops his head and feels for the foot scent, which is generally 

 aided by the blood which flows from the hit of the rifle-ball. 

 Like the greyhound, he is silent in his pursuit, occasionally, like 

 many of that variety, giving a low whimper, totally unlike the 

 bell-like note of the true hound. When pure, he never attacks 

 the head of his quarry, but lays hold of the hind leg, or fastens on 

 the flank, his instinct warning him that the horns of the deer 

 are dangerous to him ; but when crossed by the bulldog, as was 

 attempted by several breeders for the purpose of giving courage, 

 the peculiar propensity of the latter " to go at the head " is dis- 

 played, and leads so frequently to the death of the dog that the 

 cross has been abandoned. There is an unusual disparity in size 

 between the sexes, amounting to nearly one-half in weight and to 

 fully one- quarter in height. In general shape the deerhound 

 closely resembles the greyhound, but there are a few points of 

 difference which I shall proceed to describe. 



The value of his points is as follows : — 



* 



VALUE 





VALUE 



Head, nose, and jaw, . 



15 



Quarters and legs, 



• 7i 



Ears and eyes,- 



5 



Feet, 



7i 



Neck, . 



10 



Colour and coat, 



10 



Chest and shoulders, 



10 



Symmetry, . 



5 



Loin and back ribs, 



10 



Quality, 



5 



Elbows and stifles, 



. 10 



Tail, . 



5 



Total, . 100 



The head is slightly larger in proportion than that of the 

 smooth greyhound, with larger and coarser jaws, but this latter 

 part is rendered more striking by the coarser hair which covers 

 the nose. The eyebrows also rise less than in the greyhound, the 

 skull and nose in their upper outlines being nearly, though not 



