38 DOMESTICATED DOGS. 



this noble breed of dog is entirely extinct. That the breed in its " original 

 integrity" has apparently disappeared cannot be disputed, yet there can be 

 equally little doubt that so much of the true breed is forthcoming, both in the 

 race still known in Ireland as the " Irish wolfhound " (to be met with, however, 

 in one or two places only), and in our modern deerhound, as to allow of the 

 complete recovery of the breed in its pristine grandeur, with proper manage- 

 ment, in judicious hands. It is a fact well known to all modern mastiff breeders 

 who have thoroughly studied the history of their breed, that, until within the 

 last thirty or forty years, mastiffs, as a pure race, had almost become extinct. 

 Active measures were taken by various spirited individuals, which resulted in 

 the complete recovery of the breed, in a form at least equal, if not superior, to 

 what it was of yore. 



Why should not, then, such measures be taken to recover the more ancient, ■ 

 and certainly equally noble, race of Irish wolfhounds? It may be argued 

 that, the services of such a dog no longer being required for sport, his existence 

 is no longer to be desired ; but such an argument is not worthy of considera- , 

 tion for a moment, for how many thousands of dogs are bred for which no work 

 is provided, nor is. any expected of them, added to which, the breed would be 

 admirably suited to the requirements of our colonies. One after another the 

 various breeds of dogs which had of late years more or less degenerated, as, 

 for instance, mastiffs, fox-terriers, pugs, St. Bernards, collies, have become 

 "the rage," and, in consequence, a vast improvement is observable in the 

 numerous specimens shown from time to time. Let us then hope that steps 

 may be taken to restore to us such a magnificent animal as the Irish wolf- 

 hound. 



That we have in the deerhound the modern representative of the old Irish 

 dog is patent ; of less stature, less robust, and of slimmer form, the main 

 characteristics of the original breed remain, and in very exceptional instances 

 specimens " crop up " that throw back to and resemble in a marked manner 

 the old stock from which they have sprung ; for instance, the dog well known 

 at all the leading shows (now for some years lost to sight) as champion Torrum. 

 Beyond the facts that he required a somewhat lighter ear and still more 

 massive proportions, combined with greater stature, he evidently approximated 

 more nearly to his distant ancestors than to his immediate ones. The matter 

 of ear here alluded to is probably only a requirement called for by modern and 

 more refined tastes, as it is hardly likely that any very high standard as to 

 quality or looks was ever aimed at or reached by our remote ancestors in any 

 breed of dogs. Strength, stature, and fleetness were the points most carefully 

 cultivated— at any rate, as regards those used in the pursuit and capture of 

 large and fierce game. 



It is somewhat remarkable that, whilst we have accounts of almost all the 



