QUADRUPEDS. 
21 
THE BLOODHOUND. 
" Conscious of the recent stains, his heart 
Beats quick ; his snuffling nose, his active tail, 
Attest his joy : then with deep opening mouth, 
That makes the welkin tremble, he proclaims 
Th' audacious felon. " 
THE Bloodhound is taller than the old English Hound, 
most beautifully formed, and superior to every other kind 
in activity, speed, and sagacity. It is commonly of a 
reddish or brown colour, with long ears. It seldom barks, 
except in the chase ; and it never leaves its game until it 
has caught and killed it. 
Bloodhounds were formerly used in certain districts 
lying between England and Scotland, which were much 
infested by robbers and murderers ; and a tax was laid 
upon the inhabitants for keeping and maintaining a cer- 
tain number of them. But as the arm of justice is now 
extended over every part of the country, and there is no 
secret recesses where villany may lie concealed, these 
services are no longer necessary. In former times these 
Dogs were used to hunt renegade negroes and others in the 
Spanish West Indies, and many surprising anecdotes are 
told of their wonderful sagacity and power of scent. 
