friends, "I am wanted at home," and hurried there as quickly as possible. His wife reported the circumstances of the robbery to her husband, who at once called his constable, and saddled his horse.

The two then started off to the scene of the robbery, and after visiting the house and learning all particulars, they went outside. When in the grounds, Finkle said to Voltigeur, "Where are they? Seek 'em," and Voltigeur, putting his nose to the ground, took up the scent and went away at a nice pace, every now and then giving tongue. The night being calm, Voltigeur's voice was heard by many. The hound made out the line of the robbers on to the High-street leading from Boroughbridge to Catterick, and after going about three miles on the High-street he stopped suddenly at a small watercourse that ran under the road. The superintendent dismounted and looked under the bridge, where he found a bundle containing a quantity of linen and silver plate, part of the proceeds of the robbery. He waited there for a time until his man came up, then, remounting, ordered his hound on again! Voltigeur put his nose to the ground, and went back along the same road he had come for about a mile. Then through a gate he made his way to an outbarn and buildings.

Here the bloodhound became more excited, and was baying and giving tongue freely as his owner and his man got up. The superintendent went to one door, and the constable to the other. The former demanded admittance, but all was still as death, and the doors fast. Tom looked about the buildings and found a crowbar, and was then soon into the barn, where he discovered two men concealed in the straw. They appealed for mercy, and prayed him to keep the dog off, and they would yield themselves up quietly. The prisoners were then secured and searched, and upon them was found the remainder of the stolen property. They were taken to Bedale, locked up for the night, next day brought before the magistrates and committed to the assizes, where they were sentenced to five years' penal servitude each, there being previous convictions against them. Voltigeur was of

the Duke of Leed's strain of bloodhounds, some of which were at that time kept at Hornby Castle, Yorkshire.

But dog stories, like the yarns of fishermen and shooters, are apt to become rather monotonous than otherwise, to say nothing of the exaggerations that creep into them occasionally. However, the authenticity of the above interesting account is beyond reproach, hence it was deemed worthy of reproduction here.

Captain Powell, writing in 1892 on the convicts of Florida (London: Gay and Bird), gives some interesting information as to the dogs used there in tracking such criminals as may attempt to escape. He says that, although bloodhounds were first used, they were found quite useless, and at the present time foxhounds were used for man-hunting in all the southern convict camps. These hounds are trained when young to follow the track of a man who is sent to run a few miles through the woods and there is no difficulty whatever in so training them. Indeed, the author tells us that he has had hounds that were "natural man-hunters." He gives an instance where some puppies he was carrying at the time a convict tried to escape were put on his trail, and followed it until he was captured. Captain Powell corroborates what I have already written, that it is a popular error to suppose that hounds

attack a prisoner when they run up upon him. When once the man is brought to bay, they are a great deal too wary to venture close enough to their chase to run the risk of a blow; in fact, they merely act as guides to the men who follow closely on horseback.

Some six years or so ago, at Warwick, in 1886, an attempt was made to hold trials of bloodhounds in connection with the dog show held there. These were, however, a failure, excepting so far as they afforded an inducement to owners of the variety to give a little time and trouble to working their favourites, which hitherto had only been kept for fancy purposes. A little later, similar meetings were held at Dublin, in the grounds of the Alexandra Palace, London, and elsewhere, but in no case could they be called very successful.

I had the good fortune to be present at two particularly interesting gatherings, that took place during the wintry weather of January, 1889, and, maybe, the following particulars, written at the time, give a better idea of the modern capabilities of bloodhounds than could be written now. It must be noted that the hounds mentioned were of the so"show dogs called prize strains, were in the modern acceptation of the term, and, excepting perhaps in ferocity, they would no doubt compare

favourably with any hounds of the kind that lived fifty, a hundred, or more years ago.

Readers will no doubt be aware that, about 1889 and a little earlier, considerable commotion had been caused in the metropolis by the perpetration of some terrible crimes. The police arrangements were quite futile, and the murderers still remain at large. The attention of the authorities was drawn to the fact, that bloodhounds might be of use to them in such a case. Mr. Hood Wright offered the loan of his hound Hector, but, owing to the fact that he required some indemnity in case his dog was killed or injured, Hector remained at home.

Mr. E. Brough was then communicated with, and he brought from Scarborough to London a couple of his hounds, when they had several "rehearsals" in St. James's Park, where they acquitted themselves to the satisfaction of the Chief Commissioner of Police; but it may be said, that, though repeatedly the line of scent was crossed by a strange foot, without throwing off the hound, when the same was done in the streets and on the pavement hounds were quite at fault. Indeed, to be useful in tracking criminals in a town very special training would be needed, and, personally, I believe that bloodhounds, even with that training, would be useless in our large centres for police purposes.

Under fair conditions any bloodhound will, in a few lessons, run the trail of a man a mile or two, or more, whose start may vary from ten minutes or a quarter of an hour, or longer. Some of the more practised hounds can hunt the scent even though it be an hour old, and we know that a couple of Mr. Brough's bloodhounds, early one summer's morning, hunted for a considerable distance the footsteps of a man who had gone along the road eight hours before.

This is, of course, exceptional, but, with a proper course of training during three or four generations, there is no reason to doubt that bloodhounds would be able to reliably make out the trail of a man who had gone three or four hours previously—so long, of course, as his footsteps have not been crossed and recrossed by others, or foiled in any other way.

That hounds will ever be got to track a criminal, or anyone else, on the cold, damp flags continually passed over by pedestrians, as in the streets of London and other large towns, no one who understands them will believe. Such work they never have done, and never will do; nor do the owners themselves aspire to such excellence for their favourites In country districts they may be of aid, but in towns, so far as appearances are at present, the apprehension of criminals must be left to the mental sagacity of the official biped.