set on, and the throat should be clean cut at the angle, and prominent. The shoulders should be well sloped, the blades well back and not too much width between them. Loaded and straight shoulders are very bad faults.

STERN. Should be tolerably long, tapering, and reaching to within an inch and a half off the ground, and about an inch and a half below the hocks. When the dog is still, dropped perfectly straight down, or curved. When in motion it should be curved when excited; in no case to be lifted out of the line of the back. It should be well covered with hair on the inside, thick and wiry, underside longer, and towards the end a slight fringe not objectionable. A curl or ring tail is very undesirable.

A

EYES. Should be dark; generally they are dark-brown or hazel. very light eye is not liked. The eye is moderately full, with a soft look in repose, but a keen, far-away look when the dog is roused. The rims of the eyelids should be black.

BODY.-The body and general formation is that of a greyhound of larger size and bone. Chest deep rather than broad, but not too narrow and flat-sided. The loin well-arched and drooping to the tail. A straight back is not desirable, this formation being unsuitable for going up hill, and very unsightly.

LEGS AND FEET.-The legs should be broad and flat, and good broad forearm and elbow being desirable. Fore legs, of course, as straight as possible. Feet close and compact, with well-arranged toes. The hindquarters drooping, and as broad and powerful as possible, the hips being set wide apart. The hind legs should be well bent at the stifle, with great length from the hip to the hock, which should be broad and flat. hocks, weak pasterns, straight stifles, and splay feet are very bad faults.

Cow

COAT. The hair on the body, neck, and quarters should be harsh and wiry, and about 3 or 4 inches long; that on the head, breast, and belly is much softer. There should be a slight hairy fringe on the inside of the fore and hind legs, but nothing approaching the feather of a collie. The deerhound should be a shaggy dog, but not overcoated. A woolly coat is bad. Some good strains have a mixture of silky coat with the hard, which is preferable to a woolly coat; but the proper coat is a thick, close-lying, ragged coat-harsh or crisp to the touch.

COLOUR is much a matter of fancy, but there is no manner of doubt that the dark blue-grey is the most preferred. Next comes the darker and lighter greys or brindles, the darkest being generally preferred. Yellow and sandy red or red fawn, especially with black points-i.e., ears and muzzles are also held in equal estimation, this being the colour of the oldest known strains, the McNeil and Chesthill Menzies. White is condemned by all authorities, but a white chest and white toes, occurring as they do in a great many of the darkest-coloured dogs, are not so greatly objected to; but the less the better, as the deerhound is a self-coloured dog. A white blaze on the head, or a white collar, should entirely disqualify. In other cases, though passable, yet an attempt should be made to get rid of white markings. The less white the better, but a slight tip to the stern occurs in the best strains.

HEIGHT OF DOGS.-From 28 to 30 inches, or even more if there be symmetry, without coarseness, which is rare.

HEIGHT OF BITCHES.-From 26 inches upwards. There can be no objection to a bitch being large, unless too coarse, as even at her greatest height she does not approach that of the dog, and therefore could not have been too big for work, as over-big dogs are. Besides, a big bitch is good for breeding and keeping up the size.

WEIGHT. From 85 to 105 lbs. in dogs, and from 65 to 80 lbs. in bitches.

(The above description was drawn up by Messrs. Hickman and R. Hood-Wright, arranged and finally approved at a meeting of the club, November 26, 1892, and endorsed at a meeting of the club at Shrewsbury, July 19, 1901.)

The deerhound breed has been unfortunate in losing some very fine specimens recently. The dogs recognised as the best by my contributors are Champions Selwood Dhouran, Forester, Ranald of the Mist, and Selwood Braie. I selected the first-named for illustration, and Mr. Hood-Wright sent me a photograph specially taken of the fine old hero. As it happened, it was the last, for he died very soon after, full of age and honours.

Ch. Selwood Dhouran, born in June 1894, was bred by Mr. Hood-Wright, whose property he was, from Ch. Swift ex Selwood Morag, and was the direct descendant of eight champion dogs. He was a dark-steel brindle in colour, measured 32 inches at shoulder, and scaled 95 lbs. His owner describes him as having "a good, well-balanced head, small ears with no fringe, laid back

Perfect in front and in character.

like a rat's; dark, sloe-coloured eyes ; hard coat-plenty of it, with rather a rugged look. By no means a drawing-room dog. He was a litter brother to the equally celebrated bitch Selwood Callack, and between them they won thirty-seven championships, which is a record. Dhouran might have been a trifle more bent at the hocks, but he improved very much in this respect. In the photo the dog of course looks very old. During his show career he won eighteen championships, and over three hundred prizes, including specials and challenge plate of all sorts. He was the sire of Ch. Forester and many other well-known winners. He was passionately fond of horses, and an unequalled pal, and I can truly say of him I shall never look upon his like again."

THE FOXHOUND

THE ideal dog of all time and all races-the canine personification of perfection-the glass of fashion and the mould of form in its symmetry, beauty, speed, stamina, scenting ability, and courage-that is the quality and character claimed for the foxhound by those who know and love it best. "A perfect living model," "Nimrod" called it sixty years ago, and yet considered that a century and a half before that there was no animal in the world resembling the modern foxhound, those used in that distant period being probably like the old Welsh harriers-rough-haired and strong, but of very far from sightly appearance. He attributed the development of the hound indirectly to the development of the horse. As the latter grew faster when it was improved by the blood of the racehorse, it became desirable to increase the speed of the hound, for “the old, low-scenting, plodding hounds, which ran in a string, so to speak, one following the other," could no longer live under new conditions, that required pace and dash. Wherefore the greatest care, attention, and skill were brought to bear on the breeding, development, and selection of the hound, for "a Master of Hounds thought it a reflection on his judgment if one hound in his pack was detected in a fault."

The sport of fox-hunting is of considerable antiquity.