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In describing the greyhound it is usual, and indeed almost necessary, to consider him as used for the two purposes already mentioned, that is to say,-1st, as the private, and 2ndly, as the public, greyhound; for though externally there is no difference whatever, yet in the more delicate organization of his brain and nerves there is some obscure variation, by which he is rendered more swift and clever in the one case, and more stout and honest in the other. In the horse the eye readily detects the thoroughbred, but this is not the case here; for there are often to be met with most beautifully formed greyhounds of private blood, which it would be impossible to distinguish from the best public breeds by their appearance, but which in actual trial would be sure to show defective speed and cleverness. This being the case I shall first describe the general characteristics of both, and afterwards those in which they differ from one another.

The points of the greyhound will be described at length, because as far as speed goes, he may be taken as the type to which all other breeds are referred; but, before going into these particulars, it will be interesting to examine the often-quoted doggrel rhymes, which are founded upon a longer effusion originally published by Wynkyn de Worde in 1496, and to institute a comparison between the greyhound, of the fifteenth and nineteenth centuries. In the former of these periods it was said that this dog should have—

"The head of a snake,

The neck of the drake,
A back like a beam,

A side like a bream,

The tail of a rat,

And the foot of a cat."

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Now, although the several points herein mentioned may be enlarged upon, it is scarcely possible to dissent from any one of them but, as all my readers may not exactly know the form which is meant to be conveyed by the side of a bream for instance, it is necessary to explain it in more intelligible language.

1st. The HEAD, it is said, should be snake-like, but this is not to be taken literally, as that of the snake differs considerably from the head of any specimen of the greyhound which has ever come under my observation. Every snake's head is flat and broad, with the nose or snout also quite compressed, while the head of the greyhound, though flat at the top, is comparatively circular in its transverse section, and the nose is irregularly triangular. There is no doubt that the greyhound of former days, before the cross of the bulldog was introduced, had a much smaller head than that which is now seen; and I also believe that some breeds at present existing may be ascertained to be free from this cross, by their small brain-cases; but, still, none have the perfectly flat head of the reptile in question. The tyro, therefore, who looks for a literal interpretation of the first line of the rhyme will be disappointed. My own belief is that a full development of brain gives courage and cleverness, but leads to such a rapid acquirement of knowledge relative to the wiles practised by the hare, as to make the dog possessing it soon useless for anything but killing his game, which he is often able to do with absolute certainty. Hence it is important to bear this in mind, and to take care not to overdo this characteristic. In all cases, the more the development is increased behind the ears, the higher will be the courage; and if this can be

obtained without a corresponding increase in the diameter in front of those organs, there will be no attendant disadvantage, as the intellectual faculties no doubt reside in the anterior part of the brain. The best average measurement opposite the ear in dogs of full size is about 15 inches, and for bitches, 14 or 14}. The jaw should be very lean, and diminishing suddenly from the head, not gradually falling off in one uniform line. The teeth are of great importance, as, unless they are strong and good, the hare cannot be seized and held. They should be white, strong, and regular, showing strength of constitution, as well as being useful in the course. As a rule, the incisor teeth meet each other, but some dogs are underhung like the bulldog, and others the reverse like the pig; that is to say, one or other set of teeth overlaps those above or below, as the case may be. The former is not of much consequence unless very much marked, when it diminishes the chance of holding the hare; but the latter is certainly prejudicial, and a "pig-jawed " greyhound should never be selected, though I have known one or two good killers with this formation. The eye should be bright and tolerably full, the colour varying with that of the coat. The ears are generally recommended to be soft and falling, and pricked ears are despised, as being terrier-like, but some good breeds possess them, nevertheless, probably deriving them from the bulldog. I cannot, therefore, lay any great stress upon this point in the formation of the head.

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The NECK also, though compared to that of a drake, is a long way from being as thin, but, nevertheless, it may be said that it

should be as drake-like as possible. The object of this is to enable the greyhound to stoop and bear the hare without being put out of his stride. The proper average length of the neck is about equal to that of the head.

The beam-like BACK is all-important, for without strength in this department, though high speed may be obtained for a short distance, it is impossible to maintain it, and then we have a flashy animal, who is brought up at the end of a quarter of a mile. What is meant by the comparison to the beam is not only that it shall be strong, but that the back shall have the peculiar square form of that object. There is a long muscle which runs from the hip forwards to be attached to the angles of the ribs, and this, if well developed, gives great power in turning, so that it is a very essential point, and upon the size of it the squareness mainly depends. Without width of hip no back can be strong, since the muscles have no possibility of attachment in sufficient breadth, and the same may be said of the ribs. In examining, therefore, a dog out of condition, the experienced eye often detects the probability of the future development of a good back, even though there is no appearance of muscle at the time; because, the bones being of good size and breadth, there is every reason to expect, with health and good feeding, that they will be covered by their usual moving powers, and will then show the substance which is desired. It is also desirable to have depth of back from above downwards, by which the whole body is "buckled and unbuckled" with quickness and power, as is required in the gallop. The muscles of the abdomen may draw the chest towards the hind legs powerfully, but the action is

too slow, and for quick contraction those of the under side of the back are essential.

By the SIDE is to be understood the chest, which is composed of the two sides combined. The bream-like form of this part depends upon the width at the angles of the ribs, where they curve towards the backbone, and upon which, as I before observed, the size of the back depends. Very round ribs like a barrel are not so desirable as the squared form which I have alluded to, for several reasons which will be given under the anatomical description of this part. Great depth of chest is apt to prevent the dog stooping on rough ground, as he strikes it against high ridges or large stones, but a moderately deep chest is a valuable point, giving plenty of "bellows' room" as it is popularly called. This, however, is provided for better by breadth than depth, and the former should be insisted on more than the latter, provided there is not that round tub-like form of the ribs which interferes with the action of the shoulder-blades, and often accompanies low breeding.

A rat-like TAIL is insisted upon, not as of absolute use in any way, but as a sign of high breeding, without which it is well known the greyhound is comparatively valueless. But it must be understood that it is only in the size of the bones that the similarity should be insisted on, for many good breeds have a considerable quantity of hair upon the tail, though this never ought to be in a bushy form. A slight fan-like distribution of hair is not therefore to be considered objectionable, and in puppies is a mark of hardihood.

Cat-like FEET are much insisted on, and this point has been so much attended to that some breeds have been produced remarkable

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