Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 09.djvu/315

* GREYHOUND. 277 GREYHOUND. GREYHOUND (AS. grighund, Icel. grey- hiindi; gicvhound, from Icel. grey, dog [cf. grey- baka, bitch, grey-karl, dogged diurl], Ir., Gael. grech, hound + Iniiidr, AS. hund. Cioth. hunds, hound: ultimately connected with Lat. canis, Gk. Kiwv.kyoii, Olr. eu, Lith.'siiV, Skt..s(,'«», d(jg). SpeciKcally and colloquially, the term 'greyhound' indicates the dog used in England to course the hare, and in America the jack-rabbit. l!ut, in a broader sense, and in fact, the greyhounds are a group of dogs generically known as "long dogs,' having a common origin and form, and, in all eases but one, a uniform method of pursuing their quarry- — that is, by sight and not by scent. They vary from each other only in their hairy covering and the kind of game which they pur- sue, both of which characteristics are due to local environment. The group embraces the English and American greyhounds, the borzoi or Russian wolfhound, the Scotch deerhound, the Irish wolfhound, the Persian and Levantine 'long dogs.' and the Italian greyhound. The earliest notices of the long dogs in litera- ture are these in Ovid's Metamorphoses, and in the poem on ""Hunting" by Gracian the Faliscan. Mention of the Cains GalUetis is also to be found in the works of Martial, Julius Pollu.x, and 0> pian. In the time of Arrian (a.d. 150) coursing with grevliounds had become an established rec- reation, and in the Cynegetiea of Nemesian, in the third century, the greyhound, and the arts of breeding, rearing, and feeding him. are treated at length. There is no doubt as to the similarity of those dogs to the entire group of the dogs of to-day. The greyhound was so highly esteemed that it was protected even by the Salic, Burgun- dian, and German barbaric codes, and Spelman is authority for the statement that at the Court of Charlemagne there was a special officer of the greyhound kennel. The essential characteristics of both the Eng- lish and the American greyhound are keen sight and great speed, consequently they liave great muscular development of the hind legs and great chest capacity. The standard laid down by the Greyhound Club, the ruling authority on the subject, comprises the following points: '"Head, large between the ears, and pointed : long, strong jaws; eye bright and penetrating: ears small and folding when at rest, but semi-pricked when at gaze; a chest fairly deep, and as wide as con- sistent with speed; strong shoulders, a broad and powerful back, and very muscular hind quar- ters." The hair is as close, short, and fine as velvet. Color in the modern dog is by no means as uniform as it must have been in early times, when black or black and white prevailed. Irish Wolfhound or GEEYirouND. This vari- ety has a legendary history of great antiquity, and it was often seen in the Roman arena. The breed has never been absent from the royal kennels of England since the reign of King .John. Un- doubtedly up to the time of the disappearance of the last wolf, about 1710. it was a great rough- coated dog' of the greyhound tj-pe. As the wolf be- came scarce and the dog began to be used more for hunting deer and foxes, it became smaller and more slender, though still of proportions exceeding any other of this type of dog. One measured early in the nineteenth century for the Linn:ipan Society Avas fil inches long, including the tail (1"J^ inches), and stood 2Si[. inches high at the shouf- der. The hair had l)v that time become shorter and smoother, and tlie color varied from browns to black and white. Gradually the breed became smaller, imtil about 1850, when interest in it i(t- vived. and to-dav there are clubs on both sides of the Atlantic devoted to its development. The standard adopted is that of the earlier rough- haired dog, with a minimum height for dogs of 31 inches and 120 pounds weight, with 28 inches and 90 pounds for bitches. Large modern siiecimens have been bred. 'Thiggum Thu' was 34 inches high, and his female mate 30, yet both were true to the type and graceful in their movements. Scotch Deeruound. This is one of the oldest British breeds, is still used for deer-hunting in the Scottish Highlands, and hunts by botli sight and scent. In general appearance it strongly resembles the old Irish wolfhound, with a rough- haired coat, a bearded snout, and half-pricked ears; but it is sharper, swifter, and more saga- cious than the Irish hound. It is a great favor- ite wherever it goes. The clubs especially devot- ed to it call for dogs from 28 to 30 inches high, or even more, weighing from 85 to 105 pounds, with harsh wiry hair 3 to 4 inches long, straight strong fore legs, and hind legs well bent at the stifle, with great length from hip to hock: a chest deep rather than broad, and a very strong neck, an essential for holding a deer. The ear- liest record of the Scotch dcerliound is on the sculptured stones in the churchyard of Meigle, in Perthshire, Scotland, which Chalmers attribut- ed to the ninth century. Borzoi ok Russian Wolfhound. This variety, sometimes called 'psovie,' is one of the greyhound family adapted to withstand the intense cold of the Asiatic plateaus and to travel over snow. To this end all these hounds, whether from Tibet, Persia, or Russia, have an abundance of warm, silky hair, and large hair-covered featherj- feet. The modern specimens, from w'hich the typical show dog is chosen, come from Russia, where the czars have for a long period maintained a large kennel of the best specimens. In that country they are used to kill wolves, and are trained for that purpose. When wolves are sighted the dogs ai-e unleashed. Their great speed enables them to overtake the wolf, which they strike with their fore shoulder and knock over ; as the wolf rises another dog strikes it in like man- ner, imtil the huntsman following on horseback arrives and kills the wolf with spear or knife. While ferocious in the chase, this great hound is at other times most docile and good-tempered. There are two breeds, the Circassian, or shorter- coated, by some considered the better for deep soft snow ; the other having a long, silky, flowing coat, reaching sometimes on the body to a length of 5 inches, while on the tail it sometimes grows to be 14 inches long. Tlie height of good speci- mens varies in males from 28 to 33 inches, and in females from 26 to 30. and they should weigh from "5 to 105 pounds for dogs, and GO to 80 pounds for bitches. The legs are very flat in the bone, giving them an exceedingly slender look from the front, and the feet are long, with a profusion of soft hair. The hind legs are set somewhat forward, which gives the dog, when standing, the appearance of being slightly hump- backed. The chest is deep and not wide, and the sides are flat, wherein this dog differs entirely from the English greyhoimds. In color the do(^s varv. black and white and tan alternating in well-defined patches.