Page:The power of the dog.djvu/39

 Turbervile says that the slowest greyhound that ever ran would overtake a fox, but owing to Reynard's propensity for showing tight it was desirable only to use old and crafty hounds. When a veteran caught a fox you would see him "thrust his forelegges backwardes and fall upon him with his chest: and so save his legges from bytyng when he taketh the Fox."

The three centuries or more that have elapsed since these words were written have probably witnessed few changes in the conformation of the greyhound, the hare still adopts the same subterfuges when chased, but, of course, the rudimentary rules which then regulated the sport have been developed into an elaborate code. Such modifications as have been introduced into the structure of the dog in the course of the ages have been due to the changes in the nature of the quarry he was designed to hunt. The earliest dogs, though possessing similar outlines, were no doubt stronger and somewhat more coarsely built, and as the hare became the sole object of the chase the tendency would be to breed for greater refinement, and consequently more pace. It is almost impossible to imagine a more gracefully built animal than the greyhound of the present time.