There are two breeds of sporting dogs: the Castorian and the fox- like.[1] The former get their name from Castor, in memory of the delight he took in the business of the chase, for which he kept this breed by preference.[2] The other breed is literally foxy, being the progeny originally of the dog and the fox, whose natures have in the course of ages become blent.[3]
[1] {Kastoriai}, or Laconian, approaching possibly the harrier type;{alopekides}, i.e. vulpocanine, hybrid between fox and dog. [2] Or, "get their appellation from the fact that Castor took delight in the business of the chase, and kept this breed specially for the purpose." Al.
{diephulaxen}, "propagated and preserved the breed which we now have." See Darwin, "Animals and Plants under Domestication," ii. 202, 209.
[3] Or, "and through lapse of time the twofold characteristics of their progenitors have become blent." See Timoth. Gaz. ap. Schneid. ad loc. for an ancient superstition as to breeds.
Both species present a large proportion of defective animals[4] which fall short of the type, as being under-sized, or crook-nosed,[5] or gray- eyed,[6] or near-sighted, or ungainly, or stiff-jointed, or deficient in strength, thin-haired, lanky, disproportioned, devoid of pluck or of nose, or unsound of foot. To particularise: an under-sized dog will, ten to one, break off from the chase[7] faint and flagging in the performance of his duty owing to mere diminutiveness. An aquiline nose means no mouth, and consequently an inability to hold the hare fast.[8] A blinking bluish eye implies defect of vision;[9] just as want of shape means ugliness.[10] The stiff-limbed dog will come home limping from the hunting-field;[11] just as want of strength and thinness of coat go hand in hand with incapacity for toil.[12] The lanky-legged, unsymmetrical dog, with his shambling gait and ill- compacted frame, ranges heavily; while the spiritless animal will leave his work to skulk off out of the sun into shade and lie down. Want of nose means scenting the hare with difficulty, or only once in a way; and however courageous he may be, a hound withunsound feet cannot stand the work, but through foot-soreness will eventually give in.[13]
[4] Or, "defective specimens (that is to say, the majority) are to be noted, as follows."[5] {grupai}.
[6] {kharopoi}. Al. Arrian, iv. 4, 5.
[7] Or, "will probably retire from the chase and throw up the business through mere diminutiveness."[8] Or, "a hook-nosed (? pig-jawed, see Stonehenge, "The Dog," p. 19, 4th ed.) dog has a bad mouth and cannot hold."[9] Or, "a short-sighted, wall-eyed dog has defective vision." [10] Or, "they are weedy, ugly brutes as a rule."[11] Or, "stiffness of limbs means he will come off." Cf. "Mem." III.
xiii.6.
[12] Lit. "a weak, thinly-haired animal is incapable of severe toil." [13] Or, "Nor will courage compensate for unsound feet. The toil andmoil will be too great to endure, and owing to the pains in hisfeet he will in the end give in."Similarly many different modes of hunting a line of scent are to be seen in the same species of hound.[14] One dog as soon as he has found the trail will go along without sign or symptom to show that he is on the scent; another will vibrate his ears only and keep his tail[15] perfectly still; while a third has just the opposite propensity: he will keep his ears still and wag with the tip of his tail. Others draw their ears together, and assuming a solemn air,[16] drop their tails, tuck them between their legs, and scour along the line. Many do nothing of the sort.[17] They tear madly about, babbling round the line when they light upon it, and senselessly trampling out the scent. Others again will make wide circuits and excursions; either forecasting the line,[18] they overshoot it and leave the hare itself behind, or every time they run against the line they fall to conjecture, and when they catch sight of the quarry are all in a tremor,[19] and will not advance a step till they see the creature begin to stir.
