THE GREYHOUND, BY "STONEHENGE."
Tag greyhound is evidently an aristocratic beast among dogs, and yet his aristocracy is not that which is most congenial to the English aristocrat among men, who prefers the more squat and sturdy, more gregarious, less refined, and not so selfish,—hand- some very in the sportsman's eye, but after a more lumpish, utili- tarian kind, —the dourer foxhound. This is a quaint illustration perhaps of the utilitarian laws which hold so large a place in English life, but a still quainter illustration of those laws it is that in England the greyhound is chiefly dear to the burly Eng- lish farmer. superficial reason is tolerably plain. Coursing is comparatively cheap. It costs less money, takes less time, and a farmer who has neither the pocket nor the prestige to keep a. pack of foxhounds can keep his greyhounds, win his cup, savour the triumphs of his superior breed, enjoy the personal company of his beautiful pets, which the master of foxhounds, by the bye, cannot, and last not least, get his hour's cheap enjoyment con- veniently near his own farm, with excitement enough to boot, without running thirty miles on end away from his work after a brush that will certainly not be presented to him.
The modern book on the management of the horse, the cow, the land, the labourer, the farmer, the ox, the ass, the dog, the cat, and even, we dare say, the mouse, is among the better splen- dours of modern publication. The paper suggests the farm's own cream, while the binding recalls the mingled gravity and decorum, the wealth and respectability, the Sunday gloss of English village life. Among them all we have seen no more beautiful example than Mr. Lougman's very beautiful new edition of The Greyhound, by "Stonehenge." At first sight, if the book itself were not so taking, the title, which speaks of "breeding, and rearing, and training, of diseases and treatment, and of 'national' rules for the management of coursing meetings," &c., &c., might seem a little repelling to the unprofessional reader. But the truth is the volume is exceedingly interesting even to readers who, like ourselves, have no special knowledge of the subject. The plates alone, beautifully drawn and engraved, of the most celebrated greyhounds are full of character and most suggestive. The moral nature and physical characteristics of the animals are as clearly marked as in the human face. There is " Blacklock," with his meek, anxious, and refined, but steady and far-off gaze, and "War Eagle," with his cart-horse look, his vulgar, coxcomb determination, and magnificent pace. There is poor, little, vulgar- looking " Tendresse," who looks indeed all tenderness, and pity, and shame, in a sort of mute apathy and despair over her own unspeakable plainness, but who has fine game points for all that, and won the Newmarket stakes "against all ages." Then there is "Cactus," as long as an eel and a little like a hytena in the face. But if half our readers have not met "Miss Hannah" in London society, then we have no experience whatever, —with her sharp, eager look, her cocked ear, cold finesse, drake neck, and acerated nose. Still, however little we may sympathize with her, sympathizing much more with thg lovely and retiring Chloe and princely Bedlainite, we cannot quite forgive the flippant manner in which "Stonehenge" thinks proper to speak of "Miss Hannah's" "innumerable children."
The long and dreary list of ills to which greyhound flesh is heir to is another proof, if proof were needed, of his aristocratic breeding.' The greyhound is subject to "general diseases, with and without increased action of the heart," to "local diseases attended with inflammation," to accidents," just like any other mortal, and we grieve to say, "parasites," like any Christian or Irish child. He suffers from ephemeral fever, and epidemic catarrh, and typhus fever, and rheumatic fever, often ending in palsy and small-pox. Ile suffers from chest-founder, and St. Vitus's dance, and rickets (we saw a poor young greyhound with them the other day very cheerful before and very sad behind), and enlarged joints, and chronic general dropsy, and cancer, and other malignant diseases, and epilepsy (poor thing !), and anaemia. He suffers from inflammation of the brain, and inflammation of the eye, and inflammation of the ear, and inflammation of the throat, and inflammation of the lungs, and inflammation of the heart, and inflammation of the stomach, and inflammation of the intestines, and inflammation of the liver, from jaundice, and acute dropsy, and calculus, and finally, from inflammation between the toes.
" Stonehenge " treats of all these with the lucid pen of a man of science, the tenderness of true philanthropy, the straightforward- ness of a sportsman, and the feelings of a gentleman. This disposed of, he addresses himself to the moral sentiment of * The Greyhound in 1864. By " &one hellhe." London: Lonsulan. mankind, and he demonstrates the innocence of public coursing compared with racing. Very good. But surely "Stonehenge " does not absolutely eschew racing, does he? It would be a pity, we think. But if he does, we will take an early opportunity of following his own method in his own behalf, and endeavour to prove to his entire satisfaction the innocence of racing compared with some other thing, which we shall try and discover in the meantime. But this is parenthetical. It would hardly be possible to surpass the tenderness and delicacy of "Stonehenge "for the feel- ings of the sick greyhound. Thus, "on visiting a sick dog you must be very careful not to alarm him. Enter the kennel as if your object was anything but what it is. Then, as if ifiapromptu, take some slight notice of the dog, and carefully make your observa- tions without attracting his attention or alarming his fears. At this time observe the state of the eyes, and note the breathing, whether natural or quicker than usual, whether the dog lies on his side, or curled up, or sits up on his hind-legs. Note also if he sighs continually, or has hiccup, or expresses pain by whining or moaning, or suddenly darting his nose towards his flank, or chest, or any other part of his body. . . . During this examination various qutions may have been asked quietly of the attendant and answered, relative to cough, appetite, &c., after which . . . . patting the dog very gently on the head, place the hand on the region of the heart, and ascertain whether it beats regularly, and at its usual velocity of from ninety to a hundred beats per minute. The ear or the stethoscope may then be applied to the chest." And so forth, with velvet love. We can fancy a young dog being sincerely touched, but an old dog would be apt to say, " D—n it, doctor, don't come sneaking in, as if I didn't guess what you are up to ! You have seen me after a hare often enough to speak to me like a man. There, there, don't be offended, don't be offended !"
"Stonehenge" has been led by independent speculation to a discovery which, if it be a discovery, will prove of singular importance to dogkind. He has identified, as be believes, " dis- temper " with typhus fever. And certainly the symptoms which he classifies point with great emphasis to his conclusion. If he is right we strongly recommend him to read up the latest results in the treatment of fever, Dr. Chambers on life, and Dr. Anstie on stimulus. If, as he says, dog and man have so much in common in the matter of constitution, and they evidently have, any doctrine of vital stimulus and renovation applicable to the one must, cteteris paribus, be true of the other. To the independent speculations of "-Stonehenge" we will make a little addition ((our own. We believe that hydrophobia may ultimately be found to be a disease of the nervous system, curable by Dr. Chapman's new method of regulating and modifying the functionality of the nervous system by the application of ice to the spine. This would be quite con- sistent with the generation of a physiological, idiopathic, and ommunicable virus, as, for instance, in a case of glanders. But W.3 only throw this out as a hypothesis, suggested by certain analogies between hydrophobia and epilepsy, the latter having in so many cases been treated with apparent success hitherto by Dr. Chapman's method.
A very interesting chapter in the new edition of " Stonehenge " is that on the different racing varieties of the greyhound, which "Stonehenge" divides into five chief classes, namely, the Newmarket, Wiltshire, Lancashire, Scotch, and Yorkshire. The Newmarket greyhound includes the greyhounds used in Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and part of Lincolnshire. The type given is "Czar," who, though only half of Newmarket blood, fully represents the characteristics of the Newmarket variety,—great size, immense speed, tolerable stoutness considering the deficiency in the back and sides, and gaol working powers in proportion to their size and speed. The gallop of these dogs is magnificent, but they cannot work so
clos ely " as a slower animal. If a hare is what is called a "bad" hare, without strength and nobility of soul to break away in order to afford mankind a test and illustration of the superior speed of the flying Newmarket dog, and if, on the contrary, she is only able to live for a few turns, the "tyro must not expect to find a flier whichshall be able to compete with a little, slow, close-working dog." The best Newmarket blood was originally kept by Lord Strad- brooke, Mr. Fyson, and Captain Daintrea. But since "King Cob" and " Fantail " the pure Newmarket blood is represented by a host of first-rate dogs,—" Foremost," " Figaro," "David Deans," "Maw-worm," " Sam" (who seems painfully conscious of his name), and many others, "King Cob," however, "standing out prominently as the sire of more large winners than any dog which ever ran." The Wiltshire greyhound is the opposite of the Newmarket dog, being small, muscular, compact, with untiring energy a-nd great working powers. The Lancashire dog has been bred -ex- clusively for Altcar and Lytham, and everything sacrificed to size and speed, so that he shall be fast enough to his game, and high enough on his legs to see the hare while running at a hundred yards' distance and up to his elbows in stubble, as is often the case at Lytham. The Scotch dog can hardly be looked upon ars variety, as its own sub-varieties are so numerous, but most of the true Scotch dogs have this defect in common with their country- men, that they are apt to be too canny. They are too intelligent, very soon enter to their game, require very little practice before being perfect in their parts, are very hardy, they run with great fire and speed in their puppyhood, "but soon learn to take liberties." They do not run slack like the Lancashire, but soon begin "to cheek their hare and worry her to death." Finally, the "Yorkshire," or North-country greyhound, is nearly extinct, and is chiefly remarkable for a very long head, which we should have expected, and a Roman nose, which we should not. But in truth "Stonehenge" tells us it is useless to make a selection from these five breeds, as they can no longer be said to exist. But if we take public running as a guide, it would appear that most of the most fashionable modern dogs are descended from "King Cob," either through " Figaro " and "Kentish Fire," or through "Sam," who was a grandamt in the female line. Next come the Scotch lines of "Waterloo," "Monarch," and " Bowhill," out of which two lines in various combinations no large stake has been won for
some years past. • Eleven years have elapsed since the publication of the first edition. Since that time " Stonehenge " has acquired much expe- rience both on the coursing-ground and on the score of kennel management, and to the record of this he has added, moreover, the decisions of "The National Coursing Club," and the new rules which he helped to draw up in conjunction with Lord Sefton and Mr. C. Jardine. We miss an index to the volume. In the present day a manual and book of reference without an index, and a complete and accurate index, is like a pig in a fair with a soaped tail. We will only add in conclusion, that " Stone- henge" is manifestly a disciple of the principle of natural selection, of which he gives very striking illustrations.
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