is doubtless the lineal descendant of the one sculptured on Grecian temples. It is a decidedly less specialised Dog than the English breed, its head being larger, its snout shorter, and its fur longer, especially on the tail.
THE PERSIAN GREYHOUND.
This Dog is slenderer, and has more hairy ears than the English breed. It is “much prized by the Bedouin Sheikhs, and used for the chase of the Gazelle. With its elegant shape, and the long silky hairs of its ears and tail, it is, perhaps, the most beautiful race of its kind.”[113]
THE ITALIAN GREYHOUND
is the smallest variety of the breed, and is used almost exclusively as a pet, for which it is valuable on account of its exquisitely beautiful form and its general amiability ([see figure on p. 116]); but, like many amiable people, it is a thoroughly silly little beast, devoid of all higher canine intelligence, and almost incapable of forming a strong attachment.
In all the Dogs we have yet considered, the brain-case is small, and, in consequence, the intelligence is not of a very high order. In those of which we must now treat, the brain-case, with its contained organ, is of considerable size, giving the Dog the appearance of possessing a large forehead. They all, too, have great power of scent. There are, first of all, a number of Dogs consecutively grouped together under the general term of “Spaniels.”
THE COCKER,
like other Spaniels, has long hair, very long pendent ears, and an elevated tail. It is one of the smallest of its kind, and is chiefly used for flushing Woodcocks and Pheasants in thickets and copses, into which the Setter, and even the Springer, can scarcely enter.
THE SPRINGER
is used for the same purpose as the Cocker, but is a larger, stronger, and steadier Dog.