Bewick says that the Kibble-hound of his day was a cross between the old English Hound and the Beagle, which would give a low hound, but not a swift one; indeed, lowness and swiftness are incompatible. Whether the Dachshund is a Kibble-hound, or even what a Kibble-hound exactly was, is not very clear, for kennel terms vary greatly in meaning in course of time.

The word Dachshund means "badger dog," and not "hound," as that term is used by our hunting men. He has, however, notwithstanding his use as a Terrier, many of the properties of the hound, and varietally should be classed with them; indeed, our own native Terriers are classed with the hounds by Caius, although many of our existing varieties are of very different type from hounds. The term "Kibble-hound" may have been applied to such as were short and crooked in the leg, as if broken, and, in that sense, the Dachshund, the Basset, and some of our Dandie Din-mont Terriers, may be called Kibble-hounds.

During the last few years Dachshunds have immensely increased in numbers. It is, however, doubtful whether as regards quality and character the dog has progressed with equal steps. In fact, the Dachshund is becoming more and more a fashionable pet than a workman - a quality with which the breed was associated when it was first introduced in this country.

The following was contributed to the First Edition of this work by "Vert," whose large experience of Dachshunds entitles his opinions on the breed to be considered authoritative: -

"So much has been said and written on this breed of dogs during the few years that they have had a place in the prize schedules of our shows, that in treating the subject we shall endeavour to unsay some of the nonsense that has from time to time been put forth by some of those journals whose pages are opened to the discussion of canine matters, in one of which a certain amusing correspondent, in a playful moment, tells his readers that the ears of the Dachshund cannot be too long. Another says the body cannot be too long. Then we read that the legs cannot be too short or too crooked, with such impossible measurements as could only be found in the fertile brain of the writer. At shows we have had our special attention drawn to the veriest mongrels, and been held by the button by enthusiastic owners, and had glaring defects pointed out as characteristics of the pure breed; but, being unable to draw on our credulity to that extent, we have had to fall back on our stock of charity, and call to mind that even Solomon was young once in his lifetime. There is no breed of dogs that the English have been so tardy in taking to as the Dachshund, Satan and Feldmann being the only representatives of the breed on the Birmingham show-bench for several years; and certainly we had one judge who had the courage to grapple with this little hound when he did make an attempt to emerge from his obscurity, and we have seen the best Dachshund that has yet been exhibited passed over by a couple of ' all-round' judges of high standing at an important show, one of those Solons arguing that he was a Beagle Otter-hound, and the other that he was a Turnspit; neither of them being aware that the Turnspit was little different from a moderate crooked-legged Pug of the present time, and that it would be impossible to confine a long-backed twenty-pound dog in one of those small cages in which the little prisoner had to ply his calling. We have no wish to speculate on the early history of this breed, as, like other cases, it would be a mere leap in the dark from the same source as before alluded to. We have been seriously told that the breed came originally from France, and that once on a time, when the French army invaded Germany, and were capturing towns and provinces, the German nobles, by way of retaliation, invaded France and carried off all the Dachshunds; but as we do not find this theory supported by any authority that we have consulted, possibly the writer of the story may be entitled to the invention also.

The Dachshund is a short-coated, long-backed dog, on very short legs, of about 2olb. weight, and should not be less than 181b., the bitches being 31b. or 41b. less than the dogs. They must be self-coloured, although a little white on the breast or toes should not be a disqualification, as these beauty spots will crop out now and then in any breed of dogs.

The colour most in fashion just now is the fallow red and black-and-tan, but we have very good specimens of various shades of red, more or less smutty, as well as the brown with tawny markings, some of which are very handsome. In black-and-tan we do not demand pencilled toes, as in the Terrier, although, if good in every other respect, we should consider it an acquisition; but we prefer such as nearest approach the standard of excellence, and care little for shades of colour, so that it be any of those above named. The head, when of the proper type, greatly resembles that of the Bloodhound. The ears also are long and pendulous, and in a 20lb). dog should measure from 4½in. to 5m. each, and from tip to tip over the cranium, when hanging down in their natural position, from 13in. to 14in. ; the length from the eye to the end of the nose should be over 3in., 3½ in. being a good length for a dog of 2olb. weight; girth of muzzle, from 8in. to 8½in., which should finish square, and not snipey or spigot-nosed, and the flews should be fairly developed ; the eyes should be very lustrous and mild in expression, varying in colour with that of the coat; the teeth should be very strong and perfectly sound, as a dog with a diseased mouth is of little use for work, is very objectionable as a companion, and is quite unfit for the stud in this or any other breed of dogs; the neck should be rather long and very muscular. We have a brood bitch from one of the best kennels in Germany, in which the dewlap is very strongly pronounced; but this and the conical head are but rarely met with as yet. The chest should be broad, with the brisket point well up to the throat; the shoulders should be very loose, giving the chest an appearance of hanging between them; they should be well covered with muscle, with plenty of loose skin about them. The fore legs are one of the great peculiarities of the breed; these are very large in bone for the size of the dog, and very crooked, being turned out at the elbows and in at the knees; the knees, however, should not 'knuckle,' or stand forward over the ankles, as we frequently see in very crooked-legged dogs, which renders them more clumsy and less powerful. The feet should be very large, and armed with strong claws, and should be well splayed outwards, to enable him to clear his way in the burrow. Terrier-like fore feet cannot be tolerated in the Dachshund, as great speed is not required, the great essentials being: a good nose for tracking; a conformation of body that will admit of his entering the badger earth, and adapting himself to his situation; and a lion heart and power to grapple with the quarry, in the earth or in the open - and these are no small requirements. We are frequently told So-and-so's Terrier has finished his badger in some very small number of minutes. But there are badgers and badgers - baby badgers; and if we are to believe a tithe of what we hear on this head, the supposition is forced upon us that a great many badgers die in their infancy.