This dog is now more ornamental than useful, his former trade of retrieving wounded deer in Scotland being often entrusted to colleys, whole or half-bred, and cross-bred dogs of various kinds, but in the south his grand size and outline make him a great favourite with country gentlemen, and more especially with the ladies of their families. For this fashion Sir Walter Scott with his Ban and Buskar, immortalised in "Waverley," is mainly responsible, as with the Dandie Dinmonts in "Guy Mannering".

There is no doubt that the Scotch deerhound and the thorough Scotch greyhound were identical in shape, and could scarcely be distinguished by good judges, and even by them only when at work, the deerhound galloping with his head considerably higher than the greyhound. Pari passu with the disappearance of the rough greyhound has been the rarity of the deerhound in modern days, the former being displaced by the smooth breed, and the latter by various crosses, e.g., that between the foxhound and greyhound advocated by Mr. Scrope; the mastiff and greyhound cross of the Earl of Stamford, and all sorts of crosses between the colley and greyhound, rough as well as smooth, as mentioned above. In the present day pure deerhounds kept for the retrieving of deer are comparatively rare, and I believe even those in Her Majesty's kennel are not used for that purpose. Hence it is idle to attempt to describe this dog solely from the deerstalker's point of view, and he must be estimated rather from an artistic standpoint, in which capacity he rivals, and perhaps surpasses, all his brethren, having the elegant frame of the greyhound united with a rough shaggy coat, which takes off the hardness of outline complained of by the lovers of the picturesque as attaching to the English "longtail." Still, though the deerhound of modern days is to be considered as a companionable dog rather than as a deer retriever, as he has always hitherto been regarded as coming under the latter category, and is so classed in all our shows, I snail not attempt to displace him from his old time-honoured position.

As a companion he must depend for a good character on his ornamental appearance, rather than on his utility as a protector of dames, in which capacity he is quite useless as compared with the mastiff, St. Bernard, or Newfoundland. He is not so quarrelsome as the colley, but when attacked defends himself with great power, quickness, and courage. His chief defect as a companion is his proneness to chase any moving object, and he will even pick up little dogs, especially if they attempt to run away from him; and if not broken early from this habit, he often occasions trouble to his owner. On the other hand, he is seldom offensive to strangers, but he does not take to children, and is seldom to be trusted with them. Unless well broken, he will chase hares and rabbits, and of course deer, and on that account he should not be taken into deer parks or game preserves by those who are not sure of being able to control him.

The disproportion between the sexes is greater than in any other breed of dogs, the average difference in height in the same litter being often from five to six inches.

When this dog is slipped at a wounded deer, he pursues it either by scent or sight, the latter being, of course, used in preference, but the nose being lowered for the trail the moment the deer is lost to the eye. In hunting the trail, however hot and fresh, the deerhound does not throw his tongue out as a rule, though, as is the case even with some of the highest bred greyhounds, occasionally a low whimper is heard. When a stag stands at bay, the dog opens with a loud sharp bark, and continues till his master appears to give the coup de grace, unless his quarry is sufficiently exhausted by loss of blood to permit his pinioning him; but a stag in possession of his full powers is beyond the reach of any dog from the front, and a well-bred deerhound does not make the attempt unless he sees an opening from behind. A cross with the bulldog was tried some years ago in order to give courage, which it did; but it also gave the peculiar bulldog tendency to go at the head of the deer, and led to the loss of so many valuable animals that it was abandoned.

The numerical value of the points of this dog is as follows:

Points Of The Deerhound

Grand Total 100.

1. In Shall (Value 10)

1. In shall (value 10) the deerhound resembles the large coarse greyhound, it being long and moderately wide, especially between the ears. There is a very slight rise at the eyebrows so as to take off what would otherwise be a straight line from tip of nose to occiput. The upper surface is level in both directions.

2. Nose And Jaws (Value 5)

The jaws should be long and the teeth level and strong. Nostrils open but not very wide, and the end pointed and black; cheeks well clothed with muscle, but the bone under the eye neither prominent nor hollow.

3. Ears And Eyes (Value 5)

The ears should be small and thin and carried a trifle higher than those of the smooth greyhound, but should turn over at the tips. Pricked ears are sometimes met with, as in the rough greyhound, but they are not correct. They should be thinly fringed with hair at the edges only; that on their surfaces should be soft and smooth. Eyes full and dark hazel, sometimes by preference blue.

4. The Neck (Value 10)

4. The neck (value 10) should be long enough to allow the dog to stoop to the scent at a fast pace, but not so long and tapering as the greyhound. It is usually also a little thinner than the corresponding part in the dog.

5. Chest And Shoulders (Value 10)

The chest is deep rather than wide, and in its general formation it resembles that of the greyhound, being shaped with great elegance, and at the same time so that the shoulders can play freely on its sides. The girth of a full sized dog deerhound should be at least two inches greater than, his height, often an inch or two more, but a round unwieldy chest is not to be desired, even if girthing well, shoulders long, oblique, and muscular.