The barrel of moderate length, ribs deep and well sprung; loins and hind quarters very muscular; the tail of great length, set on high, thick at the base, and tapering, but not to a fine point - very pliant. "Stonehenge" pays "gracefully waving;' another writer says "lashing," and carried moderately high; but it is of little consequence which description we accept.

Colour has been, if it is not still, a vexed question. "Stonehenge " says "black-tan, or deep and reddish fawn (no white should be shown but on just the tip of the stern)." "Dogs of the British Islands" (first edition) says "a reddish tan, darkening gradually towards the upper parts till it becomes black on the back. A white patch on the body, a white face, or a streak down it, proclaims a stain which is death to all hope of purity of blood."

I cannot believe in colour as an infallible test of purity of blood. I have seen how these hounds were bred from those of various colour, and Pennant, writing the end of last century, claims for them a black spot over each eye - a characteristic of the old Southern hound. Does this ever appear in litters now ? Mr. Holford, a successful modern breeder, says: "There is almost invariably more or less white on the chest.....The less white on the feet the better. There should be no white on any other part of the body, though few breeders would reject a dog solely on account of colour if all other points were good."

Those that are spotted with white are esteemed by many, and, when thus faintly flecked or dappled, the effect is greatly to enhance the appearance of the dog in the eyes of many. I certainly very much admire it, but question its being any proof of purity.

The coat is short, fine, and thick, but, of course, this is much modified by the circumstances of rearing, keeping, and work. The voice, once heard, is not to be forgotten: it is awfully deep and loud, with a prolonged sonorous melody; and, heard at night, when the mountain echoes sullenly fling back a dull response, it has quite a solemn and weird effect.

The points of the bloodhound, as generally accepted, are:

Among the best bloodhounds that have been exhibited, I may enumerate Major J. A. Cowan's Druid, Dauntless, Dingle, Draco; Mr. T. A. Jennings's Druid; Mr. C. E. Holford's Regent, Matchless, and Trimbush; Mr. E. Reynolds Bay's Roswell, Baron, and Baroness; Mr. Edwin Brough's Rufus; Sir Powell-Buxton's Luath, and Capt. Clayton's Luath; and those now (1878) that take the lead at our exhibitions are Mr. Bird's Brutus; Capt. J. W. Clayton's Luath XL, too pale coloured for modern fancy, but a grand hound, with a long, deep, narrow head, peaked skull, and abundance of flew, wrinkles, and dewlap; Mr. Leger G. Morrell's Rollo, rich in colour, and grand in head; Mr. Mark Beaufoy's Merton; Mr. Herbert Singer's Judge, a stout built, dark coloured, and excellent young hound; and Mrs. Humphries' Don, without exception the finest made specimen of the breed I have seen, full of quality, with all the special attributes of the bloodhound well developed, although the skull is neither quite so narrow or peaked as in some of his competitors.

Of first-class bitches, Mr. J. C. Tinker's Dido, I think, ranks the highest, and her success in the show ring has been uninterrupted. Mr. Johnstone Auld's Harmony, Dr. Forbes Winslow's Bell, and Mrs. Humphries's Haidee, are also magnificent hounds of the true type.

Through the courtesy of their owners, I am enabled to give particulars of measurements of some of the above-mentioned hounds, which will be of use for comparison with others.

Mrs. Humphries's Don: Age, 4½ years; length from nose to set on of tail, 49in.; length of tail, 18in.; girth of chest, 35in.; girth of loin, 29¾in.; girth of head, 18in; girth of forearm, 8¾in.; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, 13in.; ears from tip to tip, 27½in.; each ear, 9½in.; between ears, 8½in.; depth of flews, 6¼in.

Mr. J. T. Tinker's Dido: Age, 1 year 7½ months; weight. 871b.; height at shoulder, 25¾in.; length from nose to set on of tail, 45¾in.; length of tail, 18½in.; girth of chest, 33in.; girth of loin, 26in.; girth of head, 18in.; girth of forearm, 8¾in.; length of head from occiput-to tip of nose, 11¼in.; length of ears from tip to tip, 25in.

Capt. J. W. Clayton's Luath XI.: Age, 4 years; weight, 1071b.; height at shoulder, 27in.; length from nose to set on of tail, 46in.; length of tail, 19in.; girth of chest, 36in.; girth of loin, 32in.; girth of head, 23in.; girth of forearm, 9in.; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, 13in.; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, 14in.; length from tips of ears across forehead, 26in.

Mr. W.Herbert Singer's Judge: Age, 1 year 7 months; weight,'891b.; height at shoulder, 2 7in.; length from nose to set on of tail, 48½in.; length of tail, 18½in.; girth of chest, 33½in.; girth of loin, 27in.; girth of head, 17in.; girth of forearm, 9¼in.; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, 12in.; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, l0½in.; length of ears from tip to tip, 29in.

Mr. J. E. W. Wilbey's Cassy (6861): Age, 2 years 8 months; height at shoulder, 24½in.; length from nose to set on of tail, 45in.; length of tail, 16½in.; girth of chest, 32in.; girth of loin, 25in.; girth of head, 19in.; girth of forearm, 8¾in.; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, l0in.; length of ears, 24½in.

Rev. R. Fowler's Druid: Age, uncertain; weight, 941b.; height at shoulder, 24in.; length from nose to set on of tail, 52in.; length of tail, 16in.; girth of chest, 14in.; girth of loin, 34½in.; girth of head, 27in.; girth of forearm, 10½in.; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, 13in.; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, 18in.; ears from tip to tip, 27in.

Rev. B. Fowler's Lufra: Age, 3 years; weight, 861b.; height at shoulder, 24in.; length from nose to set on of tail. 43in.; length of tail, I7in.; girth of chest, 12in.; girth of loin, 33in.; girth of head, 21in.; girth of forearm, 9¾in.; length of head from occiput to tip of nose, 11in.; girth of muzzle midway between eyes and tip of nose, 13iin.; ears from tip to tip, 26in.

We give an engraving of Mr. E. Bird's Brutus, winner of a cup and two firsts at Birmingham, second twice at Crystal Palace, and also second at Alexandra Palace. Brutus was bred by his owner, and he is by Mr. Reynolds Ray's Roswell out of Rufia, by Mr. Holford's Regent out of Doris, by Rockwood out of Bird's Vengeance; and the following notice of him appeared in The Country report of the Birmingham show, 1875: "Brutus is wonderfully good, although considered by many short in leg, but he has a magnificent head, grandly carried, and is well made throughout; anything he loses in height is compensated by his bone and substance and symmetrical frame."

Don, the subject of our other engraving, is by the old champion Roswell out of Flora, by Rufus out of Hilda. Roswell was by the Duke of Beaufort's Warrior out of sister to Rufus. Don is considered by-many of our best judges the bloodhound of the day, and he is, unquestionably, the best framed and most symmetrical hound of the breed we have seen. He has taken first prize at Manchester, Bristol, Alexandra Palace, and many other places, and the couple of magnificent puppies by him taking second and third prizes at the Irish Kennel Club, April 1, 1879, proves his capability of transmitting his grand proportions.

Although the bloodhound is now rarely hunted in packs, Lord Wolverton still does so, hunting regularly at the present time seventeen and a half couples. His lordship exhibited a few of his hounds at the Bristol show, November, 1878, and fine specimens they were, especially the grand old dog Harold and the beautifully modelled bitch Freedom.