The Complete Book of the Dog Author:Robert Leighton General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1922 Original Publisher: Cassell and company, ltd. Subjects: Dogs Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Milli... more »on-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. Excerpt: CHAPTER X Coursing and Hunting Dogs The Greyhound -- The Whippet -- Foxhounds -- Harriers And Beagles As distinct from the larger hounds used in hunting and tracking are the swifter dogs engaged in coursing contests and for hunting in packs. The Greyhound. -- This is the oldest and most conservative of all dogs, and his type has altered singularly little during the seven thousand years in which he is known to have been cherished for his speed, and kept by men for running down the gazelle or coursing the hare. The earliest references to him are far back in the primitive ages, long before he was beautifully depicted by Assyrian artists, straining at the leash or racing after his prey across the desert sands. The Egyptians loved him and appreciated him centuries before the Pyramids were built. In those days he wore a feathered tail, and his ears were heavy with a silken fringe of hair. His type was that of the modern Arabian Slughi, who is the direct and unaltered descendant of the ancient hound. King Solomon referred to him (Proverbs xxx. 31) as being one of the four things which " go well and are comely in going." That the Greyhound is " comely in going," as well as in repose, was recognized very early by the Greeks, whose artists were fond of introducing this graceful animal as an ornament in their decorative workmanship. In their metal work, their carvings in ivory and stone, and more particularly as parts in the designs on their terra-cotta oil-bottles, wine- coolers, and other vases, the Greyhound is frequently to be seen, sometimes...« less