The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-02-20


 breeds, in his book on '"The Bloodhound 'i says the animal stands prominently for
 ward as the very highest type of the ca
 nine race. There is majestic nobility about them not present in any other breed. There is no doubt of the antiquity
 of the breed, and they have changed but little in the hundreds of years they have | been known-being readily traced back l to the eighth century, existing in the ear
 Hest ages in the time of the Gauls
 Their disposition is generally misuhder- stood by the those not well versed in | the characteristics of the breed, as many l such consider them ferocious, treach-
 erous blood-thirsty animal endowed witl fierce attributes, while they are in reality | just the reverse, being particularly good tempered, tractable, faithful and reliable,
 and make the very best companions and l guardians for women and children, a gen. ! tier, more humanly intelligent, trust worthy animal does not exist. The very
 presence of 8 bloodhound on the place | has a wholesome moral effect upon
 tramps and negroes.
 There is really but one breed of pure,
 genuine bloodhounds and that is the Eng 1 fish. They have been used in England
 fer centuries for man-trailing. The Eng | fish are the greatest and most successful
 breeders of all live stock in the world.
 and their bloodhounds have been pedi- greed, registered and the blood kept pure and uncontaminated with other crosses | for centuries.
 | Interruptions breeders offer Russian, Si- berian, Cuban and American bloodhounds
 for sale. There is not today, and the history of canine literature does not show | there ever was, bloodhound in either Russia or Siberia. There is absolutely no 1 such animal as the Cuban bloodhound, 1 past or present--the dog frequently called 1 Cuban bloodhound has none of the quali- l ties or characteristics of even hound, much less a bloodhound. They resem- | bled very inferior cross of the Mastiff I end Great Dane more than anything else, l and at no time in their history did they 1 ever attain fixed type. They were used l simply as watch dogs and never for man. | trailing A systematic search recently of the entire island, from Havana to Sam | tiago, failed to disclose even 8 remote l descendent of them, or any one who knew anything about them.
 | The so-called American bloodhound is nothing but the old-time, old-fashioned
 southern pot-licker blaclx-and-tan fox | hound, commonly called negro dogs" in the south. A few of them make man. trailers-the majority of them are worth
 less. Any foxhound, beagle, pointer or |
 mans trail.
 l The American Kennel club persistent ! ly refuses to recognize them as blood- 1 hounds, and they therefore cannot be reg | lstered as such. few breeders of them l got together and started an association
 and registered their dogs, but the Amer l ican Kennel club is the only authorized and recognized stud book for blood l hounds in America.
 Iaklng 1t for granted, the average | trainer is layman in the science of | ecent, the following observations may not come amiss on this mystifying elusive
 subject. It may at least be the means of explanation of many peculiar problems that may arise in his work
 1 Mr. Williams insists that of all the in 1 comprehensible annoying, Inconsistent l exasperating, unfathomable things the trailer of a hound encounters the nature | and theory of scent is entitled to take precedence. The more one studies and l investigates it. the less they seem fo know of it. It is evidently too complex a problem for eminent scientists to ef fectually solve, and after the patient. 1 palnstaking trainer has experimented with it, he will doubtless come to the conclusion that scent is as variable as
 the weather. and 1t is not always the
 iault or his pupil that he cannot work out puzzling trail that under apparent. ly similar existing circumstances was an easy problem.
 1 Atmospheric conditions have more to
 do With 1t than any other one thing, but l It Is not controlled wholly by it. ! freezing obliterates. for time being Ihawlng renews it, while freshly-plowed
 ground, though damp, should prove :, good scent retainer, it is just the re- verse and utterly fails ta hold the scent lof mans trail. Probably from the fact
 that fresh earth is powerful disinfec-
 tant and deodorizer as evidenced by the
 earth closet Brick pavements are far petter than asphalt or concrete. Dust
 covered macadamized roads are very ba Il. while wind blowing and hot sun dissi.
 pates scent Snow moisture and rain re-
 taln It. Dusty rugs and carpets and es- pecially cocoa mating, retain little. if
 any, scent Plank or board walks and
 Nicholson block streets both retain scent While foxhounds can detect the back 1 track of a fox, it is much harder for a bloodhound to know back track of man, although olfactory sensbilities Of a bloodhound is more acute than a fox
 hound. The olfactory sensibilities are | most acute the first moment they come | In contact with membraneous surfaces
 and fade or weaken gradually under con- 1 tinued contact. This accounts for what is called trail petering out.'
 | As proficiency in other arts is only at. l talned by close application, hard work
 and constant unremitting practice, so the art-for surely it is an art--of training a bloodhound requires not only these but a large fund oe love for and mutual bond
 of sympathy and understanding between l man and hound.
 AS the art of training, with its various
 branches and practicing makes an inter- esting subject. anyone desiring informa- ton on the same will be well repaid by securing the above-named book, 'The
 Bloodhound, from MT. Williams. who is
 a southern gentleman and lover. as well as trainer, of the breed.
 The following are points and character istics of the Bloodhound.
 Temperament-In temperament he is 'ex,
 tremenly affectionate, neither quarrel some with companions nor with dogs His nature is somewhat shy, and equally sen
 sitive to Kindness or correction by his
 master Frequently timid when pups Head-The head is narrow in propor- tion to it's length. and long in proportion
 to the body, tapering slightly from the
 temples to the end of the muzzle.
 Skull-The skull is long and narrow
 with the occipital peak pronounced. The
 brows are not prominent, although, owing
 to the deep-set eyes, they may have that
 appearance.