Chapter II -- Footnotes
Footnote 1: Annals of Sporting, vol. vi. p. 99.
Footnote 2: The superstition of the Arabians and Turks with regard to dogs is somewhat singular: neither have they much affection for these animals, or suffer them to be in or near the camp, except to guard it in the night. They have, however, some charity for the females that have whelps. As for other dogs, they feed them well, and give them good words, but never touch them nor go near them, because dogs are regarded as unclean animals. They particularly drive them away in wet weather; for, if one drop of water from a dog should fall on their raiment, their devotion would be interrupted and useless. They who are fond of hunting make their religion subservient to their pleasure, and say that greyhounds and setters are excepted from the general rule, because when not running these dogs are tied up where nothing unclean can reach them, and they are never suffered to eat any thing unclean. Their opinion is the same with regard to small dogs, which are kept with great care, and no one willingly injures a dog, or, if he should injure purposely, or destroy one of them, the law would punish him.
Chevalier Darvieux's Travels in Arabia Deserta, 1718, p. 155.
Footnote 3: Heber's Narrative, p. 500.
Footnote 4: Histoire du Chien, par Elzear Blaze, p. 54.
Footnote 5: Proceedings of the Zoological Society, Part I. 833.
Footnote 6: Williamson's Oriental Field Sports
Footnote 7: Poiret, in his Travels in Barbary asserts that
"the dog loses in the East a great part of those good qualities that make him the friend of man. He is no longer a faithful domesticated animal, faithfully attached to his master, and ever ready to defend him even at the expense of his own life. He is cruel and blood-thirsty, his look is savage, and his appearance revolting; carrion, filth, anything is good enough for him if he can but appease his hunger. They seldom bite one another, but they unite against a stranger who approaches the Arab tents, and would tear him to pieces if he did not seek his safety in flight."
Vol. i. p. 353.
Denon, when in the city of Alexandria, in Egypt, says,
"I have no longer recognised the dog, that friend of man, the attached and faithful companion — the lively and honest courtier. He is here a gloomy egotist, and cut off from all human intercourse without being the less a slave. He does not know him whose house he protects, and devours his corpse without repugnance."
Travels in Lower Egypt, p. 32.
Footnote 8: Histoire du Chien, p. 200. The Voyage of Dumont d'Urville, vol. ii. p.474.
Footnote 9: Greyhound.
Footnote 10: Overcast, or overrun.
Footnote 11: Ovid, Metamorph., lib. i. v. 353.
Footnote 12: A singular story is told of Richard II, and one of these dogs. It is given in the language of Froissart.
"A grayhounde called Mithe, who always wayted upon the kynge, and would knowe no man els. For when so ever the kynge did ryde, he that kept the grayhounde dyd lette him lose, and he wolde streyght runne to the kynge and faune uppon hym, and leape with his fore fete uppon the kynge's shoulders. And, as the kynge and the Erle of Derby talked togyder in the courte, the grayhounde who was wonte to leape uppon the kynge, left the kynge and came to the Erle of Derby, Duke of Lancastre; and made to him the same friendly continuance and chere as he was wonte to do to the kynge. The duke, who knewe not the grayhounde, demanded of the kynge what the grayhounde wolde do? 'Cousin,' qoud the kynge, 'it is a greate goode token to you, and an evyl signe to me.' 'How knowe you that?' quod the duke. 'I knowe it well,' quod the kynge. 'The grayhounde acknowledgeth you here this daye as Kynge of England, as ye shall be, and I shal be deposed; the grayhounde hath this knowledge naturally: therefore take hyme to you, he wyll followe you and forsake me.' The duke understood well those words, and cheryshed the grayhounde, who would never after followe kynge Richarde, but followed the duke of Lancastre."
Footnote 13: Thacker on Sporting.
Footnote 14: The writer of this work had a brace of greyhounds as arrant thieves as ever lived. They would now and then steal into the cooking-room belonging to the kennel, lift the lid from the boiler, and, if any portion of the joint or piece of meat projected above the water, suddenly seize it, and before there was time for them to feel much of its heat, contrive to whirl it on the floor, and eat it at their leisure as it got cold. In order to prevent this, the top of the boiler was secured by an iron rod passing under its handle of the boiler on each side; but not many days passed ere they discovered that they could gnaw the cords asunder, and displace the rod, and fish out the meat as before. Small chains were then substituted for the cords, and the meat was cooked in safety for nearly a week, when they found that, by rearing themselves on their hind legs, and applying their united strength towards the top of the boiler they could lift it out of its bed and roll it along the floor, and so get at the broth, although the meat was out of their reach. The man who looked after them expressed himself heartily glad when they were gone; for, he said, he was often afraid to go into the kennel, and was sure they were devils, and not dogs.
Footnote 15: Scott's Sportsman's Repository, p. 97.
Footnote 16: Blaine's Encyclopedia of Sporting.
Footnote 17: For a set of laws for Coursing Matches.
Footnote 18: Sportsman,vol. xi. p. 314
Footnote 19: Bell's British Quadrupeds, p. 241.
Footnote 20: Tickell's Miscellanies
Footnote 21: Sporting Mag. 1837, p. 156.
Footnote 22: New Sports. Mag. xiii. 124.
Editorial Supplement A: both author and editor have evidently been deceived as to the appearance of dingos, as this illustration is completely spurious. The dingo does not look, and could not possibly have looked at any stage, anything like this, as contemporary descriptions match the existing appearance, and large jaws and a thin coat are necessary to kill prey up to the size of the red kangaroo and tolerate the extreme heat, respectively. See The Dingo or any other Australian naturalist site on the Net. I strongly suspect in this case that a mischievous person has placed the head and tail of a fox on a dog's body, which adds insult to injury, as the introduced fox has been and is far more of a menace to the country than the dingo. html Ed. (au)
Also see: Dog Breeds Information.