And now a gallant tomb they raise,
With costly sculpture decked;
And marbles, storied with his praise,
Poor Gêlert's bones protect.

Here never could the spearman pass,
Or forester, unmoved;

Here oft the tear-besprinkled grass
Llewellyn's sorrow proved.

And here he hung his horn and spear;
And oft, as evening fell,

In fancy's piercing sounds would hear Poor Gêlert's dying yell.

CHAPTER V.

THE DEERHOUND, THE WOLF-DOG, ETC.

The dog possesses many a good

And useful quality, and virtue too.
Attachment never to be weaned or changed
By any change of fortune; proof alike
Against unkindness, absence, or neglect.
Fidelity that neither bribe nor threat
Can move or warp; and gratitude for small
And trivial favours, lasting as the life,
And glistening even in the dying eye.

EITHER Rover nor Fanny have any particular liking for fine clothes or fine houses; they

love their masters just as well whether they be rich or poor, princes or beggars. The cat is attached to the house, but the dog's

love and faithful service is for his master.

The affection of the Deerhound, or Highland Greyhound as it is sometimes called, has fewer opportunities for display than are possessed by many other kinds of dogs. Being kept only for sporting purposes, and his excellent qualities confined to the one description of sport, that of hunting the stag, his faithfulness and attachment to his master is but ill considered. Like our Greyhound, he has a long, sharp face, a slender body, and a long thin tail, curved upwards; but he is altogether a stronger and more firmly built animal than the Greyhound. He carries his head high, as if he knew his worth, and is really a noble-looking fellow. He hunts by both sight and scent, and is more cunning and ferocious than his English namesake. Holinshed, the old English chronicler, tells a story of the mischief that ensued from the stealing of one of these dogs:

"Once upon a time divers of the Pictish nobility went to Crainlint, King of the Scots, to hunt and make merry with him; but when they were departing homewards, they, perceiving that the Scottish Greyhounds did far exceed their own in hardiness, swiftness, and courage, requested that some might be given to them. Their request being complied with, they took with them several male and female dogs of the kind they wanted. But not contented with receiving these as gifts, they had the meanness to steal a fine Deerhound belonging to the

E

Scotch king. As soon as the master of the hounds came to be aware of the theft, he was so angry that he went after them, and accused them of the act. They resented his interference, quarrelled with him, and brutally used him so that he died. The Scots going home from hunting, hearing the noise occasioned by this cruel act of the Picts, rode after them, and a fierce battle ensued, in which more than a hundred of the Picts were slain, besides many of the Scottish gentlemen." Thus you see that a bad and unworthy action was severely punished. Had the Picts been content with the present made them their lives would have been saved and their honour untarnished.

The Deerhound is still used in Scotland in the sport called deerstalking, and the quietness, caution, and sagacity displayed by the dog in this sport has long been celebrated. The great painter of animals, Sir Edwin Landseer, has given us portraits of Deerhounds in more than one of his noble pictures.

The next dog I shall introduce is

THE IRISH WOLF-DOG.

This dog is in shape something like the Greyhound, but more powerful. Wolves have long been extirpated from the sister island, so that the value of this dog in hunting and destroying them

has become somewhat lessened. The Wolf-Dog is a fine tall fellow; Oliver Goldsmith, in his "Animated Nature," tells us that he knew one as tall as a yearling calf. He is a good and faithful watcher over the property of his master, though for stag or fox hunting he is never used; indeed he is only kept now in the houses of the wealthy, and is looked upon as a great curiosity. I recollect a story of one of these dogs that you will like to hear, as it shows that sagacity and canine affection are not confined to one or two varieties of dogs, but are common to all. A gentleman in Ireland, called Major O'Brien, had two fine Wolf-Dogs, descended from the famous Wolf-Dogs of Spain, their parents having been brought from that country. These dogs were called Watch and Ward. They were in the habit of going out every night to hunt rats and rabbits on the mountain, and many was the fine rabbit they brought home with them and laid at the feet of the cook, asking only for the entrails as their reward. Well, one night they went out as usual, and it was observed the next morning that Watch came home alone. The poor dog pined and moped about the house and seemed very uneasy; and it was noticed that as soon as he was fed he hastened away with his meal instead of eating it, and that he hung about the dinner table and kitchen in a most strange manner, snapping very greedily at any pieces or crumbs that fell. The