ed a doubt of its possessing the sagacity,
fidelity, and attachment of other dogs; but when he is kindly treated
and domesticated, he is capable of showing them to an equal degree
with any of the canine race.

Some of the best coursing in England takes place on the Wiltshire
Downs, where it is no uncommon sight to see a hare run away from two
good dogs without a single turn. Nearly three hundred years ago, Sir
Philip Sidney referred to this sport on the Wiltshire Downs in one of
his poems, in which he remarks:--

"So, on the downs we see, near Wilton fair,
A hasten'd hare from greedy greyhounds go."

The following account of the Persian greyhound appeared in the "Book
of Sports:"--

"The Persian greyhound is much esteemed in its native country, where
the nobles, who are excessively fond of the chase, keep a great number
of them at a considerable expense, the best and most favoured dogs
frequently having their collars and housings covered with precious
stones and embroidery.

"These greyhounds are employed in coursing hares in the plains, and in
chasing the antelope. As the speed of the antelope is greater than
that of the greyhound, the Persians train hawks for the purpose of
assisting the dog in this kind of chase. The hawks when young are fed
upon the head of a stuffed antelope, and thus taught to fly at that
part of the animal. When the antelope is discovered, the hawk is cast
off, which, fastening its talons in the animal's head, impedes its
progress, and thus enables the greyhounds to overtake it. The chase,
however, in which the Persians chiefly delight, and for which those
greyhounds are most highly valued, is that of the ghoo-khur, or wild
ass. This animal, which generally inhabits the mountainous districts,
is extremely shy, and of great endurance, and is considered by the
Persians as one of the swiftest of all quadrupeds. These qualities,
and the nature of the ground over which it is usually chased, render
the capture of the wild ass very uncertain, and its pursuit extremely
hazardous to the sportsman.

"When the Persians go out to hunt the wild ass, relays of greyhounds
are placed at various distances in the surrounding country, in such
directions as are most likely to be traversed by the object of
pursuit; so that when one relay is tired, there is another fresh to
continue the chase. Such, however, is the speed and endurance of the
ghoo-khur, that it is seldom fairly run down by the greyhounds