It is perfectly certain, from these and many other accounts, allusion to which want of space renders impossible, that the dog was of vast size and strength, and all agree in stating that, whilst his power was that of the mastiff, his form was that of the greyhound. The "Sportsman's Cabinet," a very valuable old book on dogs, published in 1803, which is illustrated with.very good engravings after drawings from life by Renaigle, R.A.,says, "The dogs of Greece, Denmark, Tartary, and Ireland, are the largest and strongest of their species. The Irish greyhound is of very ancient race, and still to be found in some few remote parts of the kingdom, but they are said to be much reduced in size even in their original climate; they are much larger than the mastiff, and exceedingly ferocious when engaged." A very good and spirited drawing of this dog is given, which almost entirely coincides with the writer's conclusion as to what the Irish wolfhound was and should be, though a rougher coat and somewhat more lengthy frame are desirable. The dogs described in "Ossian" are evidently identical with the Irish wolfhound, being of much greater stature and power than the present deerhound.

From these descriptions, and those given elsewhere, we may conclude that, in addition to the dog's being of great stature, strength, and speed, he was also clothed in rough hair. In support of this, we find that in the present day all the larger breeds of greyhound are invariably rough or long as to coat.

Many writers have incorrectly confounded the Irish wolfhound with the Great Dane, though the two dogs vary entirely in appearance, if not so much in build. It seems more than probable, however, that the two breeds were frequently crossed, which may account for these statements. The late Marquis of Sligo possessed some of this breed, which he was in the habit (erroneously) of considering Irish wolfhounds.

Richardson was at very great trouble to get every information as to the probable height of this dog, but the conclusions arrived at by him (chiefly based on the lengths of the skulls measured by him) would seem to be decidedly wrong, for the following reasons: He states "the skull is 11in. in the bone;" to that he adds 3in. for nose, skin, and hair, thus getting 14in. as the length of the living animal's head. The head of a living deerhound, measured by him, is 10in., the dog standing 29in.; he then calculates that the height of the Irish wolfhound would have been 40in., taking for his guide the fact that the 29in. dog's head was 10in. This would appear to be correct enough, but the allowance of 3in. for extras is absurd. l½in. are an ample allowance for the extras, and if the head is taken at 12½in. the height of the dog will be reduced to 36in. Moreover, the measurement of 10in. for the head of a 29in. deerhound's head is manifestly insufficient, as the writer can testifiy from ample experience and frequent measurements.

A deerhound of that height would have a head at least 11in.; so, calculating on the same principles, the Irish skulls would have been from dogs that only stood 33½in. Richardson says that this skull is superior in size to the others, which would prove that the average must have been under 33½in., and we may safely conclude that the height of these dogs varied from 31in. to 34in. In support of this view the writer would point to the German boarhound; this dog has retained his character from a very remote age, and as he is still used for the capture of fierce and large animals, the breed is not likely to have been allowed to degenerate. The height of this breed varies from 28in. to 33in., the latter being probably the limit to which any race of dogs has been known to arrive.

The writer has numerous extracts from various authors, and many engravings from pictures by artists, dating from the middle of the sixteenth century to the commencement of the present century; but want of space will not allow of their being introduced, though of much interest. From these sources it is gathered clearly that the dog was such as has been above stated; and from these varied accounts the following detailed conclusions as to the appearance and dimensions of the breed are arrived at, though perhaps they may not be considered as absolutely conclusive.

General Appearance And Form

That of a very tall, heavy, Scotch deerhound; much more massive and majestic looking; active, and tolerably fast, but somewhat less so than the present breed of deerhound; the neck thick in comparison to his form, very muscular and rather long.

Shape Of Head

Very long, but not too narrow, coming to a comparative point; nose not too small, and head gradually getting broader from the same evenly up to the back of the skull; much broader between the ears than that of the present deerhound.

Coat

Rough and hard all over body, tail, and legs, and of good length; hair on head long, and rather softer than that on body; that under the jaws to be long and wiry, also that over eyes.

Colour

Black, grey, brindle, red, and fawn, though white and particoloured dogs were common, and even preferred in olden times.

Shape And Size Of Ears

Small in proportion to size of head, and half erect, resembling those of the best deerhounds; if the dog is of light colour a dark ear is to be preferred.

When Sir Walter Scott lost his celebrated dog Maida (which, by the way, was by a Pyrenean dog out of a Glengarry deerhound bitch) he was presented with a brace of dogs by Glengarry and Cluny Macpherson, both of gigantic size. He calls them "wolfhounds," and says, "There is no occupation for them, as there is only one wolf near, and that is confined in a menagerie." He was offered a fine Irish greyhound by Miss Edgeworth, who owned some of this breed, but declined, having the others. Richardson says, "Though I have separated the Irish wolf dog from the Highland deerhound and the Scottish greyhound, I have only done so partly in conformity with general opinion, that I have yet to correct, and partly because these dogs, though originally identical, are now unquestionably distinct in many particulars."