THE REAL BLOODHOUND

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIV, Issue 173, 22 July 1903, Page 1 (Supplement)

THE REAL BLOODHOUND

The bloodhound is a breed of dog becoming very popular among fanciers in England. Lately there have been some remarkable tests of the bloodhound's capacity for tracking down men. The last trials which took place on .Salisbury Plain were held last montlj. Placing a small white flag in the grqupd near a lonely copse to show his starting point, the hunted man was given an Hour in which to attempt to make good his escape. He walked briskly through wood and field, along roads and moorland tracks, making here a sharp turn to follow a hedgerow and there a dash across a piece of ploughed land. Finally, some four miles from the point at which he set out, he walked into a farmyard and hid himself in an outhouse. At the white flag, a fine pair of bloodhounds were now ready to be started on the scent. In spite of the fierceness which their bloodshot eyes and powerfully-proportioned limbs indicate, the hounds are as docile and friendly as the smallest fox-terrier. Every now and then, they would show their immense strength by almost dragging over the keeper who held them in leash. The moment they were released they picked up the scent by sniffing at the white flag, and followed it at a run until the wood was reached. There they were checked, but, showing great perseverance, soon discovered the trail again. Betraying l their satisfaction by a vigorous wagging of tails, they made off at a great pace. Though hot on the scent of their man there was not a suspicion of the baying notes which the bloodhound of story-books invariably gives forth. Silently and relentlessly they tracked down their prey. On they went over the moorland with only a moment's diversion from the trail to sniff contemptuously at two innocent shepherds, until, with foam-flecked jowl and sweating flanks, they had marked down their man. The hounds showed no desire to tear asunder their prey. They only pranced around him, giving expression to their pleasure by a. more than usually vigorous wagging of tails. Many of the dogs trained by the Bloodhound Hunt Club are exported to America, where they are repeatedly used to discover fugitive criminals. '--•-■ -- — "— — i --' , '""'