British Dogs, Their Points, Selection and Show Preparation
This book, published in 1903 contains one of the most complete accounts as to the origins of the Basset Hound. Contrary to all newer books on the subject the author dispels the idea that modern Basset Hounds have come about as a result of the mating of a bloodhound with a Basset (Hound).(Editors note: This is consistent with our own research - soon to be published on this site).
William D. Drury writes:
As with so many other varieties, persistent inbreeding for the maintenance of type has resulted in a greater susceptibility to distemper. In order to strengthen the constitution and also get an increase in size, the late Sir Everett Millais made experiments in the direction of a Bloodhound cross, and the results in the third generation were certainly striking. For some reason or other, however, breeders did not lend a ready favour to the idea, and no one has followed it up.
Chapter XXII - The Basset-Hound
SINCE the time of the gentleman who at one time wrote over the nom de guerre of "Snapshot", and who is better known to the present generation of doggy men as "Wildfowler", the Basset Hound has, in this country, attained to very considerable numerical strength.The fact that Mr. Everett Millais, when acting as judge at the show held at the Royal Aquarium, Westminster, in 1886, had 120 entries to deal with, shows that admirers of the breed have not been wanting; and that exhibition was in strong contrast to the time not more than ten years before when Lord Onslow and Mr. Everett Millais were the only exhibitors of these crook-legged, slow hounds, and had to show them in the omnium gatherum class, which may be described as the show committee's finest-mesh net, that secures all the fish and finance that escape the regulation nets.
Though it will be necessary to take a closer view of the Basset in England since his introduction into this country, yet the following remarks, contributed by "Wildfowler" to the original edition of this work, are so interesting that they merit reproduction.
"Snapshot" was a frequent contributor, under that signature, to the Country and was also well known as "Wildfowler" of the Field ; he was the author of numerous canine articles and works, including "General Sport at Home and Abroad", "Modern Wildfowling" etc. His experience with Continental sporting dogs was considerable, which gives weight and value to his article on Bassets. He says:
"Any hound which stands lower than 16 inches (no matter his 'provincial' breed) is called in France and in Belgium a Basset. The derivation of the expression Basset is clear: bas means low ; and, therefore, Basset means low set, a very appropriate denomination as applied to these diminutive hounds".
The vast army of French and Belgian Bassets may be divided into three grand classes viz. Bassets a jambes droites, ditto a jambes demi-torses, and ditto a jambes torses. And in each of these classes will be found three varieties of coats viz. the Bassets a poil ras, those a poll dur, and a class half rough, half smooth-coated, which is called half griffon.
The types vary for almost each province, but the general characteristics remain throughout pretty well the same. All well-bred Bassets have long, pendulous ears and hounds heads, but the crooked-legged breeds show always better points in these respects than the straight-legged ones, simply because, when a man wishes to breed a good Basset a jambes torses, he is obliged to be very careful in selecting the stock to breed from, if he does not wish his experiment to end in failure, for, should there be the slightest admixture of foreign blood, the 'bar sinister' will be at once shown in the fore-legs. Hence the Bassets a jambes torses show, as a rule, far better properties than their congeners.
In build the Basset a jambes torses is long in the barrel, and is very low on his pins; so much so that, when hunting, he literally drags his long ears on the ground. He is the slowest of hounds, and his value as such cannot be overestimated. His style of hunting is peculiar, in as much that he will have his own way, and each one tries for himself; and if one of them finds, and 'says' so, the others will not blindly follow him and give tongue simply because he does (as some hounds, accustomed to work in packs, are apt to do); but, on the contrary, they are slow to acknowledge the alarm given, and will investigate the latter for themselves.
Thus, under covert, Bassets a jambes torses following a scent go in Indian file, and each one speaks to the line according to his own sentiments on the point, irrespective of what the others may think about it. In this manner, it is not uncommon to see the little hounds, when following a mazy track, crossing each other's route without paying any attention to one another; and, in short, each of them works as if he were alone. This style I attribute to their slowness, to their extremely delicate powers of scent, and to their innate stubborn confidence in their own powers. Nevertheless, it is a fashion which has its drawbacks; for, should the individual hounds hit on separate tracks of different animals, unless at once stopped, and put together on the same one, each will follow its own find, and let the shooter or shooters do his or their best. That is why a shooter who is fond of that sort of spoit rarely owns more than one or two of these hounds. One is enough, two may be handy in difficult cases, but more would certainly entail confusion, precisely because each one of them will rely only on the evidence of his own senses.
I have now several clever Bassets a jambes torses in my mind's eye, and their general description would be about as follows: Height, between loin, and 15in. at shoulder; longish barrels; very crooked fore legs, with little more than an inch or two of daylight between the knees; stout thighs; gay sterns; conical heads; long faces; ears long enough to overlap each other by an inch or two (and more sometimes) when both were drawn over the nose; heavy-headed rather, with square muzzles; plenty of flews and dewlap; eyes deep set, under heavy wrinkles; fore paws wide, and well turned out; markings, harepied and white, black tan and white, tan and white, black with tan eyebrows, and tan legs and belly, etc. in short, all the varieties of hound markings will be found among them.
They have excellent tongues for their size, and when in good training and good condition they will hunt every day, and seem to thrive on it. They are very fond of the gun, and many are cunning enough to 'ring' the game, if missed when breaking covert, back again to the guns until it is shot.
Some of these Bassets are so highly prized that no amount of money will buy them; and, as a breed, it may safely be asserted that it is probably the purest now in existence in France. They hunt readily deer, roebuck, wild boars, wolves, foxes, hares, rabbits, etc., but if entered exclusively to one species of quarry, and kept to it, they never leave it to run riot after anything else. I have seen one, when hunting a hare in a park, running through fifty rabbits and never noticing them. They go slowly, and give you plenty of time to take your station for a shot hence their great value in the estimation of shooters.
They are chiefly used for smallish woods, furze fields, and the like, because, if uncoupled in a forest, they do not drive their game fast enough; and though eventually they are bound to bring it out, yet the long time they would take in so doing would tell against the sport. Moreover, large forests are cut about by ditches, and here and there streamlets, boulders, and rocks intervene, which difficulty the short, crooked-legged hound would be slow in surmounting. He is, therefore, not so often used there as for smaller coverts, where his voice can throughout the hunt be heard, and thereby direct the shooters which post of vantage to take.
As regards the coats of Bassets a jambes torses, there are both rough, half-rough, and smooth-coated specimens, but the last two predominate greatly; in fact, I have but rarely seen very rough Bassets a jambes torses. I saw three once, in the Ardennes. They were very big hounds for Bassets, and were used chiefly to drive wolves, roebuck, and wild boars. They were a poll dur with a vengeance, and, when 'riled', their backs were up like bristles. Of course, in these matters the hunters breed their hounds according to the ground they have to hunt over; and, consequently, in provinces of comparatively easy coverts, such as vineyards, small woods, furze fields, etc., smooth-coated or half rough-coated Bassets are in universal demand. In Brittany, Vendee, Alsace, Lorraine, Luxemburg, on the contrary, wherever the coverts are extensive and very rough, rougher-coated hounds are used; but poll durs are scarce, as far as diminutive hounds are concerned.
Bassets a jambes demi-torses are simply crosses between Bassets a jambes torses and Bassets a jambes droites. They are usually bigger than the former and smaller than the latter, although it must be borne in mind that there are several varieties of Bassets a jambes droites quite as small as the smallest with crooked legs. In short, there are so many subdivisions in each breed that any classification must necessarily be general.
The advantages claimed by the owners of Bassets a jambes demi-torses are these: first, these hounds are almost as sure-nosed as the full-crooked breeds; secondly, they run faster, and yet not fast enough to spoil shooting; thirdly, in a wood with moderate ditches, being bigger in body and higher on the leg than the full-crooked Bassets, they can clear the ditches at a bound, whereas the full jambes torses have to go down into them, and scramble up on the other side.
In points, they are pretty much like their congeners, but already the cross tells. The lips are shorter; the muzzle is not so stout in proportion to general size; the ears are much shorter; the skull is less conical, the occiput being not so pronounced; the body is not so long; the stern is carried more horizontally; the feet are rounder; the wrinkles in the face are fewer; the eye is smaller; and the coat, as a rule, is coarser. The increase in size is also great. I have seen such reaching to fully 16 inches; and I believe they had been obtained by a direct cross from a regular chien courant (fox-hound) with a full Basset a jambes torses. When sire and dam are both good, there is no reason why the progeny should not answer the breeder's purpose, but I confess to a tendency for either one thing or the other, and, were I to go in for fancy for that breed of hounds, I would certainly get either a thoroughly crooked Basset or a thoroughly straight-on-his-pins Beagle.
By the way, a black-and-tan or a red Basset a jambes torses cannot, by any possible use of one's eyes, be distinguished from a Dachshund of the same colour, although some German writers assert that the breeds are quite distinct. To the naked eye there is no difference; but in the matter of names (wherein German scientists particularly shine), then, indeed, confusion gets worse confounded. They have, say, a dozen black-and-tan Bassets a jambes torses before them. Well, if one of them is a thorough good-looking hound, they call him Dachs Bracken; if he is short-eared, and with a pointed muzzle, they cap him with the appellation of a Dachshund. Between you and me, kind reader, it is a distinction without a difference, and there is no doubt that both belong to the same breed. I will, at a fortnight's notice, place a Basset a jambes torses, small size, side by side with the best Dachshund hound to be found, and if any difference in legs, anatomy, and general appearance of the two can be detected, I shall be very greatly surprised.
That the longer-eared and squarer-muzzled hound is the better of the two for practical work there is not the shadow of a doubt; but, of course, if digging badgers is the sport in view, then the Dachshund Terrier is the proper article. But that is not to be admitted.
One cannot breed Hounds from Terriers, whereas one can breed Terriers from Hounds, and therefore the Dachshund Terrier is descended from the Basset a jambes torses. As for Dachshund hounds, they are, in every respect, Basset a jambes torses; at least, that is the opinion I have come to after a great deal of experience. Quarrelling about names is an unprofitable occupation. Never mind the 'Bracken' or the 'Hund,' since the two articles are alike. I say, from the evidence of my senses, that they must come from the same stock, and, since they cannot come from a Terrier pedigree, the Hound one is the only logical solution.
The Basset a jambes droites is synonymous with our Beagle; but, whereas our Beagles rarely exceed 14 inches, it is not uncommon to see some Bassets reaching even 16 inches. In France; still, it should be remembered that then, even among the French, appellations will differ. Thus, a certain school will call 16in. Bassets petits chiens courants (small fox-hounds), and will deny them the right of being called Bassets, being, in their estimation, too high on the leg. I agree with them.
The characteristics of Bassets a jambes droites are a somewhat shorter face than those with crooked legs ; ears shorter, but broader, and very soft usually; neck a shade longer; stern carried straight up; good loins; shorter bodies, very level from shoulder to rump: whereas the other two breeds are invariably a shade lower at shoulder than at the stern. Some show the os occipitis well marked; others are more apple-headed; the hair is coarse on the stern; the feet are straight and compact, knees well placed, thighs muscular and well proportioned; in short, they are an elegant-looking, dashing, and rather taking breed as a lot.
But in work there is a world of difference. The crooked-legged ones go slow and sure; the straight-legged ones run into the defect of fast hounds i.e. they go too fast occasionally for their noses; they are not, either, quite so free from riot; but wherever pretty fast work is required, and when the covert requires some doing in the way of jumping drains and scrambling over boulders, etc., then they will carry the day. They are chiefly used for large game, in pretty large coverts, and run in small packs.
For fast fun, exercise, and music, they will do; but for actual shooting, commend me to the Basset a jambes torses. With such a little hound, if he knows you and understands your ways, you are bound to bag, and alone he will do the work of ten ordinary hounds; and, in truth, there are few things more exciting to the sportsman than to hear his lonely, crooked-legged companion, merrily, slowly, but surely, bringing his quarry to his gun.
Some of the pleasantest moments of my life have been thus spent; and once, having shot two wolves that had been led out to me by a Basset a jambes torses, I fairly lifted up the little beggar to my breast and hugged him, and I called him a pet and a dear, and all that sort of bosh, and I thought that in all my life I had never seen a pluckier and cleverer little fellow.
In short, there is no doubt that, for purposes of shooting, Bassets, of whatever breed, are pre-eminently excellent. They run very true, and are more easily taught the tricks of game than full-sized hounds. This I have found out by experience. The average large hound, once in full swing on a scent, runs on like a donkey.
But Bassets seem to reason, and when they come to an imbroglio of tracks, purposely left by the quarry to puzzle them, they are rarely taken in, but, slowly and patiently setting to work, they unravel the maze, and eventually pick up again the wily customer's scent. Hence, for the man who can only keep one or two hounds to be used with the gun, there is no breed likely to suit him better than Bassets, for they are sure not to lose the scent, whatever takes place, and their low size enables them to pick it up when it is so cold that a larger hound would, perhaps, not even notice it.
They have also a good deal of pluck, to which they add a sort of reasoning discretion. To illustrate my meaning, I will give an instance to the point viz. very few hounds of any kind take readily to hunting wolves, and when they do take to it, they hunt in a pack, each hound countenancing the other.
Now, some well-bred Bassets will hunt a wolf singly. I have stated already that I have had myself the pleasure of killing two wolves that were, individually, hunted by one Basset. This, therefore, shows extraordinary pluck on the part of the little hound; for be it known that, as a rule, any hound or dog who comes for the first time on the scent of a wolf forthwith bolts home, or hides behind his master for protection.
On the other hand, Bassets are cautious. When they by chance come near a wolf, or a wild boar, or a stag, or any other wild animal on whom they could make but little impression, but who is, on the other hand, likely to do them an irretrievable injury, they never run the risk, but bay at him from a distance. As long as he chooses to stop they will not leave him; they will resume hunting him as soon as he will start, but they will only run at him when the decisive shot has been fired.
Some Bassets are used for vermin-killing (badger, fox, etc.); others are employed for pheasant-shooting, woodcock-shooting, and partridge-shooting, besides their legitimate employment in hunting ground game.
When used for birds, they are frequently called to, to keep them within range, and, generally, a bell or a small brass greloi is fastened to their collar, that the shooter may know where they are. Some men make their Bassets retrieve, even from water; and most Bassets will go to ground readily to fox or badger.
Finally, some peasants use their extraordinary powers of scent to find truffles. Their training for that sort of business is wonderfully simple. The hound, when young, is kept a day without food, and a truffle being shown to him, the peasant throws it into some small covert, or hides it in stones, or buries it lightly in the ground, and makes the dog find it; when he has done so, he gives him a piece of bread this sort of thing being repeated until the Basset looks readily for the truffle.
He is then taken to those places in the neighbourhood of which truffles are known or suspected to be, and the peasant, pretending to throw away the usual truffle, tells the dog, 'Cherchez / cherchez!' (' Seek ! seek !'), whereupon the little hound, diligently ferreting about the ground, soon comes upon a truffle scent, and begins digging for the tuber. At the first sign of that process the peasant relieves him, and digs out the precious fungus; and so on. There are some other species of dogs also used for that sort of work; but the Basset, owing to his acute power of scent, is mostly preferred by the professional chercheurs de truffes (Truffle Hunters). Some of these men, however, use pigs for the purpose.
Concerning those French Bassets which have from time to time been exhibited at our shows, some of them have shown fair points, but none of them have had the very long ears which one will notice with the Bassets in the foresters kennels on the Continent. Moreover, in the classes set aside for Bassets, I do not remember having seen a good Basset a jambes torses, though there were one or two fair specimens of half-crooked and straight-legged Bassets.
If my memory serves me right, the Earl of Onslow's were straight-legged, half rough-coated Bassets, with remarkably short ears. Mr. Millais's Model was a black, white, and tan, smooth-coated Basset, with very fair properties the best I had seen in England so far and a Vendean Basset was a regular Griffon. I forget now the state of his legs, but his coat was just the sort of jacket for the rough woods of Brittany and Vendee.
On the other hand, in the classes for Dachshunds I have seen some first-rate black-and-tan and also red Bassets a jambes torses, all smooth-coated. No doubt, eventually, classes will be set apart for each individual breed, and in such a case there is a very fine field yet open for an enterprising exhibitor wishing to produce Bassets in open court.
 FIG. 52. The late Sir Everett Millais's Smooth Basset Model |
This better acquaintance and closer study of the Basset have compelled a change in the view taken of the breed, and most unprejudiced persons are now ready to admit that these hounds possess characteristics worthy of the admiration of both the sportsman and the dog-lover ; consequently, they are no longer looked upon as when Mr. Millais first exhibited Model, at Wolverhampton, in 1875 as oddities or curiosities, only fit for a place in a museum of the Canida, and, as the rector's wife said of Di Vernon, " of no use in the 'varsal world."
There is reason for believing that the preceding article on the breed, contributed to the original edition of "British Dogs" by "Wildfowler", was a powerful incentive to that study of the Basset which has resulted in its becoming a recognised British breed.
Mr. Everett Millais (who died soon after succee