Being dissatisfied with the rather hazy information obtainable about the Russian Wolfhounds in their native country, Mr. Joseph B. Thomas, Jr., of the Valley Farm Kennels, has taken two trips to Russia; - in 1903 and 1904. His discoveries were placed before American fanciers in the Illustrated Sporting News for December 26, 1904, under the title of ''The Ideal Borzoi ;Russian Wolfhound."

HERE is a standard by which we have tried (most of us) to breed the Borzoi but so widely have the standard and the hounds at our disposal differed that to arrive at the ideal seemed an almost impossible task. The lack of hounds approaching this ideal has caused much ignorance and controversy, both in England and America, as to what type to breed. Much discouragement to the breed has been the main outcome of this lamentable state of affairs. Determined to clear up certain facts, concerning which we have in print, never seen anything but controversy, and determined to ascertain what type should be bred, and if specimens approaching the ideal could be obtained, we sailed for England and Russia in early July 1903.

   Three weeks spent in vain effort to find something definite in type convinced us that England was little, if any, better off in borzoi than were the States. The principal kennel is mainly notable for the size and coarse aspect of its dogs, which characteristic, coupled with the bad running gear of many specimens, make them anything but a coursing hound. Coarse heads with prominent stops were here in evidence. Hardly following the standard, this. The minor kennels, too, were notable mainly for the lack of type and ''cachet" in many of their representatives. Early August saw us at St Petersburg, and here we nearly gave up our search for the ideal, for on visiting the Imperial Kennels, at Gatchina, near the capital, we saw only two out of eighty grown hounds that we should have liked to possess, but what was more discouraging than this, was the fact that no distinct type was visible. Some were well coated, others the contrary, some had fairly good heads, while others were absurdly poor. The reason for

                         The Ideal head.                             Rasskida of Woronzova. Imported 1904.
              Champion Bistri of Perchina.                   Dam of Champion Sorva of Woronzova.
                                                                          Grandam of Champion Sorvan o' Valley Farm.
 

the lack of type in England and America was immediately patent as more specimens have gone to these countries from the Imperial Kennels than from any other kennel. Fortunately, in spite of further disappointments, we did not relinquish our quest until we had visited the kennel of Grand Duke Nicolal Nicolaivitch and that of Mr. and Mrs. Artem Boldareff.

   Leaving Moscow late one evening, the next morning found us at Tula, a town some hundreds of versts south of the ancient capital, and three hours in a troika, across the trail of the steppes, finally brought us to Perchina, the Grand Ducal hunting lodge. Here a veritable surprise and reward for all our
trouble awaited us for met by Monsieur Dimitry Waltzoff (Chef du Comptoir), a most amiable fancier and judge, we had the pleasure of being conducted through a kennel containing the finest collection of dogs of any one breed we have ever seen.

   Marvellous, is the only adjective that will qualify here. Imagine a hundred grown hounds, all stamped with the hail mark of the ''ancient type," the type that we have all read

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