I tend to picture Bouncer as a sort of hairy Great Dane (in Heyer's day mastiffs tended to be taller on the leg than are bred today, and the Great Dane, which is still classified as a mastiff-type, is probaby the nearest modern equivalent). By 'lurcher' she almost certainly meant a greyhound/collie cross - the term 'lurcher' indicates that the dogs had the intelligence to 'lurch' across the corners to catch running prey, rather than coursing (following the path of the hare) in which the objective was sport rather than actually catching the hare for the pot...
I can't immediately find the reference, but countrymen also had a specific name for the whippet/terrier cross used for both digging out and catching rabbits, though these days you'll also find this cross incorrectly called a 'lurcher'.
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momijizukamori
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Date: 2009-05-18 05:13 pm (UTC)I can't immediately find the reference, but countrymen also had a specific name for the whippet/terrier cross used for both digging out and catching rabbits, though these days you'll also find this cross incorrectly called a 'lurcher'.