Sometimes called the French Merin, this is an extinct sighthound once employed for hunting wild boar and wolf. The French word ‘main’ translates as inastifr, but this breed should not be confused with the Dogue de Bordeaux, which is sometimes also called the French Mastiff That breed has a heavy, deep head, while the Wain described here bad an elongated head.
Some 19th-century authors referred to this dog as being the French equivalent of the British Lurcher. It was a large dog with the typical sighthound head long and tapering, with a flat forehead and semi-erect ears. In colour, the coat varied from white to fawn to red. Sometimes it was bicolour, in white and brown.
It was described as a fierce, muscular animal, but ‘not remarkable for daring’. In height it was about 24 in (61 cm).
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