THE HARRIER. 283 
As to the various sporting details connected with this animal, such as breeding, 
training, feeding, &c., they may be found in many sporting works, where they are elabo- 
rately discussed, but are not suitable for a work of the present character. 
THe Harrier, so called because it is chiefly employed in hunting the hare, is in the 
present day nothing more or less than a small foxhound, the description of the latter 
animal serving equally for that of the former, with the one exception of size. As has 
been mentioned in the account of the foxhound, the average height is about twenty-three 
inches, but the height of the Harrier ought not to exceed eighteen or nineteen inches. 
Partly on account of its smaller size, and partly on account of the character of its 
work, the Harrier is not so swift an animal as the foxhound, and does not test so fully 
the speed and strength of the horses that follow in its track. It is a swifter animal in 
these days than was the case some few years back, because in the modern system of hare- 
hunting, poor “puss” is so rapidly followed by the hounds that she has no time to waste 
in those subtle contrivances for throwing the hounds off her track tor which she is so 
justly famous, and which have often bafiled the efforts of the best and_ strongest 
Harriers. 
The points of a good Harrier are similar to those of the foxhound, and may be 
described as follows. P 
“There are necessary points in the shape of a hound which ought always to be 
attended to by a sportsman, for if he be not of a perfect symmetry he will neither run fast 
nor bear much work. He has much to undergo, and should have strength proportioned 
to it. Let his legs be straight as arrows, his feet round and not too large ; his shoulders 
back ; his breast rather wide than narrow ; his chest deep ; his back broad ; his head small ; 
his neck thin; his tail thick and bushy; if he carry it well, so much the better. Such 
hounds as are out at the elbows, and such as are weak from the knees to the foot, should 
never be taken into the pack. 
“JT find that I have mentioned a small head as one of the necessary requisites of a 
hound ; but you will observe that it is relative to beauty only, for as to goodness, I believe 
that large-headed hounds are in no wise inferior. The colour I think of little moment, 
and am of opinion with our fried Foote, respecting his negro friend, that a good Dog, like 
a good candidate, cannot be of bad colour.” 
These remarks were written by Beckford, in the year 1779, and are of such sterling 
value that they are accepted even in the present day as the criteria of a good hound. 
He proceeds to observe in the same letter from which the above description has been 
transcribed, that the shape of the Dog’s head is as variable as the colour of his hide, and 
that some sportsmen prefer a sharp-nosed hound, while others care nothing for a Dog 
unless he have a large and roomy head. Each, however, in his opinion, is equally useful 
in its own way; for “speed and beauty are the chief excellences of the one, while stoutness 
and tenderness of nose in hunting are characteristic of the other.” To these qualifications 
the modern huntsmen have added another, consisting of depth of the back ribs, in order 
to secure a stout build, and the capability of enduring daily work for a lengthened 
period. 
Uniformity of size and colour is even more requisite in a pack of Harriers than of 
foxhounds. Such packs indeed are often composed of the latter variety of Dog, which are 
too small to be admitted into the regular foxhound pack. However, if a pack is composed 
of these dwarf foxhounds, the two best characters of the true Harrier are lost, namely, 
the musical tongue and the sensitive nose, and the only compensating quality that these 
animals possess is extreme speed. A pack of true Harriers is distinguished for the 
melodious tongues of its members, which can be heard at a distance of several miles, 
while the delicacy of their scent is so great that they can work out all the complicated 
doubles of the hare. 
There are several breeds of the BEAGLE, which are distinguishable from each other by 
their size and general aspect. 
The Medium-sized Beagle is not unlike the harrier, but is heavier about the throat 
