262 Reminiscences of 



in the Scotch, Russian, Danish, and other types. The 

 old Irish greyhound may perhaps be considered the 

 largest and most powerful of the class, and a match 

 singly for the wolf. This dog, crossed with the great 

 Danish dog and the bloodhound, has produced the 

 powerful stag and boar hounds now seen. The Eng- 

 lish greyhound, however, presents the highest type of 

 speed, docility, and beauty applicable for hare coursing, 

 and has now been introduced so extensively in Cali- 

 fornia as to be plentiful of a very high class. 



Having attended several of the annual hare cours- 

 ing meets at Waterloo, England, and seen some of the 

 best prize-winners there, I am of the opinion that we 

 have in California equally good dogs, and I think the 

 hares in California are equal, if not superior, in speed to 

 the English, from their having more open life, with 

 more exposure to animals which prey upon them, and 

 consequent activity. They are identical with the Eng- 

 lish hare, but vary somewhat in color from climatic 

 conditions. 



Hares, when pursued by the greyhounds, having 

 their observation wholly directed toward the pursuer, 

 from their orbital sight, will frequently run directly into 

 a fence or post and be thrown back senseless, or di- 

 rectly into the jaws of an approaching dog from an 

 opposite direction, and I have witnessed two occasions 

 when pursued hares going at full speed were caught up 

 by dogs held in leash by a man standing in the way, 

 running directly into the jaws of the leashed dogs. 



I had one two-year-old greyhound of good quali- 

 ties, but a laggard in the chase, that would quit 

 early and take his rest. While thus sitting one day, 

 his running mate brought around a hare directly upon 



