278 THE AMERICAN BOOK OF THE DOG. 



the Hounds, and shoot it as it passes, others, again, do not 

 use the gun at all, but let fhe Hounds run the hare down 

 and kill it. 



The Beagle is the superior of the Basset in that it can 

 o^et over a rough country much easier, is not so extremely 

 slow as the latter, and, being a smaller dog, does not re- 

 quire the room or amount of food that the latter does. The 

 same amount of room and cooking the latter no small 

 item as far as inconvenience, work, and expense are con- 

 cerned that will keep a couple of Foxhounds will easily 

 keep five or six Beagles. Where one has several Hounds, 

 the latter points are of no little importance. It will readily 

 be seen that the Beagle is undoubtedly the best general 

 utility Hound we have. 



While it is beyond the means of the average American 

 sportsman to keep a large kennel of bird dogs and have 

 them all broken as they should be, it is but comparatively 

 little expense to keep a pack of Beagles all broken for field 

 use. In some portions of this country, particularly the 

 South, as well as in England, large packs of Beagles are to 

 be found, owned and maintained by sportsmen for their 

 private enjoyment. 



One of the greatest pleasures of the practical sportsman 

 is in showing himself a practical breeder, for to possess the 

 knowledge and ability to become such is no small honor. 

 To do this, one must have at least several dogs of the 

 breed he is interested in, in his kennel, and as remarked 

 above, if he have such a kennel he has use for all his 

 stock in the field. The amount of pleasure derived from 

 his kennel by the writer is in proportion to the number of 

 dogs or Hounds in it, and few sportsmen care to have in 

 their kennel more dogs than they have use for. This, as I 

 say, illustrates the advantage of one's being partial to 

 Hounds. 



Outside of his qualities as a field dog, the Beagle is a 

 desirable house companion; not over-large, short-coated, 

 and affectionate, he is a most desirable and lovable com- 

 panion. If educated to it, he is an excellent watch-dog. 



