THE HARRIER-HOUND. 191 



duration so as to cause the death or ruin of the 

 finest horses, are justly reprohated hy most writers 

 on field sports, and are now completely out of 

 fashion, though at one time, when George IV. was 

 Prince of Wales, and hunted with a pack of silent 

 hounds, the chase was invariably severe, even to 

 those who rode the best bred horses. 



The Harrier-hound. So called from being usually 

 applied to hare- hunting, is still smaller than the last 

 mentioned, not exceeding eighteen inches at the 

 shoulder. It is a more recent, and entirely an ar- 

 tificial breed, w r e think between the hound and 

 beagle, similarly marked as the fox-hound, but 

 often the dark colours occupying still more surface. 

 This race is by many sportsmen confounded, and 

 the names used synonymously with 



TheBeagle. From the observations recorded in the 

 general article on domestic dogs, it will be anticipated 

 that we regard the beagle to be the sameastheBrachet 

 of the middle ages, and think it the only species of 

 the long-eared dogs known in the west during the 

 Roman Empire, and noticed by Oppian under the ' 

 name of Agasseus. Both Pennant and Whitaker 

 quote the text, which, nevertheless, is more appli- 

 cable to the ancient teaser-terrier than the beagle ; 

 but as there were rough-haired Brachets in the olden 

 time, and severe hunting is still liable to produce 

 crooked-legged Turnspit offspring, it is possible that 

 this last was meant. The Breac they could not 

 however then be ; because, as already observed, that 

 name implied spot, or spotted, a distinction which 



