128 ROYAL ROCK BEAGLE HUNT. 



This is fairly satisfactory as connecting tlie Hundred of AVirral with beagles, 

 but e\cej)tion may be taken to tlie phrase, " ^Vo^thy of a fairer t'rame." 

 Our beloved beagles \vorlh\- of a fairer frame ! Well, so they are, worthy of 

 any frame. lUit surely they are beautiful enough to please any human eve ; 

 we can only presume that the Roman author had the Italian greyhound in view 

 as his standard of canine beauty. It may well be believed that if Mortimer 

 were now writing his history, he would recognise the R.R.B. as having become 

 one of the important institutions of the country, and would give them some 

 conspicuous place in his pages. Many of the names of tlie first members of 

 the R.R.B. may be discovered in the list of subscribers to the book. 



Half a century ago the Hundred of Wirral presented to the sportsman 

 a very different asjjcct to th.at which it does at the present day. Then the 

 country was cut up by one railway only, the Birkenhead and Chester Railway, 

 which was opened in 1840. Now we have five more completed, and at least 

 two more begun or projected, the making of which, during the next few 

 years, will in all probability be in full swing, with their armies of navvies 

 thinning the hares in our best remaining bits of country. There can be 

 no doubt that the presence of these navvies in any country district is the sure 

 signal for a scarcity of hares, and not of hares only, but of all descriptions 

 of game, notwithstanding the preserving efforts of the gamekeepers of the 

 neighbourhood. Previous to the making of the railway between Chester and 

 Connah's Quay, the country about Blacon was over run with hares, and was 

 strictly preserved by Mr. Smith, of Chester, who had the shooting. Sliortly 

 after the influx of the navvies, the number of hares was so reduced that 

 hunting became possible, and the Chester Beagles had a successful meet at 

 Blacon. In the second year after the exodus of the navvies, the hares had 

 again become so numerous, that Mr. Smith shot more than one hundred in 

 a single season. 



The making of the Manchester Ship Canal is another instance to the 

 point. A (t^w years ago we could find hares on the river side of Brom- 

 borough, at Pool Hall, Ellesmere Port, and Stanney, but of late years these 

 places have been of no use to us. Now that the canal is finished we have 

 begun to meet at Stanney again, though always in fear and dread of a blank 

 day; but fortunately our good fiiend, Mr. Parker, usually has a hare some- 

 where about foi'-'us, either on his own land or the adjoining farm. It is 

 evident that now the head of game is increasing, and we may reasonably 

 hope that we shall soon have as good sport at Stanney as in former years, 

 and so reinstate the place in our affections as one of our best bits of country. 



The son of Mr. Grace, of ^^■hitby, was indefatigable in his efforts to 

 stop poaching about Stanney ; he himself ran several poachers to earth and 

 obtained convictions against them, for which they did not seem to bear him 

 any malice, as they would probably have done to a gamekeeper or policeman, 



