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CHAPTER X I \\ 



SHOOTING MEN. 



" Some glory in their birth, some in their skill, 



Some ill their wealth, some in their body's force ; 

 Some in their garments, tliough new-fangled ill ; 



Some in their hawks and honnds, some in their horse ; 

 And every humour hath his adjunct pleasure, 

 Wnerein it finds a joy above the rest." 



^Itakcspenre, Sonnet XCI . 



The Royal Rock Beagles have always got along very well witli the 

 shooting tenants of Wiiral, the Masters taking care to send them and their 

 keepers cards of the fixtures, falling in with their arrangements for shooting 

 covers, ^'c, and guarding against allowing the hounds to run into cover 

 before they liave been well shot over. It is doubtful whether hounds do 

 any harm, from a shooter's point of view, by going into cover ; but, at any 

 rate, keepers think so, and it is our business to meet their views in every 

 way. Both sports, hunting and shooting, can be carried on in tiie same 

 country without clashing, and any occasional friction can be smoothed over 

 by a little suaviter in juodo on both sides. The shooting men who find fault 

 with hounds, are usually those who know little of any s[)ort but with the gun, 

 and have no real knowledge of the etiquette of sport. The accompanying 

 list, showing the principal shootings of Wirral, and the names of the shooting 

 tenants, will prove of interest to the beagler, as it is to be feared that many 

 of our members run over the country without knowing to whose courtesy 

 we are indebted for our sport. 



In countries boasting of a pack of beagles or harriers, it is quite a 

 recognised custom, for those who have the shooting rights, not to kill hares 

 when they are scarce, and we have reason to be thankful that this custom is 

 well maintained in Wirral. No sportsman would shoot a hare in front of 

 hounds, yet we have had an instance (in 1893,1, near Brimstage, of our hare 

 being shot at, but fortunately missed, right in front of tlie hounds, and in 

 view of many of the members. Here is an extract from the early records 

 of the Hunt : — 



October 8th, 1847, Capenhurst. — Turned out about 11-30 a.m., between the 

 two Suttons. After half-an-honr's heating', found on a stubl)le. She gave us an 

 hour and three-quarters of a pretty f,'ood run, thouf,'h not fast. Kan her full-cry 



to within a yard from where a man of the name of V and liis friend were 



shootinf,'. Here they threw up their noses and could not aj^ain touch it, making 

 us strongly suspect where the hare had gone to. Crossed the road at Higher 



