176 ROYAL ROCK BEAGLE HUNT. 



Hares accustomed to being hunted or chased are stronger and more 

 enduring than those less disturbed. In the early days of the R.R.B. they 

 alone hunted hares in Wirral ; in later days we have the A\'irral Harriers 

 hunting two days per week, in addition. Moreover, many parts of the 

 country, not being so strictly preserved as I'ormerly, are overrun on Sundays 

 with poachers, who take lurchers along with them, and these dogs can make 

 a hare do her best. All combined keep the hares of the Hundred of 

 AVirral in excellent training. It has been noticed that on the Downs of 

 Sussex, hares afford good long runs for harriers, and this is accounted for by 

 the theory that in such an open country they have to travel far for their food, 

 and so keep in good condition. 'J"he early morning quests of the Brighton 

 Harriers are sometimes three or four miles up to a hare on her form, whereas 

 in enclosed countries the quests are for a field or two at most. 



It is still quite common for enthusiastic beaglers to account for the loss 

 of their hare by saying, "she must have been picked up by that man who 

 " was leaving the field just as we came in ;" but this is an old story, often 

 recorded in the old Sport Books of the Hunt, 



The very first record of a run with the R.R.B. reads : — 



September 26th, 1846. Turned out at Ho3'lake about half-past one. Started 

 a hare in the midst of the hounds out of a marshy field below Grange. A 

 splendid burst towards Newton at a splendid pace. Puss turned sharp to the 

 left towards Hoylake Village, where we checked for a short time, till we pricked 

 her half-a-mile along the road. She turned again to the left, and the hounds 

 ran her full cry on to the low part of Grange ; thence, after one or two short 

 checks, twice starting her from her seat, we ran her to a potato field near 

 Hoylake Village, where we lost all trace of her, and there is no doubt she was 

 picked up by a workman, who was leaving the field as we came up. This run 

 lasted an hour and a-half, with only about ten minutes check. The scent was 

 indifferent, but all the fourteen couples we had out hunted well, and ran as 

 evenly together as possible. 



January 30th, 1847, I^by Village. Found immediately in a patch of gorse 

 near the village. The scent was burning, the pace tremendously fast. She 

 took three wide rings between Pensby and Irb}', then made for Landican, thence 

 through Irb}' Woods right for Pensby, and from there straight as an arrow to 

 Barnston Dale. The pack ran her full cry to within two yards of a cottage in 

 Barnston Wood, where they threw up their heads and never could again touch 

 upon her, leaving it pretty certain that she had been picked up by the resident 

 in the cottage. This run lasted fully two hours, and at a gallant pace 

 throughout. 



One other factor in the result of kills per season is that as we do not 

 now take out nearly so many hounds, we certainly chop fewer hares without 

 a run ; also our season is now about six weeks shorter. 



All said and done, we kill as often as we wish, and the country can 

 afford. If we killed every hare we hunted, we should soon have none to 

 give us sport. Theoretically, a kill is the proper and fitting sequel to a hunt; 

 and many country people think it is our sole object in coming out, even 



