194 



ROYAL ROCK BEAGLE HUNT. 



paucity? or iplent^^ of H^arcs. 



" O, I am out of breath in this lend chase ! " 



I\!idsiim>i!cr Kig/u's Dreajii, iTc! ii, scene 3. 



For beagling purposes too many hares are as bad as too few. We want 

 them one at i time, and are best pleased when another does not show itself 

 till it is wanted. All tlirough the history of the R.R.B., from the very begin- 

 ning to the present day, there have been localities in Wirral where hares have 

 been abnormally scarce, and others where they have been too numerous for 

 sport. Some of these places have retained their quality in this resi)ect with- 

 out variation. The following table will serve as a comparison, \\\ lliis respect, 

 between the first decade and the last, of the half-cenuny duiing wliich tlie 

 R.R.B. have been in existence : — 



PLACES WHERE H.\RES WERE PLACES WHERE HARES WERE 



SCARCE. TOO NUMEROUS. 



First Decade. Last Decade. First Decade. Last Decade. 



Bidston. Bidston. Greasby. — 



Upton. — Ashfield. Ashfield. 



Moreton. Moreton. Caldy. — 



Hoylake. Hoylake. Thurstaston. — 



Higher Bebington. — Burton. Burton. 



Spital. — Capenhurst. Capenhurst. 



Hooton. — Sutton. — 



— Newhouse. — Ledsham. 



— Stanney. — Shotwick. 



— — — Willaston. 



.A '[tw extracts from the old .Sport Books will recall to us our own 

 experiences. 



6th March, 1847. Capenhurst. Just as v.c were turning out wc witnessed 

 Sir Wm. Stanley's hounds run into their fox, close to Capenhurst. After they 

 had left we soon found. Unfortunately, the hares were too numerous for us, 

 and completely beat the dogs. They never ceased running from one o'cbck to 

 five. The scent was good, and the hunting perfect. No three hares could have 

 lived through such a run could we have kept to them ; but as we were feelirg 

 sure of a kill the pack would come across a fresh hare, whilst the old one 

 escaped. It was calculated we must have run nearer twenty-five than twenty 

 'miles. We only required a kill to have made the day's sport perfect. 



6th January, 1852. Moreton. A blank day ; beating all round the village, 

 .taking every inch of the land. This looks bad for this favourite old meet. 



31st January, 1852. Hooton Station. A miserable, wet day. Worked the 

 Willaston land for three-and-a-half hours, in the wet, without a vestige of a 

 hair Isic ), and finished a blank day. 



loth February, 1852. Upton. Again a blank day. Something decidedly 

 wrong in this quarter. 



nth March, 1852. Bidston. Blank day. Every inch of ground up to 

 Moreton was beaten. 



25th October, 1849. King's Lodge, Higher Bebington. Hunted all the 

 land between Mr. King's house and the kennels, and did not find at all. 



17th December, 1849. Kennels. Hunted all the land up to Higher 

 Bebington, without finding. 



