CO UPLES — COURSING 



far less drastic treatment than others. (See Blisters, 

 Liniments^ 



Couples. — (i) A term that is applied to pairs of hounds. 

 (See Braces^ 



(2) The short length of chain, which should be pro- 

 vided with a swivel in the middle and a spring hook at 

 each end, for attaching two dogs to each other when they 

 are being led. 



Couplings. — The term applied to the middle of the 

 dog, which; as it were, couples the two ends together. 



Coursing, which has been very appropriately styled the 

 king of sports, a few years ago appeared likely to languish 

 into obscurity, owing to the, happily futile, attempt to 

 establish enclosed gate-money meetings, in which captive 

 hares were chased by greyhounds, and which were only 

 a degree removed above rabbit coursing meetings so far as 

 real sport was concerned. Happily, however, the good 

 sense and sporting feelings of coursing men proved so 

 averse to this burlesque of the genuine thing that the 

 enclosed meetings were quickly abandoned as being un- 

 profitable, and with their extinction a fine, manly pastime 

 productive of good sport and plenty of healthy exercise, 

 took a new lease of life. 



The popularity of coursing, in fact, is made apparent 

 by the large number of small meetings which take place 

 in every part of the country where hares are to be found 

 in sufficient numbers to enable them to be held, and the 

 important fixtures, such as the Waterloo Cup and the 

 Border Union gathering, attract as many good greyhounds 

 as they ever did. It is to be hoped, too, that it will be 

 a long time before coursing ceases to exist as a great 

 English sport, as it provides an ample fund of healthy 

 recreation to thousands of people, and undoubtedly is the 



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