Foot Beagles 213 



are used in hunting the hare, but they are not, as a rule, satis- 

 factorj^ being too slow. 



The JNIessrs. Cooper Bros., of Delapre Hall, Nottingham, 

 formerly had a pack of Basset hounds. The writer had a day's, 

 or rather part of a day's sport vAih. this silver-tongued pack; 

 they were very pretty and worked away on the line with great 

 spirit and drive. Slow as they were, they gave the writer his 

 fill of it before the day was half over and settled liis convic- 

 tions that he was no longer a boy, even if he did feel that way 

 when he started out with thirty-five or forty young men and 

 maidens for a day with these hounds. 



JNIr. Cooper has since written to say he has "given up 

 Bassets and has now a fine pack of seventeen couple of thir- 

 teen and a half inch beagles, which are giving great sport." 

 The elder brother carries the horn wliile the two younger 

 brothers are his whippers-in. These young men, with the 

 assistance of a servant, look after the kennel management of 

 their pack. 



Although, as intimated above, the writer had arrived at 

 an age when following puss on foot is prohibited, he thinks 

 it glorious sport and one that ought to be encouraged in every 

 country school or college, where there are hares wathin reach. 



Some American schools and colleges have cross country 

 teams, but these are for amateur sprinters. Paper chases 

 have had a rage here and there and, in lieu of nothing better, 

 should be encouraged, but the principal element of success, 

 i. e., unflagging interest, which is wanting in these games, is 

 abundantly supplied when out with a real pack of beagles in 

 the chase of a real hare. 



^lany of the schools of England, like Eton, and the col- 

 leges, as at Cambridge and Oxford, have packs of foot beagles. 



In fact, there are three packs of foot beagles among the 

 colleges at Oxford, i. e., Christ Church, Exeter, New College 

 and iNIagdalene. 



