FOXES FOXHOUNDS & FOX-HUNTING 



So keen were the hounds that they would not 

 look at a hare if one jumped up in view when they 

 were hunting fox. On two occasions they got 

 on the Hne of a roe-deer, and Mr. Fothergill 

 says, " I can assure the reader that they didn't 

 let the grass grow under their feet." In the 

 thirty-three seasons that their huntsman, Eli 

 Cranston, has been with them, these beagles have 

 killed 11^ brace of foxes. The height of the pack 

 is dogs 151^ inches, bitches 15 inches. When 

 fox-huntmg, 10 couples of hounds were taken out, 

 and about 14 couples for hare hunting. Seeing 

 that 15 inch beagles can kill a fox, it is not 

 surprising that 18 inch harriers give a good 

 account of themselves. A pack of hounds of 

 from 18 in. to 21 in. can kill foxes handsomely 

 in any sort of country, which makes us wonder 

 whether there is any real advantage in breeding 

 foxhounds of 24 in. and over, such as we see ex- 

 hibited at Peterborough ? Beagles are at first 

 a bit doubtful about killing an old fox when they 

 run up to him, but once they have rolled a fox 

 over there is no further difficulty on that score. 



The Cotley Harriers are descendants of the old 

 English Staghounds which were used for hunting 

 deer in the West. These staghounds, it is said, 

 were sold to go to France, and when the famous 

 parson. Jack Russell, heard about it he followed 

 them across the Channel, where he was able to 

 secure a dog and two bitches which he brought 

 back with him. It was from this nucleus that 

 the present Cotley Harriers were bred. 



Comparatively few people have had experience 

 ot hunting with Kerry Beagles, so it may interest 

 the reader to hear something about the breed, 

 which is equally good in the chase of deer, fox, 

 or hare. The typical Kerry, is a tall, light- 



206 



