HARRIERS FOR FOX-HUNTING 



boned, black and tan hound, showing the long 

 ear and the high occipital, but without the deep 

 flews or wrinkling of the skin on the forehead, 

 so noticeable in the blood-hound. He is hare- 

 tooted, well let down, extremely fast, and a 

 beautiful fencer. His staunchness, dash, and 

 drive are undeniable, and unlike the blood-hound 

 he is fearless and does not sulk under correction. 

 He has a wonderful nose, and the most glorious 

 voice, in fact a pack of Kerries in full cry is a 

 veritable " band o' music." Independent and 

 persevering, he will hunt entirely unaided m rough 

 country where his huntsman cannot always ride 

 up to him. He is a good feeder, and thrives on 

 the coarsest food, nor is he prone to suffer from 

 complaints, for his constitution is sound. 



The above may perhaps sound rather a high- 

 flown eulogy, but we can assure the reader that 

 a pack of pure-bred Kerry Beagles will provide 

 more real sport than any foxhound pack in this 

 country, barring perhaps those hounds which 

 hunt the moimtams m the Lake District. The 

 Kerry is probably descended from the old Talbot 

 tan, and he is not unlike certain black and tan 

 hounds belonging to the fell packs which are 

 certainly the descendants of that ancient stock. 



The origin of the breed is, however, uncertain, 

 though there are several traditions concerning 

 it, one of which is as follows. It is said that when 

 the galleons of the Spanish Armada set out on 

 their ill-fated expedition towards British soil, 

 they carried on board a number of sporting dogs 

 which the Dons hoped to make use of, once they 

 had gained a foothold in this country. As every- 

 one knows, the Spanish fleet came to grief in a 

 terrific storm, and some of the ships ran ashore 

 off the Irish coast. Amongst the wreckage some 



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