THE BEAGLE. 



229 



of his pleasure — hangs on to a line as if 

 tied to it. The young sportsman may 

 take all this to account, and learn that it 

 does not do to excite the hounds. They 

 must not throw their heads up or they 

 may overlap the running of their quarry 

 by a furlong. To do as the Beagle does 

 is an object lesson. 



Dorsetshire used to be the great county 

 for Beagles. The downs there were exactly 

 fitted for them, and years ago, when roe- 

 deer were preserved on the large estates, 

 Beagles were used to hunt this small breed 

 of deer. Mr. Cranes' Beagles were noted 

 at the time, and also those of a Colonel 

 Harding. It is on record that King George 

 IV. had a strong partiality for Beagles, and 

 was wont to see them work on the downs 

 round about Brighton. 



The uses of the Beagle in the early days 

 of the last century, however, were a good 

 deal diversified. They were hunted in big 

 woodlands to drive game to the gun, and 

 perhaps the ordinary Beagle of from 12 

 inches to 14 inches was not big enough for 

 the requirements of the times. It is quite 

 possible, therefore, that the Beagle was 

 crossed with the Welsh, Southern or Otter- 

 hound, to get more size and power, as 

 there certainly was a Welsh rough-coated 

 Beagle of good 18 inches, and an almost 

 identical contemporary that was called 

 the Essex Beagle. Sixty years ago such 

 hounds were common enough, but possibly 

 through the adoption of the more prevalent 

 plan of beating coverts, and Spaniels being 

 in more general use, the vocation of the 

 Beagle in this particular direction died out, 

 and a big rough-coated Beagle is now very 

 rarely seen. A very pretty lot of little 

 rough Beagles were recently shown at 

 Reigate. They were called the Telscombe, 

 and exhibited by Mr. A. Gorham. 



That a great many of the true order were 

 bred became very manifest as soon as the 

 Harrier and Beagle Association was formed, 

 and more particularly when a section of 

 the Peterborough Hound Show was reserved 

 for them. Then they seemed to spring from 

 every part of the country. In 1S96 one 

 became well acquainted with many packs 



that had apparently held aloof from the 

 dog shows. There was the Cheshire, the 

 Christ Church (Oxford), Mr. T. Johnson's, 

 the Royal Rock, the Thorpe Satchville, the 

 Worcestershire, etc., and of late there have 

 been many more that are as well known as 

 packs of Foxhounds. One hears now of the 

 Chauston, the Halstead Place — very noted 

 indeed — the Hulton, the Leigh Park, the 

 Stoke Place, the Edinburgh, the Surbiton, 

 the Trinity Foot, the Wooddale, Mrs. G. W. 

 Hilliard's, Mrs. Price's, and Mrs. Turner's 

 — exhibited at Peterborough in 1906 — and 

 they were surpassed again at the Crystal 

 Palace June Show, 1906, which was confined 

 to Foxhounds, Harriers, and Beagles. 



Mr. James Russel, the master of the 

 Halstead Place pack, showed some beauties 

 that for type cannot be well excelled. 

 His dog hound Searcher, under 14 inches 

 high, is thought the most marvellous 

 little hound in the world. He has all the 

 elegance of a Belvoir Foxhound about him, 

 is quite a picture in colour and markings, 

 has model legs and feet, and such a carriage 

 for a little one ! Mr. Russel bred him 

 himself by his Solomon, out of Gracious, by 

 Lord Ducie's Trumpeter. 



In the unentered class the same kennel 

 provided the winners in a beautiful couple 

 of little bitches called Preference and Rosa- 

 mond, and Mrs. Price, who must also have 

 a charming pack, gained the reserve with 

 Careful and Farmer. The Leigh Park pack, 

 owned by Sir Frederick FitzWygram, was 

 wonderfully good too, a couple of half- 

 sisters by the Thorpe Satchville Bellman, 

 called Dorothy and Haughty, being as hand- 

 some as pictures, especially Dorothy. They 

 took first in a class for exhibits that had 

 not won at Peterborough for three years. 

 It was a long way to come from Edinburgh 

 to Peterborough, but still Mr. A. M. Hender- 

 son was not dismayed by distance or trouble, 

 and he took second to the above-named 

 couple with Ringwood and Heedless, both 

 beauties by sires from well-known kennels. 

 Ringwood is by the Halstead Place Forager, 

 and the other by Petting's Bellman. 



Mrs. Price's kennel must be one of very 

 high quality, as that lady showed some 



