PUBLIC COURSING. 287 



therefore requires considerable practice, and theoretical know- 

 ledge as well ; and, for this reason, the young courser should not 

 fancy that he can at once compete on even terms with the expe- 

 rienced hand. Let him therefore content himself with creeping 

 before he runs, and let him undertake a brace or two at the most 

 for a season, before he rushes into the thick of the contest. No 

 one can hope for much success who keeps a very large kennel 

 under the management of one man, because he cannot do justice 

 to more than eight or ten running dogs ; but at first he had better 

 content himself with half that number, and he will find afterwards 

 that he has made many mistakes about these. It is also very 

 difficult to purchase good dogs, though occasionally they may 

 be met with; but when a young courser begins he wants the 

 experience which is required to know how to select them. On all 

 these accounts therefore he had better begin by sporting a brace, 

 and in the mean time he can be bringing forward a moderate 

 number of puppies bred by himself, which will be ready for work 

 in a year or two. 



The kennel management of greyhounds has been described at 

 page 226, and it only remains to describe the method of training 

 which is adopted for the purpose of enabling them to bear the 

 severe work often experienced in going through a stake. Many 

 a greyhound will run one course quite as well without training as 

 with, that is, if it is not a long one ; but there are few untrained 

 dogs that will go on through a series of courses as well as if they 

 had had the pains bestowed upon them which a man of expe- 

 rience would be able to give. It is often said that certain dogs 



