[90 HUNTING THE HARE 



purpose, but at the moment he was, of course, on tlie 

 footpath, where he had as much right to be as any- 

 one else ; and one could hardly help symi)athising with 

 the love of sporting adventure which was doubtless 

 the main cause of his poaching proclivities. At any 

 rate, he found us many a harC; and was an important 

 factor in bringing not a few to hand. 



No attempt has been made to describe in detail 

 the different methods of hunting beagles, or the dif- 

 ferent stamp of beagle which is suitable for different 

 countries, as all these points have been dealt with in 

 the Hunting volume of the ' Badminton Library.' 

 The writer has merely attempted to place bef(jre the 

 reader a picture (very im[)erfect, doubtless) of such 

 leading episodes in this sport as he has himself wit- 

 nessed many and many a time ; and if the picture 

 should by any lucky chance induce any reader of 

 these pages to be ' up and at it' by six o'clock in the 

 morning, and test for himself the enjoyment of watch- 

 ing a good pack of beagles at work, he will, if he has 

 any hunting instinct at all in him, assuredly be well 

 repaid, and the writer will not have writtten in vain. 



