The Harrier. 127 



than they usually are with bigger and, therefore, 

 speedier hounds. 



There are something over one hundred and twenty 

 packs of hounds hunting the hare in England, less 

 than half a score in Scotland, and about thirty in 

 Ireland. The standards of their height vary very 

 much indeed, from the 24-inch Sandhurst and the 

 23 inches of the Edenbridge and the Penistone to 

 the 16 and 1 7 inches of the Aberystwith. Some 

 are called pure harriers that have little claim 

 to the name ; others bear a variety of appella- 

 tions which signify " cross-bred." It is, how- 

 ever, likely some greater uniformity may be reached, 

 as a Harrier Stud Book (Waterlow and Sons) is 

 now published, and its editor seems to be taking 

 pains to make it reliable and useful as a work of 

 reference. 



The harrier in his purity is difficult to obtain ; he 

 should not exceed about 19 inches in height, and, as 

 a rule, his skull is broader and thicker in proportion 

 to the width of the muzzle than is the case with the 

 foxhound. The harrier is often coarser in his coat 

 than the foxhound, which may be ascribed to 

 crossing with a rough Welsh hound, which, though 

 rare, is still to be found in some parts of the 

 Principality. He has not, or ought not to have, his 

 ears rounded, and masters are not nearly so 



