The Beagle. 145 



the amusement of everyone. Mr. Crofton doubts if 

 he ever possessed a more perfect beagle than this 

 ' Httle favourite called Tiny. 



As to breeding beagles, Mr. Crofton says that 

 he is in favour of breeding in and in to a consider- 

 able extent, but when he finds that the puppies 

 are deteriorating in any point, he buys a young 

 bitch whose pedigree he knows to be good, and 

 particularly strong, even to exaggeration, in cer- 

 tain points where the others fail. This is better 

 than using a strange dog hound. His beagles, 

 with slight exceptions, are kept in kennels, and 

 after a day amongst the rabbits care is taken that 

 they are thoroughly dried before being fastened up 

 for the night. By judicious treatment Mr. Crofton 

 finds his little favourites to be quite hardy, well able 

 to do severe work, and are not more liable than 

 other dogs to disease. Moreover, he considers his 

 smallest hounds the best w^orkers, and the most 

 intelligent and pleasant as companions. These 

 rabbit beagles w^eigh pretty heavily for their size, 

 owing no doubt to their thickness of bone and 

 strong backs ; such as are about twelve inches run 

 from 131b. or 141b. to nearly 171b. each; whilst 

 the eight and ten inch go up to plb. or lolb. in 

 weight. 



Perhaps there is a fashionable future for these 



L 



