146 Modern Dogs. 



miniature hounds, especially as the Beagle Club 

 is encouraging them. Previously they were heavily 

 handicapped in the show ring by having to compete 

 against larger hounds, and here, as in coursing and 

 horseracing, ''a good big 'un can always beat a 

 good little 'un." Still, there is a quaintness and a 

 character about these rabbit beagles which I always 

 greatly admired, and their merry movements and 

 silvery cry after their game delighted me much. 

 It does not matter much what colour the beagle is ; 

 many prefer the blue mottles, but any hound colour 

 will do — even black and tan. 



During the past few years the wire coated beagle 

 has not been much in evidence, and few seem to 

 care for them now that Mr G. H. Nutt has given 

 over his pack. It has been said most of these '' wire- 

 hairs " contained a terrier cross, which showed itself 

 in the production of shy puppies distinctly deficient 

 in voice. Mr. Gwynne, of Folkington, Sussex, 

 however, owns a nice little pack of wire coated 

 hounds which are entirely free from any suspicion 

 of terrier strain. Some fifteen or sixteen years 

 ago Mr. Gwynne obtained two and a half couples 

 which he was told had been produced with wire 

 coats through a remote cross with the otter hound. 

 Long before that time a Sussex farmer kept a few 

 couples of the wire haired beagles at Chiddingly ; 



