152 Modern Dogs. 



height. Although ordinary beagles in miniature, 

 no point, however good in itself, shall be encouraged 

 if it tends to give a coarse appearance to such 

 minute specimens of the breed. They shall be 

 compact and symmetrical throughout, of true beagle 

 type, and show great quality and breeding. 



Disqualifying Point. — Any kind of mutilation. 

 (It is permissible to remove the dew claws.) 



The real and proper work of the beagle is to hunt 

 hares and even rabbits, and such charming little 

 hounds as some of those already alluded to, do 

 this work wonderfully well. Any man of ordinary 

 pedestrian powers can follow them from start to 

 finish, for a rabbit does not as a rule live long before 

 hounds — and, as all know, will go to ground at the 

 earliest opportunity. The hare, too, fails to go 

 away at such a break neck pace when the slower 

 beagle is plodding after her, as she succeeds in 

 doing when bullied and flustered by the dashing 

 harrier with a lot of foxhound blood in him. 



From the earliest times there have been at least 

 three varieties of the beagle, ordinary smooth coated, 

 rough or wire haired, and others black and tan in 

 colour. Richardson, in 1851, writes of a Kerry 

 beagle, which, he says, is " a fine, tall, dashing 

 hound, averaging twenty-six inches in height, and 

 occasionally, individual dogs attain to twenty-eight 



