i6 Introduction 



well improved the breed of Leicester sheep, in order 

 to get the greatest degree of economy of material, 

 so have Masters of Hounds endeavoured to breed only 

 from such members of their own packs, or their 

 union with selected sires of other packs, as would be 

 likely to afford a measure of improvement, or, at any 

 rate, equaUty of the hounds then in their kennels. 

 In other language, " selection " has been the basis 

 for the attainment of an object, and this is the reason 

 why the present type of Foxhounds in England 

 stands unrivalled. 



The Harrier stands next to the Foxhound so far 

 as general conformation is concerned, but the ques- 

 tion is, What constitutes a Harrier? To say that it is 

 a hound used exclusively for hunting the hare is 

 correct, yet this does not dispose of the question so 

 often raised and referred to by us at the beginning of 

 this paragraph. 



Necessarily all Harriers are mainly composed of 

 the Foxhound element, but in a modified form, and 

 many packs of Harriers contain inferior specimens of 

 Foxhounds simply glorifying under another title. 



There is a tendency for Harriers to degenerate 

 unless the Foxhound sire is occasionally reintro- 

 duced to maintain the robust build so essential in 

 the Harrier, one of whose principal qualifications is 

 " perseverance," as hare-hunting does not call for 

 the exercise of one continued "forrard on," as with the 



