142 Hounds 



what type of hounds were used at those periods there 

 is not any rehable data. It is certain that hunting 

 the hare is a much older sport than that of fox- 

 hunting, the former being indulged in not only on 

 account of the excellency of the pastime, but likewise 

 for the utility of the quarry hunted. Peter Beck- 

 ford, writing in 1796, refers at considerable length to 

 hare-hunting, and so does Nimrod. Beckf ord says : 

 " You should never exceed twenty couple in the field. 

 The fewer hounds you have the less you foil the 

 ground." He also says: " The hounds that are most 

 likely to show sport are those between the great slow- 

 hunting Harrier and the little Fox Beagle. The 

 former are too dull, too heavy and too slow; the 

 latter too Hvely, too light and too fleet. My hounds 

 are a cross of both these kinds, in which it is my 

 endeavour to get as much bone and strength in as 

 small a compass as possible. I bred many years 

 and an infinity of hounds before I could get what I 

 wanted. They who like to rise early have amuse- 

 ment in seeing the hare trail to her form. It is of 

 great service to hounds. It also shows their goodness 

 to the huntsmen more than any other hunting, as 

 it discovers to him those who have the most tender 

 noses. But I confess I seldom judge it worth while 

 to leave my bed a moment sooner on that account." 

 Nimrod says that the modern Harrier bears no 

 greater resemblance to the one in use fifty years back 



