THE LIFE OF A SPORTSMAN 343 



has been for a cup, than in those of race-horses running 

 for the Derby or St. Leger. The difficulty of having the 

 course fairly decided is the chief cause of this excitement ; 

 and a more trying situation than that of the tryer or judge 

 of a first-rate coursing meeting is not often experienced. 

 Secondly, the system of breeding and training greyhounds 

 is so refined that, to excel in each, a man's whole attention 

 should be given to it. At the end of the third year, then, 

 of his keeping greyhounds, he had a sale of them at 

 Tattersall's, where they fetched as good prices as could be 

 expected from the kennel of so young a sportsman as our 

 hero. The history of Champion, however, proved remark- 

 able. He became the sire of more good greyhounds than 

 any other dog of those days ; indeed, it was asserted of 

 him, that he could produce good runners from very in- 

 ferior bitches. This was a pleasing reflection to our hero, 

 inasmuch as it showed that, so far in life as he had gone, 

 he had more or less succeeded in whatever pursuit he had 

 engaged in ; and in the fly-leaf of his greyhound book, in 

 which the pedigree and performance of each dog were very 

 accurately entered, were the following remarks, written 

 with his own hand : " Although many kinds of dogs are 

 as long as the greyhound, yet, from the many curves and 

 circles which he describes in his shape, he excels all in 

 his strides. 



" Fine greyhounds, like fine horses, have a general pro- 

 portion, and a certain elegance of parts ; they abound in 

 muscle, have great length for their height, have their 

 hocks let down to the ground, behind, and standing from 

 them, which greatly increases the angle, have the muscles 

 of the thigh remarkably broad and expanded, with great 

 strength of back, and to supply the want of a long pastern- 

 joint which speedy horses have their feet and toes are 

 longer than those of any other dogs. They also resemble 

 the hare in the declivity of the shoulders, and length and 

 strength of the hinder legs, as well as the development of 

 muscle in the loins. In fact, were their frame to be put 

 to the test of geometrical science, I know not in what 

 respect it could be improved as regards the united faculties 

 of speed and endurance." 



Two things will have been observable in the progress of 

 this history if history it can be called : one, that our 

 hero, although occasionally running riot a little, like a 

 well-bred young hound just entered to his game, possesses 



