MODERN HARRIERS 79 



consist, of course, largely of hounds which show strong 

 traces of the foxhound ; in many instances, in fact, 

 the average stud-book harrier is almost overpower- 

 ingly foxhound in type. Still, he is not a pure fox- 

 hound, and the harrier leaven left within him gives 

 him a better nose for his work than the foxhound, 

 and steadies somewhat those instincts for driving and 

 flashing over the line which characterise the pure 

 foxhound when hunting hare. Again, stud-book 

 harriers are not necessarily all of overpowering fox- 

 hound blood. The fact that Sir John Amory's pack, 

 which are pure harriers, almost untainted, I believe, 

 by any admixture of foxhound blood, were admitted 

 into the Stud-book, is convincing proof that the fox- 

 hound strain alone is not a qualification for entry. 

 So much the better for harriers and hare-hunting. 

 On the other hand, it is not absolutely certain that 

 packs entered as " Pure Harriers " or " Old English 

 Harriers " are completely uncontaminated by fox- 

 hound strain. It is impossible to assert this with 

 conviction, and the fact that during the progress of 

 generations different hounds have been introduced for 

 breeding purposes, even among old-established packs, 

 renders it possible that a distant strain of the foxhound 

 may have been unwittingly blended with the old harrier 

 blood. Here and there, I grant, you may find packs 

 so carefully guarded that they really do represent 

 at the present day practically the blend first devised 

 by our ancestors for providing a good harrier — I mean 

 the blend of Southern hound and beagle advocated 

 by Peter Beckford himself. But among a good many 

 of the " pure harrier " packs there is, I am convinced, 

 a slight tinge of the foxhound. In such infinitesimal 

 quantity this is productive of no harm but rather of 

 good. 



