246 THE BOOK OF THE DOG. 



and the Greyhounds being in slips two together, he should give these orders ' If the hare 

 takes this way you loose yours, and no one else ; if that way you yours,' and these orders 

 should be punctually obeyed. The Gauls sometimes when coursing mix their finders with 

 the Greyhounds, and whilst these try, the others are led by the hand at a little distance, 

 taking care to lead the good dogs where the hare is most likely to come, that they may 

 be let go when she runs off. ... But by this method the course is irregular, and the 

 hare, however stout she may be, is so much alarmed by the cry of the dogs, that if she is 

 not a considerable way before, she is so confused that she will easily be caught. Therefore, 

 whoever lets slip a good dog should not do it while she is astonished, but let her make 

 her first ring before he looses him, unless he means to spoil the diversion. It is not right 

 to loose the greyhounds at a young hare, which should be spared, and the finders if possible 

 should be called off, which is very difficult, as they are not under good command, being 

 eager through hunger; and so desirous are they of eating up what they catch, that it is 

 hard to get them off even by beating them with sticks." 



Coursing meetings in the present time are generally under the management of some 

 of the numerous Clubs which are now in existence, and entries are usually confined to 

 dogs entered or nominated by members of these associations. The Waterloo meeting, 

 held at Altcar, near Liverpool, is the head of the list, as the Waterloo Cup, Purse, 

 and Stakes, attract more attention than any coursing events throughout the country. To 

 enter a dog for the Waterloo Cup, an owner who does not happen to be a member 

 of the Club is compelled to apply for a nomination from one of those who do belong to it, 

 and as the stake is but a sixty-four dog one, it frequently occurs that a good dog is 

 unable to compete. Many members, however, who have no Greyhound in their opinion 

 worth entering, return their nominations to the secretary, who in his turn places them at 

 the disposal of the owners of promising dogs who do not happen to belong to members. 

 In this way many outsiders are enabled to run their dogs, who would otherwise be unable 

 to do so. 



It occasionally happens in coursing Clubs that more members apply for nominations 

 in a stake than the committee have at their disposal. In such instances it is customary 

 to ballot for them, upon the understanding that those members who have been un- 

 fortunate enough to be balloted out shall have a priority of claim in the next stake 

 to be run for. On the other hand, in some cases it comes about that an insufficient 

 number of nominations have been applied for, and therefore the committee of the Club 

 would be unable to carry out their programme if some steps were not taken to meet the 

 difficulty. It is therefore usual in such a case to ballot in nominators, and thus it is decided 

 by lot who are to have the nominations not applied for. By this means members of 

 the Club who have no dog they care to enter, are compelled to find a dog outside their own 

 kennel to run for them, or failing this must pay the entrance money, so that no pecuniary loss 

 can fall upon the committee in carrying out the meeting on account of stakes. It is not, 

 of course, customary to grant more than one nomination to an individual member in a 

 stake if by doing so others who belong to the Club are prevented from entering a dog ; but 

 this rule is not usually enforced in produce stakes. 



Another difficulty which occasionally arises is the postponement of meetings from bad 

 weather, or other causes. In such instances the stewards are empowered to postpone the 

 meeting from day to day, or even fix some other date for it, as they may think fit. When this 



