CHAPTER II 



Dogs Used in Sport 



staghounds foxhounds harriers beagles 



The Staghound. — This is not a hound that will re- 

 quire a long dissertation from me. There are but few 

 packs in England which hunt the deer at all, and still 

 less that hunt the wild deer ; these are commonly sup- 

 posed to be the same as were formerly called "Southern 

 Hounds/' and as the large tracts of land formerly 

 waste and forest have been gradually brought under 

 cultivation, the places most available for stag hunting 

 have disappeared. They were celebrated for " tongue," 

 and made plenty of music as they followed the wind- 

 ings of the deer, but they were not even moderately 

 fast hounds, and it is a fact, that no very fleet hounds 

 can be musical. Devon, which has always been a 

 great country for sport, has, for many years, kept up 

 a pack of Staghounds, besides others, as we find " Nim- 

 rod " states " although the going in that county is 

 about the worst in the world, more hounds are kept in 

 Devon than in any three counties in England. In 

 1849, Devon possessed eight established packs of Fox- 

 hounds, three of other hounds, the Staghounds, and 

 many a ' Parish Pack ' kept by subscription." The 

 general run of Staghounds appear, both in shape, style 



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