90 Forty Years Beagling 



show and see the fine little fellows that walk off 

 with the blue ribbons, and then go to a field trial 

 and see the gaunt, long-legged terrier-looking dogs, 

 that come to compete for field honors, and what 

 is more, the hound voice is missing in at least half 

 of them — they yap like rat-dogs. But that cuts 

 no figure; the point is to win and it takes speed to 

 do it. It is, however, a fact that fine bench-shov/ 

 dogs come to the trials and sometimes win in spite 

 of the handicap of hound form. If the beagle is 

 to be developed for use in the field and beauty of 

 form, oui' field trials will not bring about the 

 desired result. 



"Great speed in a beagle is not at all necessary 

 to make him a pleasant dog to take on a rabbit 

 chase ; in fact it is a drawback if you are out to kill 

 a big bag of game. What gives me pleasure in my 

 beagles is to have them sure on the trail with speed 

 enough not to be 'pottering' or laggards, with fine 

 hound form and musical voices. To be sure, I don't 

 own many such because the country does not afford 

 many. Now, I should like to ask the judges of the 

 National trials at Hempstead at what point in the 

 scale of field trial virtues in a beagle they drop 

 speed and credit nose, and at what point they drop 

 nose and credit speed? 



"I would take, for example, my own dog. Royal 



