Speed Versus Nose 103 



think I should have answered his article, but I 

 could not quite stand that. In regard to those long- 

 legged, quaint, terrier-looking beagles, will say 

 they must nearly all have been West, as I did not 

 see any at the New England or National Beagle 

 Club trials. I have yet to learn why a fast, true- 

 running beagle is a handicap for a hunting beagle ; 

 I am sure on our large rabbit they are the kind we 

 must have. It is no sport for me to shoot a rabbit 

 sitting still or just crawling along in front of a 

 slow beagle, simply because the dog has not nose 

 and speed to drive him into a run. Did any beagle- 

 man ever see a fast, true-running beagle that did 

 not have a good nose? Thanking you for the space 

 this letter will take, I will step down, but not out, 

 for I have a few beagles to run next fall, just to 

 keep the judges from catching cold." 



Then comes Mr. John Bateman who tells amus- 

 ing anecdotes about the noses of his hounds as 

 follows: "I like to read your paper, the views of 

 others regarding beagles and their hunting qual- 

 ities. In regard to the letter of Mr. Buckstaff on 

 speed and nose in which he says that nose is the 

 desirable quality in the beagle for this game. I 

 have hunted a great deal after cotton-tails with 

 beagles, in fact, have been thanked by farmers for 

 hunting them where they were a pest (but that 



