110 Forty Years Beagling 



an old lady I once knew is true, that 'the news- 

 papers is a passel of lies.' We gullible, simple- 

 minded Westerners believe all we see in the papers, 

 and I had begun to think it was a mere oversight 

 that Royal Rover did not get a better place in the 

 National trials. But it seems now as though it was 

 the decision of deliberate, cool, judicial minds work- 

 ing under the 'spotting system,' which I take for 

 granted is responsible for Rover being dropped 

 after his heat with Buckshot. But as I said in my 

 letter, the judges might put a new light on the 

 matter if they chose to answer my question; so my 

 object has been accomphshed, and I have learned 

 how judges decide at a field trial. But I am in 

 no wise convinced that the system is right. 'Out 

 of the mouths of judges ye shall hear wisdom.' Let 

 us hear some of Mr. Turpin's remarks: 'Buckshot 

 showed fully as good nose, fully as good hunting 

 sense, as Rover, and far greater speed. ... In 

 the race he led most of the time, and picked out v. 

 great majority of the turns.' What business had 

 Rover to be in the lead at any time of a dog with 

 'far greater speed and fully as good a nose?' What 

 was Buckshot doing when this dog Rover, with 

 fully as good a nose as Buckshot, but so lacking in 

 speed that he dropped out after the heat, was lead- 

 ing him? 



