Bone in the Beagle 145 



believe it; at any rate, it begins to look that way, 

 and if it keeps up another year, the beagle with the 

 largest bone, regardless of the fact the judge must 

 hold his head down and gently, yet firmly press his 

 hand on his shoulder, in order to have him come in 

 the 15-inch class, will win first, and all specials, 

 with some judges, and the awards be considered 

 correct by a share of the breeders. 



"Like a flock of sheep, get one started in any 

 direction or over any obstacle and away they go, 

 all of them. Get the eye and mind of breeders on 

 any one fashionable quality and it is all half of them 

 can see. They are now looking for bone, and legs 

 which are not perfectly straight, bodies which are 

 too long; heads which are not exactly right, will be 

 glanced at and overlooked — if the dog has bone. 

 In a short time it will be some other hobby that 

 some other enterprising breeder or speculator will 

 start and again we are off like chaff before the wind. 

 There is one consolation, it is only chaff and other 

 light substances that are blown away by every 

 breeze; the wheat waits and is gathered by a 

 stronger hand, and the breeder who stays and 

 breeds good all-round, practical hounds — those 

 with good or fair coats, legs, feet, heads, chests, and 

 loins, from 11 to 15 inches, but with bone enough 

 to correspond with size of dog, enough to carry him 



