Field Trial Beagle Type 173 



speed, but for ability to, as you put it, 'hark for- 

 ward,' I have never seen anything to equal the 

 Blue Caps. Both strains came from Ashbui'nam. 

 Captain Assheton, who imported them, lived in 

 Canada, some 35 to 40 years ago; but at that time 

 kept foxhounds. He imported the beagles after re- 

 moving to Virginia. 



"There were no bench shows in those days. The 

 first show beagles in this country were the Rowetts, 

 and for character and quality I have never seen 

 anything since to equal them. They were field dogs 

 as well — true, sweet voiced, and dead game. But 

 the craze for them caused too much inter-breeding, 

 and the so-called Rowetts of to-day are mostly in- 

 ferior stuff. The American B. C. standard was 

 built to fit the Bowett type, and if it had been ad- 

 hered to, we would have a better class of hunting 

 beagles now ; but on the advent of Bannerman the 

 craze went over to the roly-poly type, and now we 

 are being threatened with half a dozen more. 



*'The Bannerman blood will shorten up the body 

 of any strain that it is mixed with, and also the 

 head and neck; it is also all right in hunting the 

 rabbits you have in your locality, but up here the 

 white hare is the game, and so far as I have tried 

 them, the Bannermans can't stay the trip. Jack 

 B., the sire of Blue Jacket, was a good 'one-day' 



