182 Forty Years Beagling 



hood of his hunting grounds. If Mr. MacAleer 

 would hke to find out the kind of beagle Mr. Card 

 breeds, let him try one of them in a fight against a 

 bull terrier, as a man of my acquaintance had to 

 kill his beagle on account of his pugnacit}^ Now, 

 as neither Mr. Card nor the writer has any of this 

 stock for sale, and as both breed for their own 

 amusement first, and for the market last, it is left 

 with you readers to judge as to what interest the 

 writer has in replying to the uncalled-for remarks 

 of Mr. MacAleer. That the writer is responsible 

 for the publication of Mr. Card's letter is the excuse 

 for replying to Mr. MacAleer. Further, that it is 

 unlikely he will again favor the New England, Cen- 

 tral or National Club's trials with his presence and 

 experience of thirty or forty years as a beagle 

 breeder, which is regrettable. 



"He is, I understand, contemporary with the men 

 who introduced the beagle to this country, and hav- 

 ing tried all the blood that is of any repute on this 

 side of the pond, as well as some that was directly 

 imported, I should be inclined to think that some 

 weight should be given his opinions. Besides all 

 this, he has maintained the breed in its traditional 

 use as a hound for pastime, not pot-hunting, pre- 

 ferring to destroy impromising specimens witli 

 crooked legs, long backs, disinclination to hunt, etc., 



