200 Forty Years Beagling 



the better, and it is a good plan to be sure that game 

 will be started whenever a backward specimen is 

 to be taken out If game is scarce a bagged speci- 

 men should be used and when rabbits are the game, 

 this is easy enough, but when foxes are the question 

 it is less convenient. In referring it to be easy in 

 the case of rabbits, it may be borne in mind that 

 often a. tame specimen can be used several times 

 with puppies, as the rabbit soon learns how to fool 

 a dog and I have seen an over-eager puppy, when 

 running in full view to be completely fooled, by the 

 rabbit just squatting and the dog jump clean over 

 it as a stump. A tame rabbit can be used in close 

 time without danger of incurring any penalty un- 

 der the law. 



"It is not a good plan to keep youngsters in the 

 woods long at a time, particularly if they show 

 little or no inclination to hunt, as not infrequently 

 happens. Perseverance, patience, time and oppor- 

 tunity will make almost all dogs hunt if their health 

 is good, and if a hound at ten months old is not 

 doing some work, suspect that he is sick and act 

 accordingly. Allowance may be made for puppies 

 bred from stock that has been for other than field 

 purposes for one or more generations; sometimes 

 feeding has much to do with the quality of life a 

 puppy has, and whilst I do not believe in a meat 



