422 With Rod and Gun in New England 



reason for believing, as with the staghound, that he is the old southern 

 hound crossed with the greyhound, with, perhaps, a dash of the bull-dog ; 

 but here, again, all is conjecture, and we can only guess at his origin from 

 his form and peculiarities. The popularity of the foxhound in this country 

 is rapidly growing, and, as before stated, the sport of fox-hunting has come 

 here to stay. 



We have two distinct varieties of this dog, the fast Kentucky and the 

 slower New England breed, both of which have a true representation in our 

 kennels. 



The beagle, celebrated as the most diminutive of hounds, is fast 

 becoming one of the leading favorites among fanciers, and it has long 

 occupied a high position in the estimation of sportsmen. It is used in 

 packs in rabbit-hunting in England, in the same manner that the larger 

 hounds are employed in the pursuit of the fox, and to a certain class its 

 work possesses very great attractions. 



Its scenting power is one of the most exquisite of all dogs, the faintest 

 clew being followed up most unerringly, and the packs run so well together 

 that a sheet may sometimes cover them, while their speed is so moderate 

 that the most ordinary pedestrian may keep up with them. 



The beagle is not used with the gun at all, for it is a hound pure et 

 simple ; a small working model, it is true, but one that moves with the same 

 action as that of its larger relatives, and with the same bay or call, although 

 in a more subdued key. It is said that a pack of six couples, not more 

 than ten inches in height, will run down a rabbit under ordinary condi- 

 tions, in seven minutes, and even on a cold, bad-scenting day, will never 

 lose the track. 



An English writer, in describing some of the peculiarities of the beagle, 

 says : " They are the smallest of the hound race used in this country, are 

 exquisite in their scent of the hare, and indefatigably viligant in their 

 pursuit of it. Their slow kind of hunting is admirably adapted to age and 

 the feminine gender. It can be enjoyed by ladies of the greatest timidity, 

 as well as gentlemen laboring under infirmity, to both of whom it is a con- 

 solation that if they are occasionally a little way behind there is barely a 

 possibility of their being thrown out. A pack of this description is per- 

 fectly accommodating to the neighboring rustics, who find it a matter of 

 no great difficulty to be well up with them on foot." 



It is to be remembered that the beagle is not the same dog as the 

 so-called harrier, which is considerably larger and different in a number of 

 ways, although the two dogs possess precisely the same hunting properties 

 and are hunted in the same coverts and under similar conditions ; the 

 harriers being more speedy, however, than the others. 



Although the pedigree of the Dachschunde, or badger dog, as it is 

 often called, is undoubtedly a long one, the figure of a dog resembling it 



