THE BEAGLE. 



231 



excepting in long existence, in the hands of 

 pri\"ate indi\'iduals for their own use and 

 pleasure, they have not been the mediuna 

 of pubUc competitions for many years. 

 The owners, like the masters of Foxhound 

 kennels, have never been very partial to 

 the ordinary dog shows, and so the develop- 

 ment of the up-to-date Beagle, as seen at 

 these shows, is somewhat new. It is just 

 as it should be, though, and if more people 

 take up " beagling " — to coin a term — it 

 may not be in the least surprising. They 

 are very beautiful httle hounds, can give a 

 vast amount of amusement, and, for the 

 matter of that, healthy exercise. If a stout 

 runner can keep within fairlj' easy distance 

 of a pack of these well-bred little Beagles on 

 the line of a lively Jack hare, he is in the 

 sort of condition to be generally envied. 



Description of the Beagle. 



X. Head. — Fair length, powerful without being 

 coarse ; skull domed, moderately wide, with an 

 indication of peak, stop well defined, muzzle not 

 snipy. and lips well flewed. 



2. Nose. — Black, broad, and nostrils well ex- 

 panded. 



3. Eyes. — Brown, dark hazel or hazel, not deep 

 set nor bulg^^ and with a mUd expression. 



4. Ears. — Long, set on low, fine in texture, and 

 hanging in a graceful fold close to the cheek. 



5. Neck. — Moderately long, slightly arched, 

 the throat showing some dewlap. 



6. Shoulders. — Clean and slightly sloping. 



7. Body. — Short between the couplings, well 

 let down in chest, ribs fairly well sprung and well 

 ribbed up, with powerful and not tucked-up 

 loins. 



8. Hindquarters. — Very muscular about the 

 thighs, stifles and hocks well bent, and hocks 

 well let down. 



9. Forelegs. — Quite straight, well under the dog, 

 of good substance and round in the bone. 



10. Feet. — Round, well knuckled up, and 

 strongly padded. 



11. Stem. — Moderate length, set on high, thick 

 and carried gailj', but not curled over the back. 



12. Colour. — Any recognised hound colour. 



13. Coat. — Smooth variety : Smooth, very dense 

 and not too fine or short. Rough variety : Ver\- 

 dense and wiry. 



14. Height. — Xot exceeding 16 inches. Pocket 

 Beagles must not exceed 10 inches. 



15. General Appearance. — A compactly-built 

 hound, without coarseness, conve^'ing the impres- 

 sion of great stamina and vivacity. 



There was until some few years ago in 

 Ireland a hound known as the Kerry Beagle, 

 but it seems now to be practically extinct, 

 although so recently as 1870 the Scarteen 

 pack in Tipperary was composed entirely 

 of this breed. It was described by Richard- 

 son in 1851 as a fine, tall, dashing hound, 

 averaging 26 inches in height, with deep 

 chops, broad pendulous ears, and, when 

 highly bred, hardly to be distinguished 

 from an indifferent Bloodhound. The coat 

 was hard, close and smooth, in colour black 

 and tan, or blue mottled and tan. Some 

 were tan and white, or black, tan and 

 white. They were at one time used for 

 deer hunting. 



Etonians wiU expect here some reference 

 to the E.C.H. When we first hear of the 

 Beagles at Eton thej' apparently himted a 

 drag or an occasional bagged fox.; but the 

 more legitimate sport of hare hunting has 

 for man)' years reigned supreme. There is 

 alwaj's a good pack of about twenty couples 

 kept in an enclosure knowTi as the Kennels 

 up in Agar's Plough. A kennelman is paid 

 to look after them. The puppies are usually 

 walked by the young sportsmen at their 

 homes, and a prize is given every winter 

 half for the best walked Beagle. The 

 appointment of the Master used to rest 

 with the Captain of the Boats, but this 

 custom has fallen into abeyance. He acts 

 as huntsman and is assisted by three whips. 

 All four wear browTi velveteen coats, and 

 some seventy boys are allowed to run with 

 them. There were at one period two packs, 

 a Colleger and an Oppidan, but they were 

 amalgamated in 1866, and now any boy 

 may put his name do\\Ti to join, his admis- 

 sion being determined by the Master. The 

 subscription is thirty shillings, reduced to 

 fifteen shillings at half-term. The Beagles 

 run every half-holiday during the Easter 

 half, and there is usually a good field. 

 " Beagles " are not always looked upon with 

 favour by the authorities at Eton, and 

 attempts have occasionally been made to 

 stop the sport; but it is well disciplined, 

 and there is no doubt that it provides an 

 excellent training for our future Fox- 

 hunters. 



