INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 3 



certainly desire the destruction of the hare when his own dog is 

 engaged, because he knows that without blood occasionally the 

 greyhound loses his courage and fire ; but the spectators are often 

 as much interested in the escape of a ' rare hare ' as in the per- 

 formance of the two dogs pursuing her. The consequence of 

 this difference of circumstances is, that a good private dog is 

 seldom of much use in public, because he has been practised so 

 much in order to make him sure of his game, that he has learned 

 to run cunning, and reserve his powers for their most advantageous 

 display : in fact, he has found out that he and his partner, by each 

 alternately pressing the hare, can beat her with little difficulty, 

 whereas if they both do their best from first to last, the hare 

 has a fair chance of escape. The case is just like that of three 

 horses running together, and two of them belonging to the same 

 stable, when by one of these two ' making the running ' the powers 

 of the other are reserved till the finish ; by these unfair means, 

 although really inferior to the third horse, he would often be 

 able to beat him without difficulty, because the third has been 

 obliged to keep pace with the horse making play, in order to 

 prevent his getting too great a lead, whereas the horse in reserve 

 has been husbanding his powers from the first. This is considered 

 fair in the race-course, because it is open to all to do the like, and 

 the same opinion is held among private coursers, but in public it 

 is maintained that the greyhound's speed gives him sufficient 

 advantage over the hare, without exercising his mental powers 

 also. The axiom, therefore, has been laid down, that the grey- 

 hound is the best, which throughout the course does the most 



B 2 



