BEST MODE OF OBTAINING A STUD. 179 



hound ; in the subsequent chapters, the mode of keeping him in 

 health has been considered, and now I shall proceed to examine 

 into a still more difficult subject, namely, the best mode of 

 obtaining a stud of these animals. This object may be effected 

 either by purchase, or by the selection of a sire and dam, as 

 perfect as possible in blood, form, and health, and then proceed- 

 ing to breed from them, 



One chief reason for my undertaking to give publicity to my 

 opinions is, that I believe coursing to be the most innocent 

 public amusement, connected with the indulgence of the hunting 

 propensity so natural to every man, and more especially to every 

 Briton. For I think it may be shown that, properly conducted, 

 the pursuit of the hare by the greyhound at public meetings may 

 be carried on with perfect innocence, as regards the morals, both 

 of the parties actually engaged and also of the spectators. Now 

 this can be said of scarcely any other amusement of the kind. 

 In horse-racing there is much which is reprehensible, and though 

 its encouragement is necessary to keep up the breed of horses, 

 yet I much doubt whether its disadvantages do not counter- 

 balance its advantages. Fox-hunting can only be enjoyed by the 

 wealthy, and even by them is only attainable in certain favoured 

 districts. Shooting, also, is confined to those who possess landed 

 estates or the right to shoot over them, and is now out of the 

 reach of most men of moderate means, except as a rare treat; 

 but there are few who may not find the means to keep one or two 

 greyhounds, and this number will engage the attention, and 

 delight the eye, of the man of limited means quite as much as the 



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