182 PUBLIC COURSING. 



the control of a stud of greyhounds, without the assistance of a 

 special trainer ; or, if he prefers to entrust them to some person 

 learned in the mysterious art, still to enable him to check his 

 servant in his absurdities, and to know whether he is really going 

 on in the right road without doing too much or too little. I 

 have known a master charged three shillings a day for each dog 

 for rabbits and eggs!!! without, as may be expected, seeing any 

 superiority of condition manifested by the stud. I have seen 

 naturally good dogs fed at first-rate meetings, upon fat necks of 

 mutton, with at least four times as much fat as lean and with 

 the inevitable result of losing their courses from want of condition, 

 the master all the while ignorant that his chance was being- 

 thrown away by the incapacity of his servant. Indeed, it is 

 truly astonishing how some dogs run at all, when we see how they 

 are mismanaged what with improper food, sherry and eggs, and 

 other stimulating articles, to which the dog's stomach is not 

 easily accustomed. There is no animal which will digest bones 

 more quickly than the dog, which has led people to suppose that 

 his stomach can digest anything ; but there is scarcely any 

 domestic animal whose stomach is so readily upset by unac- 

 customed and improper food. 



The first advice I would give to an inexperienced courser 

 would be, to get a few greyhounds at the lowest possible price, 

 without any hope of running in public, but in order to gain 

 experience in their management* Of course it is desirable to get 

 as good dogs as possible ; but it is useless for the tyro to hope to 

 procure greyhounds, by purchase, of such a character as to 



