190 PUBLIC COURSING. 



you admire, and who are most of them of a proper size, by all 

 means select her in preference to a larger animal, for the fol- 

 lowing reasons : 1st. The small bitch is more easily obtained, 

 because she was very probably not large enough to win, and has 

 also been less used in consequence; 2ndly. The large bitch, if 

 not good enough to win, must be defective in some other point 

 than want of size, and if a winner, is injured, to a certain 

 extent, by the work she has done; 3rdly. The small bitch is 

 generally a better nurse, and more hardy in every respect. I have 

 made the remark that it is not important that the brood bitch 

 should have been a public winner, but I should go still further, 

 and maintain that she is rendered less valuable for breeding 

 purposes by her successes. When we consider the care that is 

 generally taken in putting celebrated bitches to first-class dogs, it 

 is wonderful how few have produced a fair proportion of winners. 

 I may adduce as an instance the celebrated ' Dressmaker,' which, 

 though a wonderful performer, has, out of four or five litters, only 

 produced one first-rate greyhound, arid in fact only three winners 

 altogether, viz. ' Staymaker,' ' Cinderella,' and ( Perseverance,' 

 whilst her brother, c Pleader,' has got more than a dozen out of a 

 very limited number of bitches, though in himself very inferior to 

 her. Besides 'Dressmaker,' the following noted bitches may be 

 enumerated, viz. ( Breeze,' the no less celebrated 'Harriet' and 

 Birdlime,' ' Eegina Victoria,' ' Lady Harkaway,' ' Highland Lassie,' 

 'Kizzie,' and last, though not least in public estimation, Mr. 

 Fyson's ( Fairy.' This bitch, when compared with his ' Frederica,' 

 is a good illustration of my argument, for though she was 



