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CHAPTER XVI. 

 COURSING. 



Coursing as a Branch of Sport— Expenditure and Employment— Author's Estimate— Unfair 

 Play and Cruelty— Public Coursing- Sport on a Mountain— Jorrocks's Opinion— 

 Gambling— Breeding Dogs— Physiological Facts— Mr. W. H. Dewe's Article on Grey- 

 hound Breeding— Size and Quality— Weight of the Bitch— Worms— Feeding— 

 Physicking— Mange- Choosing a Brood Bitch— Running Blood— Rearing Whelps- 

 Weaning Them— Feeding Them— Walking— Shoulder Action— Exercise— The Food- 

 Puppy Diseases- Their Tee^h- Luck— Exercise Again— Fascinating Occupation- 

 Training Kennels— Warmth and Cleanliness— Medicines— Worms and Distemper— 

 Benbow— Kidneys and Liver— Mischief— Results— Additions by the Author— Ver- 

 mifuge— Rackham's Balls— A Simple Emetic— The Stomach of a Dog— Walking Grey- 

 hound Puppies— Not Suitable to Other Breeds— Brainlessness of the Greyhound- 

 History of Master McGrath— His Early Days— His Escape— His Coursing Career— 

 McGrath for the Waterloo— The Lamb for the Liverpool— Visit to the Queen— His 

 Death— His Performances— Dogs he beat— His Measurements— Description— His 

 Grave— Names Given to Dogs— Those given to Greyhounds- Physiognomy and Phren- 

 ology- Characteristics of Various Breeds— The Foxhound— Author's Enthusiasm- 

 The other Breeds— The Setter and Pointer— The Author's Opinions of Coursing 

 Justitied— The Waterloo of 1893— Records of that Memorable Meeting— Fuller ton— 

 Kennel-Companions Left in for The Final— Luck— Colonel North and The Waterloo- 

 Lord Derbyjand The Derby— William Irvine— Muriel's Waterloo, 



Coursing, as a branch of our sport, no doubt stands high up in the 

 scale of popularity. To a vast number of people it is a source of great 

 enjoyment, and it can be carried on without any great expenditure of 

 money. 



At the same time a large amount is, on the aggregate, expended upon 

 coursing in the year, and keeping up a kennel of greyhounds necessi- 

 tates a fair share of expenditure and gives a good deal of employment. 



Notwithstanding all this I must say I never cared for it, more 

 particularly for public coursing as it is at present generally carried out. 



As to the enclosed business, with newly turned-down hares let out 

 one by one from pens like sheep, I dare not trust my pen to deal with it, 

 hating as I do unfair play, and being unable to endure anything which 

 has even a taint of cruelty. 



To my mind, cour.sing as conducted at public meetings, has not a 

 particle of fair play in it. I consider it a very cruel type of amuse- 

 ment, and not sport in its true form . A brace of dogs, in the best 

 condition, are slipped at a fat over-grown hare with its belly full of 

 food, and that on level ground, sometimes covered with thick and 

 perhaps high herbage. The consequence is that after a few turns the 

 poor animal is killed in nearly every course. 



If, however, we could hold meetings on the side of a hill or mountain, 

 where the ground would be smooth enough for the dogs, and the scant 

 herbage favourable to the hares running, then I should like to see what 

 a brace of greyhounds could do with the tight, hardy little jack hares 

 which are only to be found on mountains, and where, with the hill in 



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