34 COURSING 



courses, and was beaten by Fallen Fortune in the third round. 

 She was then put by for the Waterloo Cup, but unfortunately 

 Mr. Penning was obliged to go abroad, and much to his dis- 

 appointment he had to part with his favourite, who passed into 

 Count Stroganoff's hands for no guineas at a Barbican sale, 

 only six weeks before she won the envied trophy. Falconer, 

 like Texture, was by Herschel out of a Jester bitch, and the 

 same sire was in this year responsible for one of the dividers 

 of the Purse and one of the dividers of the Plate, neither of 

 these stakes being run out. Pennegant got to the end of the 

 Purse, as also did Happy Relic, by Herschel out of Happy 

 Omen, and the Plate was divided between Tasmania by 

 Restorer out of Tinsel (the dam of Texture) and Free Kick, 

 one of the Herschel-Fine Sport litter, and, as stated above, a 

 full sister to Falconer. 



1895. In this year frost interfered much more seriously 

 than it had done twelve months before. In fact, on the 

 original date the whole country was iron-bound, with a tem- 

 perature which in some places went below zero, and coursing- 

 as also necessarily hunting and steeplechasing was quite out 

 pf the question. Finally a start was made on March 12, three 

 weeks after the original date, and nominators generally were 

 much puzzled about their greyhounds, hardly knowing which 

 to send to slips, so much had training operations been inter- 

 fered with. 1895 was, too, the first year of office of Mr. 

 J. Hartley Bibby, who had been chosen to succeed Mr. Harold 

 Brocklebank as secretary of the Altcar Club. At the last 

 moment Bootiman, the properly elected slipper for the meet- 

 ing, wired to say he was ill, and R. Wright was chosen to take 

 his place. On the night of the draw Falconer, runner up to 

 Texture in the previous year, was favourite ; Fabulous Fortune 

 was the next choice ; Fair Floralie, Fortuna Favente, and 

 Thoughtless Beauty were believed to have good chances. 

 The latter proved to be the winner of the stake, and she got 

 through her task with great credit to herself, proving herself 

 a fast and good greyhound. Curiously enough she was a very 



