i62 COURSING 



It should be remarked that Beacon owes his chief, if not 

 sole, representation in these days to his union with Scotland 

 Yet, as Ptarmigan does to that with Gallant Foe. The family 

 of the last couple, Ptarmigan and Gallant Foe, is probably 

 the most distinguished in the annals of coursing. Princess 

 Dagmar, Miss Glendyne, Bit of Fashion, Fullerton, all winners, 

 two of them more than once, of the Waterloo Cup, and in 

 1891 the winner and runner-up for the Cup, as well as the 

 winners of the Purse and Plate, may be said to have established 

 >a record. 



Strange Idea should not be passed over. He was one of 

 the successful sires of his day ; and furnished the winner of 

 the Cup in Sea Cove. Brigadier was another favourite sire ; 

 and he claims Honeymoon among the Waterloo roll. Bothal 

 Park should also be named, being the sire of the winner of the 

 Waterloo Cup and of the Gosforth Gold Cup ; these stakes 

 requiring very different styles of running. And Fusilier should 

 not be left out, as in his short career he was the sire of one of 

 the Waterloo Cup winners in Muriel, and laid the foundation 

 of the success of Mr. Thomas Graham's kennel with Annie 

 Macpherson and Mary Hill. His strain is undoubtedly much 

 valued by breeders. 



But, after all, it is difficult to say which sires are the most 

 distinguished for their success. The grounds on which to found 

 the distinction are so various. The number of winners of all 

 kinds may be one standard : the numbers of winners of the 

 first class may be the recommendation to others ; the power of 

 perpetuating its good qualities, as breeders would term it its 

 prepotency, would be valued by another class. 



Then, again, the length of stud life would greatly modify 

 any statistics. We have Oliver Twist, a sire at a year old, and 

 -dead in three years ; Fusilier, with a stud life of about three 

 years ; Macpherson, with four years, compared with David and 

 Misterton, who lived till they were thirteen years old. 



Once more ; the means of popularising the dog or the fame 

 of the kennel would have an effect. Bothal Park, for instance, 



