164 



COURSING 



the sport, as it had hitherto been conducted, fairly frightened 

 the better class of coursers into a steady opposition. A 

 valuable opinion in this direction is given by Mr. J. Porter 

 Porter, who says : 



Now that enclosed coursing is losing popularity all must see 

 the ruin that has arisen from it ; good greyhounds spoiled ; fluky, 

 flashy ones benefited ; stamina and determination lost sight of ; 

 encouragement to every public-house landlord to keep a dog of 



Unsighted 



sorts ; encouragement to small bookmakers and welshers ; and 

 deterioration of all long-odds betting before a meeting, and conse- 

 quent prejudice to good books ; strong incentive to run for money 

 value only, and not for sport's sake. It now lies with the real sports- 

 men of Great Britain and Ireland, who course for the love of the 

 thing only, to raise the standard of coursing, which has sunk far 

 below its proper level. The thanks of all may thus be ensured, no 

 matter how a few may be annoyed for a year or two. 



Mr. Frank Richardson, a northern courser, who took to the 

 sport as far back as 1850, but who for the past four or five 



