OPINIONS OF NOTED COURSERS 157 



deciding trials were far from satisfactory, and he (Mr. Hedley) 

 was the first to mitigate the nuisance of undecideds — an evil 

 that had previously flourished to an irritating and dangerous 

 extent ; one courser of long experience informing us that in the 

 old days he had seen the judge's hat come off no fewer than five 

 times for one trial, which shows how the practice was used as a 

 foil to the confusion and vacillation of judges. 



Tom Wilkinson scores as easily in the list of slippers as 

 Mr. Hedley did in that of judges, receiving as many as 

 2 7 votes. Some of the older generation of coursers ' go for ' 

 Tom Raper, so that he is second with 11. This slipper is 

 beyond our memory, but the fathers of the sport speak of 

 him in terms of the highest praise. Jeffery and Bootiman 

 get I vote each, and they are undoubtedly painstaking and 

 skilful men. 



Opinions differ considerably as to the merits of the various 

 coursing grounds, but with regard to the English venues 

 Amesbury is held in highest esteem, and is voted for by fifteen 

 of those who filled up the forms. Altcar and Border Union 

 are next with seven. Other grounds that are thought well of 

 are Ashdown, Newmarket and Brigg. Carmichael is, par excel- 

 lence, the pick of the Scotch meetings, whilst Upper Nithsdale 

 and Kelso Border Ground are also noticed. With one voice 

 Lurgan is pronounced the ideal of Irish coursing, and we 

 have been told that this ground will bear comparison with any 

 in the United Kingdom. 



With reference to the question, Which have been the most 

 successful sires within the last thirty years ? we will go somewhat 

 further back, and give a rough sketch of the best strains as 

 far as we have any information which can be relied upon ; and 

 that, as all breeders know, at the cost of much time and temper, 

 is most meagre. 



The average generation of a greyhound is about five years ; 

 by which is meant, that from Topham's Snowball, who was 

 pupped about 1796, to the present time we shall find in any 

 pedigree about nineteen or twenty generations. And the usual 



