The Beagle 653 



Of course the horses used in his days were much slower than modern hunters 

 which are nearly thoroughbreds. 



Colonel Thornton's own beagles were famous and in the sketch of his 

 life, included in the same volume of "Sporting Anecdotes" there is a list of 

 his best known horses and dogs, including under the head of beagles this 

 mention: "Merryman — ^This celebrated dog is sire of a pack, which ex- 

 ceeds all others for symmetry, bottom, and pace. The beagles of Colonel 

 Thornton will tire the strongest hunters and return to the kennel compara- 

 tively fresh." What the Colonel's beagles look like is admirably shown in 

 the painting by Reinagle. The title to this engraving is " Lap dog beagles " 

 but the tell-tale "T" denotes who they belonged to. Chalon also painted a 

 group with the "T," but they look like little pigs. Stubs also painted 

 beagles, said to be Thornton's, but they are not hounds like Reinagle's lot. 



Sufficient has been said about the beagle when he was in the height of 

 popularity in England, for after Colonel Thornton's day foxhunting became 

 the supreme hound-sport and beagles were neglected as time went on. 

 What further need be said in connection with English dogs will appear in 

 speaking of importations to this country. 



Little is known of the beagle in America before 1876, which was about 

 the time. General Rowett of Illinois got some from England. This gentle- 

 man had on his Carlinsville farm a collection of the highest bred horses and 

 cattle in the United States and he took the same course in getting his dogs of 

 the best stamp obtainable, so that Rowett beagle meant a dog of the very best 

 type, and they were eagerly sought for by all beagle breeders. Southern 

 Pennsylvania and Delaware with Maryland were the beagle countries best 

 known at that time, and throughout that section there was a variety which 

 went by the name of " bench-legged beagle " from its crooked forelegs. In 

 some of these dogs there was a cross of the dachshund, quite a number of that 

 breed having been imported by Dr. Twaddell and a few other sportsmen of 

 Philadelphia for rabbit hunting. Whether all of these beagles got their 

 crooked forelegs from this cross we cannot say, but there were plenty that 

 did and some were said to trace to dogs from Prince Albert's dogs at Wind- 

 sor. If these imported dogs were not English beagles then they were likely 

 dachshunds. Classes for these dogs were given at early Philadelphia and 

 Baltimore shows, but with the establishment of the first beagle club by the 

 Philadelphia breeders attention was directed in the proper direction and we 

 began breeding the right sort exclusively. 



