322 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Jan, 17, 1889, 



COURSING. 



A SJwestward the Jstar of empire takes it course, so east- 

 c\. ward, though slowly, the glorious sport of coursing 

 wends its way into public favor, and ere many years are 

 gone it will become, as it is destined to be, one of the chief 

 pastimes of our sport-loving brotherhood. A decade since, 

 and coursing was quite an unknown quantity in this coun- 

 try, but now all over the new West, as well as beyond the 

 Rockies, coursing clubs are springing up, and thousands 

 now enjoy the glorious sight of the fleetest of all four-footed 

 animals, in their wild and mad chase after the ever-turning, 

 ever-dodging hare, wherein the staying powers and speed of 

 pursuer and pursued are taxed to the very utmost. 



To render a dog "fit" to run a hard and punishing course, 

 three months of constant care and attention are absolutely 

 necessary, and when at last lie is ready for the slips, the per- 

 fection of form, exuberance of spirits, and elasticity of 

 action more than repay for the weeks of rapid walking and 

 arduous hand and leather rubbing. To those who have 

 never been so fortunate as to witness a coursing meet, no 

 power of pen can express its beauties. Mounted upon their 

 horses the judges and stewards begin their duties, while at 

 their sides," in the slips, strain and tug the eager greyhounds, 

 held well iu hand by their slipper, whose eye as quick and 

 watchful as the greyhound's, is waiting the jump of the 

 hare, when "loo! loo!" is heard to the right, and away over 

 the field goes the hare, speeding for its very life, while a 

 moment's run and sighting sees the greyhounds slipped 

 after their quarry. 



Now begins the race which makes the young courser quite 

 beside himself with excitement, and the old courser feel his 

 blood leap quickly through his veins, as he recalls like 

 scenes of by-gone days. Trained down to simple perfection, 

 rid of every ounce of superfluous flesh, with muscles hard 

 and sinewy as plaited whipcords, these marvelous creatures, 

 scarcely seeming to touch the ground, pursue the hare, till 

 pressed too closely it turns sharply from its course, and on, 

 and beyond her. they go, while the hare, with its new lease 

 of life, flies over the field to find a safe retreat. The advan- 

 tage gained by its turning has now to be overcome by the 

 dogs, and they, as eager as ever and maddened by being 

 baffled, begin anew the race. Again pressed, the hare turns, 

 now is wrenched, turns again sharply, and as her twin pur- 

 suers dash past her, she makes one more grand effort of her 

 life; but, alas! too late. The foremost hound, anticipating 

 her turn, has quickly turned also, and ere her ears are well 

 laid to her head, his jaws quickly open and close, and twixt 

 his firmly-set, white strong teeth he holds his quarry— dead. 

 When the hare is strong and sturdy, her chances of escape 

 from the greyhounds are great, especially if the hounds be a 

 bit slow. This was demonstrated in one of our late meets, 

 where less than one-fifth of the hares were killed. The glori- 

 ous uncertainty, too, of the sport adds to its interest, as 

 many a dog and favorite leading up to the hare, having her 

 well in hand, thelaurels almost won, meets with a "cropper," 

 and then— he is out of it altogether. Such an event was 

 most graphically described by Mr. John Kidson, in his 

 monograph on the greyhound, which appears in that mas- 

 terly book, "Our Prize Dogs." 



There is perhaps no sport afield, which is more invigorat- 

 ing, more manly, and where the game has so much chance 

 for its life, as coursing the hare with the greyhound, for 

 in it there is no mangling, no escape to die a lingering death, 

 or be left helpless, to Become the prey of hawk or owl. 

 Death here is instantaneous, save in rare cases. 



With us coursing is but in its very infancy, A few years 

 hence, by judicious breeding, as well as by importing Eng- 

 land's choicest stock, I see no earthly reason why in clever- 

 ness and speed of the dogs, we should not have as fine 

 coursing as is on the plains of Altcar, or at Haydock, or 

 Gosf orth Parks. As in mating all the various breeds of dogs 

 in this country, gross errors have been made, there is none 

 in which it is more noticeable that in the greyhounds. It 

 seems as if some believed any dog would do as a sire, or any 

 bitch as a dam. There is perhaps no breed where so much 

 depends upon the mating to insure good results as in grey- 

 hounds. Flat-ribbed bitches are bred to dogs with like de- 

 fects; splay-footed, weak-pasterned, light-boned dogs are 

 crossed with bitches of the same stamp, while straight 

 stifles, bad loins, badly set on legs, are scarcely considered 

 worth notice. The trouble with too many of our breeders 

 is, that they do not know Avhatthe proper conformation of 

 a greyhound should be, in order to enable him to run fast 

 and well. Let them breed out of defects, not into them; 

 and in all cases let the sire be both fast and clever. With 

 the bitch, speed is not of so great importance, provided she 

 comes of racing stock. Never breed to a dog without an 

 authenticated pedigree, long and extended, (the longer the 

 better) and let it be of the truest, stoutest blood obtainable. 

 That "blood will tell" cannot be better illustrated than in 

 following and examining the progeny of blooded stock. 



Another stone against which so many of our coursers 

 stumble, is their utter unwillingness to pay a decent price 

 for either an imported dog or one of royal pedigree. They 

 will never wink at $750 for a pointer or setter, 11,000 for a 

 collie, $1,200 for a fox-terrier, or $1,500 for a St. Bernard: but 

 say $250 for a six months' old greyhound pup, or $450 for a 

 good public field performer, and you have scared them out 

 of a year's growth. It is not to be expected that our coursers 

 are yet educated to the high estimation of a noble greyhound, 

 but as time goes on our enthusiasm will increase, and our 

 dollars go abroad for the best that is to be had, regardless of 

 price. There is scarcely any sport afield in which we do not 

 beat the world, and coursing will soon be added to our list, 

 already long. 



Not long since I was given by one of our most successful 

 coursers a graphic account of a recent importation, which 

 was spoken of as a perfect wonder, very fast, very clever, 

 marvelous at the turn, of great endurance, young (under 

 two years), and as good looking as it was fast. Being some- 

 what surprised as well as pleased, I questioned my narrator 

 and f ouud it cost in England less than £60, or about POO of 

 our money. The owner, as well as the narrator, believe 

 firmly, no doubt, that it is all that is claimed for it (and 

 recent developments prove them to be about right compared 

 with what dogs we have here), yet in company of really 

 clever dogs, or veritable flyers, such an one would be liter- 

 ally and absolutely "nowhere." Coursers on the other side 

 put no fancy price upon dogs with good records, or shows of 

 remarkable turns of speed. They are sold for what they are 

 worth, as are race horses, so a greyhound which can perform 

 what the one above mentioned is said to be capable of, and 

 in the best company, is worth not less than 8300; for in one 

 single stake it can win ten times as much as was paid for it 

 by our countryman. Pick up a copy of the London Field 

 or Stock-Keeper, containing an account of the auction sales, 

 and you will find puppies of rare good stock, scarcely 

 weaned, bringing more pounds sterling than Ave pay dollars, 

 x ake tor instance Princess Dagmar, the Waterloo winner 

 ==™ c i she Drom ?ht at public auction £1,700, or about 

 %8,500: and yet our recent importation is looked upon as a 

 wonderful and veritable flyer, though it cost scarcely £60, 

 Mr. T. T. C. Liste of Cock Robin and Charming May fame, 

 ottered at auction 16 saplings, 5 dogs and 3 brood bitches. 

 He realized from the sale of the entire lot of 24 greyhounds 

 SBSjMi, or an average of §388.50 for each one. When' we are 

 willing to pay a good price and get the highest bred stock 

 obtainable, then, aud not till then, will our' dogs be able to 

 distance 81 Teally fast • ) ' ack rabbit or har e within a reasonable 



th f earl yspring of last year I desired to import a , 

 KMP? t01 ' *f (jreat Bend meet. . T accordingly wrote to ! 

 England to an old friend and a very successful courser, ask- I 

 mg price of a very promising sapling. He strongly advised 



me to buy a certain white bitch, scarely above a year old* and 

 one he believed would be all I desired. The price., however, 

 I found to be £135, or about $610, which I considered too 

 much of an investment, inasmuch as I would be only able 

 to run her in one meet, Great Bend being so far away, and 

 our not having coursing here in the near East. When we 

 consider for a 'moment I hat. the Waterloo purse is worth 

 £500 to the winner, that £1,000 goes to the winner of some of 

 the other meets, with bettiug, if you wish to indulge, run- 

 ning all the way from £1,000 to £50 against you, nominations 

 up to £1,000 to £6 (as in Master McGrath's case), the price 

 asked and paid for fast dogs and puppies out of wiuners is 

 not out of reason at all. 



Much has been said and written about the utter useless- 

 ness of a show greyhound for coxirsing purposes. While 

 some of the reasons given are no doubt correct, in the main 

 they are all wrong. A greyhound fit to win on the bench, 

 in good company and under a competent judge, must have 

 a good head, moderately wide between the cars, which 

 should be small and of fine leather, well filled out before 

 and below the eyes, jaws broad and evenly set, and filled 

 with good, sound, strong teeth, eyes rather small, bright, 

 clear and quick, the neck long and clean, arching in, as seen 

 in the drake, shoulders well set on and sloping, showing 

 perfect freedom of action, forelegs of good strong bone, set 

 well on to the body as well as set into good feet, which 

 should be thick through the pads, pasterns free from the 

 Slightest semblance of weakness, back and loin strong and 

 broad, chest deep, with well-sprung ribs, to give the heart 

 and lungs perfect freedom of action. The first thigh broad, 

 and thick through, with cimeter-like stifles, and well let 

 down hocks, tail long and rat-like, and there you have a 

 greyhound fit to win on the bench, and in the field as well. 

 The only differences that can possibly exist between a 

 show greyhound and a field winner, or that can possibly 

 militate against the latter's winning, are the two ex- 

 tremities. It is absolutely impossible for a dog to win 

 a rasping course if defective in any of the cardinal 

 points above named, and except in scoring of the head and 

 tail, there is absolutely no difference 'twixt the show and 

 field dogs. In order to obtain the required strength, tena- 

 city of purpose, courage to run, and desire to kill, the bull- 

 dog is bred to the greyhound, and so it is that in future 

 generations we find some dogs with strong coarse heads of 

 the bull-terrier order. Two dogs coming before a competent 

 judge, in all parts equal, save in head and tail, the prize will 

 go to the dog that is truest to the type, and very properly, 

 borne of the greatest dogs that ever went out of slips could 

 not win on the show bench for this very reason, yet it does 

 not follow that the winner, equal iu all parts as to struc- 

 tural conformation to the defeated dogs, would not be able 

 to run a great race, though never having been put to it. 

 Dogs combining both field and show-bench qualities, in a 

 high degree, are simply phenomenal. Memnon, runner-up 

 for the Waterloo purse, wiuuer also of Lindsay (Burton-on- 

 Trent) Ellesmere stakes, and Anglesea cup, won also 56 first 

 and champion prizes on the show bench. Camaradzo, "the 

 King of the Whites," one of the greatest stud greyhounds 

 that ever lived, won not only the Waterloo cup, but won 

 first at Birmingham show. The great Honeymoon also 

 beat a grand class of previous show winners in romping 

 style. Charming May, another great flyer, was as beauti- 

 ful of form as she was clever out of the slips; in 

 fact, she has often been described as "a perfect dream." 

 Captain Spencer's Sunbeam was another such, fit to win 

 in any company on the bench, almost perfect in body, 

 with a head exquisitely moulded and set on, while his tail 

 was faultless, both in carriage and length. The great Cock 

 Robin, too, was not only a wonderfully muscular dog, but 

 remarkably handsome in all points. Though by some" good 

 judges he was considered a bit heavy-shouldered, neither his 

 field performances nor his progeny have warranted the state- 

 ment, King Death won the silver snuff-box for being the 

 handsomest greyhound at the Coquetdale coursing meet, in 

 a class of .120 dogs, and such another collection of grand 

 ones has probably never been seen. At Islington, in 1862, 

 there was a show open only for the winners of a thirty-two- 

 dog stake. This brought together some of the very finest 

 dogs in all England. The cup (£50) fell to the beautiful Soa- 

 foam, Mr. Kidsou's clever Confederate making a rattling 

 good fight for it; after these followed such notables as Sea 

 Pink, Great Eastern, Gypsey Queen, Mazurka. Railroad, Rex, 

 Rowden, Iceberg, Brightsteel, Buff Rose, all both as good to 

 look at as they were fast. No further argument is necessary 

 I believe to disprove the assertion that beauty of form 

 coupled with speed is not found in greyhounds. 



Many of our greyhound breeders have lost heart at their 

 utter inability to breed either good-looking or fast dogs. 

 The responsibility of all this is traceable, and should be 

 placed where it belongs, viz., at the door of some of the 

 "judges" and some of the sporting press. 'Twas not many 

 years ago when a greyhound with a badly mended broken 

 leg took premier honors at one of our leading shows, and 

 that, too, when there were a couple in the same class that 

 could beat her off her legs, even if her own were sound. Yet 

 the decision was indorsed by some of the papers. Let me 

 ask, of what earthly use is a greyhound, whose only forte is 

 in running, when it has a broken leg? Again I call to mind 

 an equally ridiculous decision. A certain dog was led be- 

 fore the judge, lie careful] y examined and handled it over, 

 from head to tail, from foot to back, aud then— gave it first 

 prize. With all his examination he was unable to discover 

 that three ribs were missing, having been broken by an acci- 

 dent and removed afterward by a surgical operation. This 

 decision was also indorsed by the same papers. Which of 

 these two named greyhounds was the less valuable ? 'T would 

 be hard to tell. 



I still remember the great flourish of trumpets that 

 heralded tlie advent of a certain greyhound into.the judges' 

 ring. We all heard of him before he arrived, the wonder 

 of his neighborhood, and by some persons pronounced to be 

 the. grandest specimen of his breed in America. He came, 

 and went home, having gone down before a third-rater, 

 and that, too, in one of the poorest classes ever shown. The 

 dog died, and the kennel editor of one of the papers that 

 presaged his victory (which was unachieved) wrote a beau- 

 tiful obituary upon him, and condoled with greyhound 

 breeders at their great loss at "his sudden taking off." For 

 field or bench show purposes he was utterly useless, and for 

 the stud— let us be charitable and draw the curtain. 



When we know of such awards as I have already cited, 

 when we see kennel editors indorsing such decisions, and 

 extolling to the skies valueless dogs, the only marvel to me 

 is that our greyhounds are as fine as they are. The judges 

 and the kennel editors are veritable ''blind leading the 

 blind."" These geutlemeu must bear the entire responsibility 

 of the want of improvement in an eminent degree in our 

 greyhounds, as well as having discouraged many an enthusi- 

 astic breeder, through the influence of their remarkable 

 decisions, as well as their indorsements and obituaries. 



To these sensitive gentlemen sportsmen, whose tender- 

 heartedness has prompted them to denounce coursing as 

 brutal, as well as cruel, I would say a few words. Before 

 condemning a sport of whose merits you are in all probability 

 entirely unfamiliar, it would be well to look into your own 

 favorite pastime. If your fancy goes for the plump quail 

 you do not hesitate to load your cartridge with three drams 

 of powder and drive after it with killing force an ounce of 

 400 or 500 leaden pellets. If one of this vast number hit and 

 maim it, and it is unretrieved, it must die a lingering death 

 or have its flesh torn from its bones by some bird or beast of 

 prey. If, however, your fancy take's you to the salmon 

 stream you fail to see any cruelty in "playing" your gamy 

 fish for a half hour, with a light delicate rod and line, but 



slowly exhaust its vital forces, and finallv drown it in its 

 Own element. In the case of the quail a snare would be a 

 surer, easier death, while in that of the salmon a seine would 

 answer better and save much time and enforced labor. 

 Compare the three above named sports, and coursing with 

 greyhounds will be found to be fully as sportsmanlike, fully 

 as manly, and from a logical standpoint, far and away 

 ahead. H. W. Huntington. 



NEW ENGLAND FOX HUNTING. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



I have been very much interested iu the letters on fox 

 hunting; and I hope the skirmish will continue, as it shows 

 up the ignorance of a certain class of individuals who 

 would like to pose before the whole world as the only true 

 and legitimate sportsmen. Some people do not seem to 

 understand or appreciate the fact that this country of ours 

 is not one vast smooth and unbroken plain, where a party 

 of horseman can roam at will in any direction and not meet 

 with any obstruction. Perhaps if "Tallyho" would just 

 come up into New Hampshire and see where and under 

 what conditions we usually hunt foxes, he would meet with 

 a change of opinion. He would find that a man who would 

 start out here on horseback to follow his hounds would show 

 about as much wisdom as he who would start for the north 

 pole clothed in a seersucker suit, with a pint pail of ice 

 cream as provisions for the journey. 



I do not wish to pose, as an authority for the whole country 

 on fox hunting, nor on any other sports, but I do claim some 

 experience with reynard in this State, and that experience 

 was beguu quite a long time ago ; when fox driving and flint- 

 locks were in vogue. At that time there were hardly any 

 hounds in the town where I was reared, but soon they 

 became plenty enough; and again a few years later an enter- 

 prising business man and ardent sportsman became imbued 

 to some extent with the English idea of letting the hounds 

 atteud to the killing while he would play the part of 

 audience. Acting on that principle he bought a thorough- 

 bred imported foxhound, warranted to kill or den any fox 

 inside of one hour's time. Well, the new revelation came 

 on time; he was a splendid specimen of his race, and his 

 owner was very proud of him and invited several of our 

 unbelievers to receive new light in fox hunting. The day 

 was set, and a more perft ct October morning for the chase I 

 never saw, when five eager and unarmed hunters started for 

 the hills. It was fully daylight when Prince jumped an old 

 fox, and he took a straight course for the hills and set about 

 his efforts to entertain his would be company. After 

 circling the hill a few times, he tried the same tactics with 

 perfect success on numerous other hills until nearly night, 

 when, miles from home, the hound was taken from the 

 track. And a sad looking spectacle he was, not able to go 

 faster than a man could walk; aud it was many days before 

 his voice was heard again among our hills. 



Since then I have seen many good and fast hounds, but I 

 never knew of a hound or hounds catching a sound fox. It 

 has invariably been my experience that the fox triumphantly 

 heads the procession; and I am confident that I speak only 

 the truth when I say that "Tallyho" never saw hounds that 

 could catch foxes in our New Hampshire hills, nor the horse 

 that could follow them; and when he says that the fox has 

 no chance he either does not know what he is writing about, 

 or does not want to support his argument by admitting the 

 truth. I feel safe iu making the statement that not "more 

 than one. in ten of the foxes started after Nov. 1 are captured 

 by the hunter, or perhaps, just to please "Tallyho," I should 

 say murdered, slaughtered or assassinated, whichever term 

 seems most musical to his refined taste, R. S. F, 



Laconia, New Hampshire.' 



Editor Forest and Stream; 



It seems to me that it would have been more to the pur- 

 pose and in better taste if "Tallyho" had told us why our 

 Yankee fox hunting is unsportsmanlike, instead of reiter- 

 ating the charge and venting his spleen in a fling, not at me 

 alone, but at a large and very respectable class of men, who 

 if not rich, arc not lacking in the good qualities which go to 

 the making of a real sportsman. Among these may be men- 

 tioned, a love of fair play, a kindness of heart that forbids 

 the infliction of unnecessary cruelty, such woodcraft as is 

 comprised in a knowledge of the habits of the object of pur- 

 suit, a love of nature, without which the fullest enjoyment 

 of field sports is impossible and— if not the greatest of'these, 

 what is a most desirable virtue — a charity for the cherished 

 pastimes of other good men. He who possesses these is 

 likely to wag a civil tongue and wield a civil pen, and 

 whether he be rich or poor, he is none the more nor less a 

 sportsman or a gentleman. 



I have no knowledge from personal observation of the 

 manner in which fox hunting is conductedin Massachusetts, 

 but I presume that it is essentially like fox huuting in Ver- 

 mont, and that the hunter rarely lies in ambush, but guided 

 by the music of the hounds and his knowledge of the 

 country, must exercise his wits and legs to get to the best 

 runway and get a shot. 



The value of the fox's skin is a very inconsiderable matter 

 with most Yankee fox hunters. Those who crave only that 

 set traps and are hated and despised by the hunters whose 

 sport they spoil, but we confess the crime of saving the skin 

 when we have killed the fox. And so do sportsmen save the 

 skins of deer and bear and the little carcasses of woodcock 

 and snipe, but it is not for these alone that they go a hunt- 

 ing. As a precedent that must establish for some the re- 

 spectability of turning to pecuniary account Avhat one kills, 

 if may be well to mention that English lords are not above 

 marketing the game killed by themselves and their noble 

 guests. 



Again, I ask, why is New England fox hunting more un- 

 sportsmanlike than the hunting of the deer and hare with 

 hound and gun, both of which are "time-honored sports 

 throughout the Southern and Western States," and why is it 

 more slaughter and butchery when more than half the foxes 

 so hunted escape, than is the running into and tearing to 

 pieces of the fox by the hounds? 



Till we are better informed on these points we are indeed 

 likely to hold to a sport that is healthful and exhilarating, 

 though it entails but little expense but that of time and 

 muscle, nor more danger than the average of field sports. 



Awahsoose. 



Fehhxsbubgh, Vt. 



Editor Forest and Stream: 



I notice in your last issue another communication from 

 "Tallyho." I am not a fox hunter, but, being at least half 

 Yankee by breeding and sympathies, it stirs my blood to 

 see the time-honored New England sport attacked so un- 

 fairly. If hunting foxes iu the New England manner is to 

 be condemLed, all hunting of deer to the gun and also 

 bird shooting with dogs are in the same boat, and must 

 go under. I do not assail those who like to hunt iu 

 the manner preferred by "Tallyho," but am willing that 

 they should exercise their right of choice as free American 

 citizens. At the same time, hunting in that manner is 

 not fox hunting at all, but simply riding after the hounds 

 and watching them hunt the fox, and killing it, by the 

 way, in an exceedingly cruel and revolting manner. Of 

 course it gives fine riding exercise; the same end can be at- 

 tained without the use of a fox at all, and frequently is, by 

 certain persons, with the aid of the aniseed bag. Fox hunt- 

 ing to the gun and riding to hounds are two entirely differ- 

 ent pursuits, between which there can be neither compai*ison 

 nor rivalry. 



But I fear that "Tallyho" is one of the company— alas, 



