Suggestion for Beginners—A Rabbit Hunt 55 
out. Weight, however, was still a mooted question 
and it will probably ever remain so. 
The sum and substance of the discussions seem 
to lead to the conclusion that dogs thirteen inches 
and under should weigh between fourteen and six¬ 
teen pounds and fifteen inch dogs from seventeen 
to twenty. George F. Reed, a well known New 
England beagler of twenty years ago, advocated 
hounds measuring from fourteen to fourteen and a 
half inches at shoulder and weighing from twenty- 
one to twenty-four pounds. This size and weight, 
he maintained, was the logical one for all-round 
all day hunters. In field trials, where short heats 
are the vogue and speed is the leading element in 
winning stakes, the smaller beagle is probably 
advantageous, but for long heats or for all day 
hunting the larger dog was conceded to be the 
better. F. H. Chapman, another beagler of those 
days, even went so far as to advocate a weight of 
from twenty-two to twenty-seven pounds, for an 
all-round utility beagle. The records of these early 
controversialists show that good work had been 
done by beag'les of twelve pounds, measuring eleven 
inches at shoulder, but such cases seemed to be 
exceptions. In summing up, it might be observed 
that for all-round uses a good big one will always 
prove more satisfactory than a good little one and 
that, I believe, will be borne out by the experience 
of most beagiers. After all is said, however, one 
must look for the dog with the right temperamental 
qualities. A courageous hound, possessing correct 
conformation and the heart, will do more and better 
