108 
Beagles and Beagling 
same time, ascertain whether or not these strong 
points are characteristic of the strain. Field quali¬ 
ties are of still greater importance. If the bitch is 
slow but sure of nose, it is well to select a dog that 
is fast, even though there may be a slight deficiency 
in nose. Voice is another thing that figures promi¬ 
nently in breeding beagles. If the bitch is deficient 
in this respect it would be foolhardy to breed to a 
screechy-voiced dog, unless there were other qualities 
that overshadowed this question of voice; but a 
deep-toned mouth is always desirable, and if it can 
be obtained without sacrificing other assentials, it 
is certainly worth while to give this some attention. 
As a matter of fact, for a hunting beagle, I would 
personally be willing to sacrifice some other points 
if in doing so there was a possibility of obtaining 
voice, nose and level-headedness. 
It is scarcely necessary to say that a dog selected 
for breeding should be free from constitutional 
weaknesses, especially if the blood lines are very 
similar to those of the bitch. He should be a strong, 
healthy, vigorous dog; with abundant experience 
in the field, and he should be of the proper height, 
in order not to take any chances of breeding over¬ 
size specimens. 
Another thing that it might be well to be sure 
about is whether or not the dog is being over¬ 
studded. Some dogs obtain such a vogue that the 
drain upon them is so great that their litters are 
likely to be very small or to consist of undersized 
puppies. On the other hand, they are prone to 
miss frequently. While sometimes it is highly 
desirable to select such a dog, because of certain 
