HARRIERS AND FOX-HUNTING

CHAPTER XVII

IN the North, and the West country, the local harrier packs often have a turn up with a fox. Such well known packs as the Cotley, and the Axe Vale, can hunt and kill fox quite as well as foxhounds. The same could be said for the Windermere harriers, a pack of 18 inch hounds, which have now unfortunately been given up. Harriers of the old-fashioned type are descended from a long line of keen-nosed ancestors, whose hunting ability and cry are undeniable. They draw thick covert more closely than foxhounds, and are first rate on a cold line. Whilst 18 in. harriers are not perhaps as fast as foxhounds, they are quite speedy enough in rough country where it is not always possible to ride right up to hounds. Those judges who advocate hounds of 24 in. and over for foxhunting would, we imagine, show some surprise if they had a few days with some of the harrier packs which hunt fox.

On the Lakeland mountains we have often seen harriers hunting fox, both as a pack and in conjunction with fox-hounds. In the latter case the harriers were always there or thereabouts when Reynard was rolled over or put to ground, despite the fact that some of them were a good deal smaller than the foxhounds. Some years ago, we whipped-in for a good many seasons to the Pen-y-ghent Beagles, a pack of 15 in. hounds which hunted a grass and stone-wall country in the West Riding of Yorkshire. These little hounds were wonderfully fast, and accounted for some thirty or more hares per season. Foxes were then very scarce in the district, and though we were always hoping to find one in order to see how the pack would perform, we only once hit off Reynard’s line. Hounds settled to it at once, but after running some distance a hare jumped up, and the pack turned their attention to their legitimate quarry. This brief experience of hunting fox with beagles did not of course afford much of an object lesson, and unfortunately since then we have had no further opportunity of repeating the experiment. It was with great interest therefore that we read an article by Mr. George A. Fothergill, in Baily’s Magazine for April, 1921, on “Fox-hunting with Beagles— at Aldershot.” We always cherished the idea that a pack of I in. beagles could hunt and kill a fox if given a fair chance to do so, and Mr. Fothergill’s article proves that this assumption was correct. The account of the work done by the Aldershot Command Beagles is so interesting, that we take the liberty of quoting from it. It was during the season of 1916-17 that these beagles started hunting fox one day a week, in order to provide sport for slightly disabled officers, and also because foxes were numerous and hares scarce. Hounds had previously killed a fox in 1899, when they ran a four and a half mile point. Again in February, 1913, they ran into a fox after a fast thirty-five minutes. In the season of 1918-19, they accounted for 4½ brace of foxes before the end of December, and though some if not all of these foxes may have been young, it was a capital performance nevertheless. So keen were the hounds that they would not look at a hare if one jumped up in view when they were hunting fox. On two occasions they got on the line of a roe-deer, and Mr. Fothergill says, “I can assure the reader that they didn’t let the grass grow under their feet.” In the thirty-three seasons that their huntsman, Eli Cranston, has been with them, these beagles have killed 11½ brace of foxes. The height of the pack is dogs 15½ inches, bitches 15 inches. When fox-hunting, 10 couples of hounds were taken out, and about 14 couples for hare hunting. Seeing that 15 inch beagles can kill a fox, it is not surprising that 18 inch harriers give a good account of themselves. A pack of hounds of from 18 in. to 21 in. can kill foxes handsomely in any sort of country, which makes us wonder whether there is any real advantage in breeding foxhounds of 24 in. and over, such as we see exhibited at Peterborough? Beagles are at first a bit doubtful about killing an old fox when they run up to him, but once they have rolled a fox over there is no further difficulty on that score.

The Cotley Harriers are descendants of the old English Staghounds which were used for hunting deer in the West. These staghounds, it is said, were sold to go to France, and when the famous parson, Jack Russell, heard about it he followed them across the Channel, where he was able to secure a dog and two bitches which he brought back with him. It was from this nucleus that the present Cotley Harriers were bred.

Comparatively few people have had experience of hunting with Kerry Beagles, so it may interest the reader to hear something about the breed, which is equally good in the chase of deer, fox, or hare. The typical Kerry, is a tall, light-boned, black and tan hound, showing the long ear and the high occipital, but without the deep flews or wrinkling of the skin on the forehead, so noticeable in the blood-hound. He is hare-footed, well let down, extremely fast, and a beautiful fencer. His staunchness, dash, and drive are undeniable, and unlike the blood-hound he is fearless and does not sulk under correction. He has a wonderful nose, and the most glorious voice, in fact a pack of Kerries in full cry is a veritable “band o’ music.” Independent and persevering, he will hunt entirely unaided in rough country where his huntsman cannot always ride up to him, He is a good feeder, and thrives on the coarsest food, nor is he prone to suffer from complaints, for his constitution is sound.

The above may perhaps sound rather a highflown eulogy, but we can assure the reader that a pack of pure-bred Kerry Beagles will provide more real sport than any foxhound pack in this country, barring perhaps those hounds which hunt the mountains in the Lake District. The Kerry is probably descended from the old Talbot tan, and he is not unlike certain black and tan hounds belonging to the fell packs which are certainly the descendants of that ancient stock.

The origin of the breed is, however, uncertain, though there are several traditions concerning it, one of which is as follows. It is said that when the galleons of the Spanish Armada set out on their ill-fated expedition towards British soil, they carried on board a number of sporting dogs which the Dons hoped to make use of, once they had gained a foothold in this country. As everyone knows, the Spanish fleet came to grief in a terrific storm, and some of the ships ran ashore off the Irish coast. Amongst the wreckage some of the dogs found their way to land, and from them in a direct line have descended the Kerry Beagles of the present day.

In 1906, Lord Ribblesdale and Mr. Peter Ormrod founded the Ribblesdale Buck-hounds, to hunt wild fallow and sika deer in the Ribble valley and moorland country adjoining. Mr. Ormrod was a great believer in the Kerry beagle, so he set about forming a pack of hounds of that breed.

At that time there were two packs of Kerries in existence, one of which belonged to Mr. Ryan, of Scarteen, county Limerick, the other being the property of Mr. A. Wallis, of Drishane Castle, Millstreet. The latter pack had been bred entirely from Scarteen hounds, which had been in the Ryan family since 1735. Mr. Ormrod purchased the pack from Mr. Wallis, and by degrees augmented it. These hounds showed wonderful sport in the Ribblesdale country, and in memory we can still hear their glorious cry as they raced over the fields in pursuit of their deer. Later, Mr. Ormrod introduced Belvoir blood, in order to increase bone, his method of mating being to put a Kerry bitch to a fox-hound stallion, and from the litter a bitch was mated with a stallion out of a litter by a fox-hound dam and a Kerry sire.

Kerry Beagles were used in Ireland for hunting fox, hare, and deer, and in England the Ribblesdale Buck-hounds showed what the Kerries could do with fallow and sika buck. The Ribblesdale are now disbanded, but there are still a number of wild deer in the country. In 1913, Mr. A. Wallis took his pack of Kerry Beagles from the Four Burrow country to the Woodland Pytchley, where he showed capital sport for several seasons.

The black and tan hounds, whether of the Kerry or fell type, possess great hunting qualities, and remarkable stamina and constitution. Their dark colour is slightly against them in a rough, moorland country, for they are rather bad to see, but their grand cry makes up for this, as it advertises their whereabouts from a great distance. There is nothing like the old strains for nose, tongue, and all-round hunting ability, despite the fact that they stand no chance in competition at the shows. When all is said and done, hounds are ostensibly bred for work and not to look at, yet there is as much beauty about a well made Kerry Beagle as there is to be found in the modern foxhound with his abnormal feet, and out-at-elbows appearance, to say nothing of the absurd knuckling over at the knee.