A treatise pertaining to hawking, hunting, etc., published in 1496, gives a description of the greyhound which might almost stand to-day, and for this reason I make no apology for quoting it: -

A greyhounde should be headed lyke a snake,

And neckyd lyke a drake,

Fotyd lyke a cat,

Tayled lyke a ratte,

Syded lyke a teme,

And chyned lyke a bream.

The fyrste yere he must lerne to fede,

The seconde yere to felde him lede,

The thyrde yere he is felow lyke,

The fourth yere there is none syke,

The fyfth yere he is good ynough,

The syxth yere he shall hold the plough,

The seventh yere he will avaylle

Grete bytches for assayle.

But when he is come to the ninth yere

Have him then to the tannere;

For the best hounde that ever bytch had

At the ninth yere is full bad.

The fine old lord had the pluck he had introduced into his favourites, for he rose from a bed of sickness to witness a match from the back of his piebald pony, and fell dead at the moment of victory.

One has but to watch the pages of the Field during the season to see how great is the hold that coursing has upon the community. Numbers of meetings are held all over the country every week, culminating in the great event which comes off each year near Liverpool. To win the Waterloo Cup is the height of the ambition of all enthusiasts, and great is the national excitement, even people who do not know the difference between a greyhound and a terrier, following the result of each round.

Although but comparatively few owners of greyhounds can hope to stand a chance of lifting the Cup, in spite of the fact that it has been won more than once by hounds that have been picked up for the proverbial song, many will try their luck at the smaller meetings or make matches with their neighbours, and a few remarks as to the method usually followed in training may not be misplaced. Getting a greyhound into condition so as to put him down fit and hard is a matter requiring considerable skill, and few private owners have sufficient knowledge to do the work themselves. To prepare a hound for public competition it will be found necessary to requisition the services of one of the professional trainers, and if you are only indulging in private coursing you must subject them to a decent amount of preliminary work. Gentle exercise should be the rule at first, and there is nothing like walking on the road, commencing with about six miles daily. The hounds must be watched to see that there are no indications of sore feet, and to guard against overwork. The experienced eye will tell at once if there are signs of staleness, as the dog becomes listless and loses his fire. Later on a horse may be used with advantage, twenty miles not being too much every other day. Of this but little should be at a gallop, a mile or so probably sufficing. As a general principle, slow going is the best. Directly the hounds come in give them a good rub down with a hair glove and the bare hand, and then see that they are kennelled up free from draughts, as they are in a condition to take a chill readily. The diet must consist in large measure of meat.

By the way, greyhound nomenclature is somewhat puzzling to the outsider, who is never quite sure what is the difference between a sapling and a puppy. The former term is used until the end of the first season after the youngster is whelped. The second season finds him a puppy or first-season dog, eligible for puppy stakes. At the close of his second season he is described as an all-aged dog.