century, T. Wilkinson followed him, and now T. Bootiman is the leading exponent of this arduous and difficult department of greyhound coursing.

A good many greyhounds have from time to time been shipped to America and to many of our colonies, but coursing of late has not made any great headway outside Great Britain. In Australia at one time it seemed progressive; there was a "Waterloo Cup" run for, and at great expense hares were imported from this country, the trials taking place in enclosed grounds. I believe a great deal of money was expended in promoting the sport, which, although of a high class, was ultimately allowed to lapse. As a fact, the Colonists did the thing so well at the commencement that their Waterloo Cup was worth as much as ours, and they had Mr. G. Warwick, our crack judge at that time, over to officiate at the inaugural meeting, which took place in 1874, and at other meetings which took place later on. However, the importation of greyhounds was beneficial, inasmuch as their crosses enabled the colonists to produce a strong, heavily-made, fleet-footed dog, very useful in kangaroo hunting; indeed, a variety of the canine race which is perhaps of more use than any other in the Antipodes.

Although greyhound coursing has never made great headway on the Continent, meetings of a semi

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private nature are periodically held in France, at which one of our best English judges, Mr. Brice, officiates. He has also been invited to St. Petersburg and Moscow for a similar purpose, and there he has had his duties varied by being asked to give his opinion on the trials of Russian hounds, Borzoi, when slipped to the common wolf of the country. It need scarcely be stated here that in Russia the sport of coursing is only participated in by the princes and nobles, with which that country abounds, and whose wealth is prodigious.

WITH, I believe few exceptions, the whippet or snap dog has not been included as a distinct variety in any book on English dogs. Still, it is now, and has been for some time, quite a variety of itself, and amongst the colliers and other working men in the north of England, including Lancashire and Yorkshire, none is so popular or provides so much

amusement.

Originally the "whippet" was a small dog-a cross between the Italian greyhound and some terrier or other, partaking in general appearance more of the greyhound cross than of the terrier. Thus, in many parts of the north, the dog is still called an "" Hitalian," the local pronunciation of the name of that country from which it is supposed the fragile toy dog first came. He is also known as

a running" dog, the reason for which will be obvious, and is likewise called a "snap" dog because of his ability to snap or hold quickly and smartly a rabbit or any other small animal.