The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-10-16

There is coursing in Salt Lake, and
there will be cOuTsing in Salt Lake until
well up to election time. The coursiuS is
OF different kinds. In the city proper the
courses are being run by the candidates
for office and at the fair grounds they
are being run by dogs. The coursing at
tie fair grounds will close Nov. p which
is two days before election, while the
coursirg in the city will not entirely close
until Nov. 3, when a good many will know
their finish
For those who have never seen the hare
and the dog at their best, or felt the thrill
J that holds the coursing man during those
seconds of ecstasy within which the pur
sued and the pursuer give the best that
Is in them, the course is certainly novel
sight and experience.
To begin with, a rabbit is released and
the dogs given sight of him, but held
firmly by means of a slipping leash
continuance that harnesses two dogs at
the collars and is provided with releas-
ing key. Both the retaining and the re-
leasing is done by the slippers one hand.
The slipper is an important official in the
running of a course. He is the one who
sees TO it that the dogs get an even start
and that both the dogs are keen to the
hare before releasing the slip
While the slipper is holding back the
dogs the rabbit is making tracks for the
other end of the field, 1,500 feet away.
first does not put forth his best efforts,
but presently he senses the dogs behind
him and then he lights out in true jack
rabbit fashion.
Streaks of Lightning.
Slipped. and away in pursuit of their
quarry, two dogs stretch their length in
parallel To the spectators who sees for
the first time this run up the grey
hounds do not look like dogs at all. but
like some strange kind of bird flying
through the air. Usually there is little
advantage in the ''run-up" if the dogs are
wal raj al1 an n
two. three and are calculated by the
number Of lengths that one dog is in ad-
vance OF the other. The ''run-up" comes
TO an end when the foremost dog ap
proaches the rabbit so closely that he is
compelled to turn, well knowing that TO
maintain straight course is equivalent to
ordering his coffin. The hare therefore
makes a swift turn to the right or the
left as the case may be-the wisdom of
them is amazing in knowing where the
other dog is.
What a Turn" is.
When a rabbit runs at full speed and
dog runs at full speed, the rabbit doesn't
run nearly so fast as the dog-in
straight line But when rabbit turns a
corner he turns it about ten times more
quickly than a dog, which, projecting
himself at full speed. naturally overshoots
the spot on the course where the rabbit
thought it safe TO turn. The dog is cred
tied with a turn, which. under the rules
marks to his credit.
The dog that caused the rabbit to turn
is always IN the lead of his competitor.
The hindmost dog, seeing the rabbit turn
takes a short cut-the hypOthenuse of a
triangle-and is consequently in the lead
by the time the former first dogt has re-
covered his feet and his head-both of
which the younger dogs not infrequentiy
lose. 1t is necessary for the dog who was
FIRST before to overtake his rival and over
take the rabbit if he can If ne Overtakes
his mate and passes him he is credited
With a by which rangs high In the
scoring.
Fast and Furious.
BY this time the rabbit Is usually getting
into pretty close quarters and he lodges
first TO this side and then TO that the dog
causing him TO turn each time being
given credit for so doing. The turns come
so quickly one after the other that un-
less one understands the game, one is apt
TO be confused by their tremendous rapid
tty. Rabbits have been turned more than
a score of times by single dog; natur-
ally, this class of rabbit is exceptional
AT times il seems to the spectators that
there is nothing on the course save