Hunting the Hare

Large relatives of rabbits, hare were highly prized game—not for their meat, but for the fast-paced, unpredictable challenge of the chase. Here, a dog handler runs with a hound known as a limer, trained to pick up the scent of game so the pack could be set on its trail. The limer typically was kept leashed (its name comes from lyam, an archaic English term for leash) and did not run with the pack. The dogs pursuing the hare in the background appear to be sight hounds, probably whippets. Whereas scent hounds like the limer detected game with their keen sense of smell, sight hounds followed quarry by sight and chased it at high speed. Whippets were bred to chase hare and other swift game.