Jack Rabbits For Coursing

Tlie sport of rabbit coursing is receivrig a new Ímpetus sincs tlie Kansas slack tailed jack rabbit haa antered the areui Not until quite reoently has the ■ conrsij, fraternity been awnro of the ! reat snperiority of tho jack over the ' cottou tail rabbit or tha Euglish bare for ;his purpose. Kangas jack rabbits are : uow greatly in demand, both in thia ; country and iu Eugland, and live ones ! command a good prioe. Tbedifflculty in j catching thcm alive is very great, and j only oue man in Kansas, so far as nown, bas given his undivided atten:ioa to the work. Charlee Payne, familiarly known througbout tha west as a hnnter and plainsman, has been a jack rabbit enthtisiast for yoars, and it ia largely througb hiseffortg that themeritsof the animal for oonrsing pnrposes have 1 come so generally recognized. The ! fcnre of live jacks involves the purchase of a great deal of expensive paraphernalia. Mr. Payue has two uets made of seine twine, 5 feet in height, whicb, when both are extended, reaoh almost aeróse a eection, and made expressly for catching live jacks. His method of entrapping the live jacks is uniqne. It is biB usual cuatoni, when preparing for the raid upon the rabhits, to advertise among the farmer boys the day upon which the jack rabbit drive is to take place. At the appointed time hnndreds of conntry boys, mounted on ponies, flock to the rendezvous. arined with fog horns, drnms, bells and any thing else that will make discordant mnsic. They are deployed in a semicircular line two miles in front of the net, and at a given signal from the marshal of the day tho line moves toward the net, each man making all the noise possible. If the bunting grounds have been well gelected, the horsemen will have no trouble in "bouncing" rabbits innumerable, and as they scamper away toward the net, followed pellmell by tha eager farmer boys, the scène is one of great animation. The rabbits, i f they do Dot become oonfcsed by the noise a-nd excitement, bound away toward the net at almost lightning speed, and many of theru strike the net so hard that they break their necks. Those that snrvive the shock scamper into the pockets which are ingeniously arranged for their reception, and for them the jig is up. Rabbits sometimes die of frighfc, not having sufflcient strength to make the race for life. These rabbit drives are among the most popular sports in which the prairie farmers indulge, and it is customary for the orgaaiaer of the drive to provide a bounteous spread for his sratuitous helpers. -