Hello all,

Thanks for all the information above. I've come to this song through the Carthy & Swarbrick version. I'm always intrigued by the hint of the supernatural in folk descriptions of legendary animals, which often seem to be of white hue. The hare's "magic" seems to run out towards the end of the Taylor/Carthy version - which is a shame, I always felt the tenor of the song set the conclusion up for one more miraculous escape, which is what appears to happen in the Waterson lyrics. But, I've never quite understood the number of beagles that never could be found. Do the dogs disappear? Is it one of the hare's final tricks?

Cheers,

Michael