In George Jesse 's Researches into the History of the British Dog from 1866 , Gervase Markham is quoted referring to the Beagle as small enough to sit on a man 's hand and to the : In George Jesse 's Researches into the History of the British Dog from 1866 , the early 17th century poet and writer Gervase Markham is quoted referring to the Beagle as small enough to sit on a man 's hand and to the : Standards for the Pocket Beagle were drawn up as late as 1901 ; these genetic lines are now extinct , although modern breeders have attempted to recreate the variety .