The classic Beagle Boys of
comic book fame were a much larger
gang than those represented in
DuckTales. Hundreds of Beagle Boys were sometimes seen at once. In the
canonical Scrooge McDuck stories (I refer to the ones by
Carl Barks) the Beagles were always identical in appearance, but often had different specialties (for instance, one might be an expert in
Egyptology). Furthermore, the Beagles always sported six-number identifications in the form nnn-nnn, using almost exclusively the digits 1, 6, and 7. The Beagles did not have
nicknames -- they even referred to each other by number.
The Beagles' existence consisted of hatching grand plans to steal Scrooge's wealth. These plans were usually quite cunning and the Beagles even partially succeeded on several occasions, but of course Scrooge was back in possession of his money bin and other assets by the end of the comic.