JOHNA.SEAVERNS

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Webster Family Library of Veterinary Medicine
Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at
Tufts University
200 Westboro Road
Moilh Grafton, MA 01536

THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

THE COMPLETE
FOXHUNTER

BY

CHARLES RICHARDSON

HUNTING EDITOR OF " THE FIELD"

AUTHOR OF "the ENGLISH TURF," "PRACTICAL HINTS
TO HUNTING NOVICES," ETC.

WITH FORTY-SIX ILLUSTRATIONS
OF WHICH FOUR ARE IN COLOUR

METHUEN & CO.

36 ESSEX STREET W.C.

LONDON

First Published in igo8

TO

THE DUKE OF BEAUFORT

WHO HAS UPHELD THE WORTHIEST TRADITIONS

OF THE CHASE

BY HUNTING A HUGE TRACT OF COUNTRY

ON SIX DAYS OF THE WEEK

FOR MANY SEASONS PAST

AND WHO HAS THROUGHOUT HIS LIFE

DEVOTED HIMSELF WHOLEHEARTEDLY TO THE

SCIENCE OF FOXHUNTING

THIS VOLUME IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED

CONTENTS

CHAPTER I

PAGE

AN HISTORICAL SKETCH I

CHAPTER II

THE DATES OF THE PRINCIPAL HUNTS . . . .12

CHAPTER III

MODERN CONDITIONS OF HUNTING . . . . .25

CHAPTER IV

THE MASTER OF HOUNDS ...... 58

CHAPTER V

THE FIELD ......... 98

CHAPTER VI

HUNTING LOCALITIES 1 47

CHAPTER VII

FOXHOUNDS . 201

CHAPTER VIII

THE VALUE OF FOXHOUNDS ...... 220

viii THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

CHAPTER IX

PAGE

HORSES AND STABLES ... . . . . . 242

CHAPTER X

HARRIERS AND BEAGLES 267

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

IN COLOUR
The Meet FronHspiece

" With bright faces and merry hearts." From TAe Anaiysis
of the Hunting Field.

TO FACE PAGE

Getting Away i

"Let's take the lead." From The Analysis of the Hunting
Field.

Foxhunting — Swishing at a Rasper . . . •. , -59

From The National S/>orts of Great Britain.

Foxhunting. — Death. — Who Whoop ! 288

From The National Sports c/Great Britain.

IN MONOTONE

The Quorn Field on Gartree Hill 8

The Belvoir at Croxton Park 12

The Quorn Kennels 14

The Quorn Kennels 16

The Fitzwilliam (Milton) Kennels 20

For'ard away from Toytop (Lord Zetland's) .... 22

Milton Hall (Mr. G. W. Fitzwilliam's) 25

The Huntsman's House at Badminton 30

Some "Pytchley" Noses 36

Lord Harrington's, Crossing the Smite 44

Chas. Isaac, late Huntsman Mr. Fernie's Hounds . . 54

The Comte de Madie's Movable Hunting Box ... 66

At the Pytchley Kennels 72

The Terrier Man (The Belvoir) 80

Some of the Atherstone Field 9^

A Litter of Puppies, The Quorn iio

a 2 iv

X THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

TO FACB PAGE

The "Quorn" Viking 122

The Belvoir 152

Mr. Fernie and Chas. Isaac 156

Mr. Fernie's Kennels 160

Gone to Ground (Mr. Fernie's) 162

The "Warwickshire" Wizard, Peterborough Champion 1906 166

The Duke of Beaufort 169

With the Puckeridge 172

An Awkward Ditch 178

The Cattistock Country 185

Repose (The Belvoir) 188

Lord Zetland and his Secretary 192

The "Belvoir" Handel 201

The "Atherstone" Cracker and Cornet .... 204

Head of the "Oakley" Syntax 208

The "Belvoir" Valesman 212

Mr. G. W, Fitzwilliam's Harper 216

The Duke of Beaufort's Druid and Rabsplan . , . 222

The "Oakley" Democrat, Syntax, Bedford and Denton . 226

The "Atherstone" Careful and T. Whitemore . . . 230

The "Milton" Sanguine, and Huntsman .... 234

The "Oakley" Syntax 238

Lord Annaly and Lord Spencer (The Pytchley) . . . 246

>y In the Home Counties 252

Lord Harrington's Hounds Crossing the Smite . . . 256

A Kill with the "Bicester" 262

These illustrations are from photographs by Bowden Bros.

INTRODUCTION

WHICH CONTAINS THE PREFACE

THAT hunting was never so popular as it is
just now is a fact which admits of no dispute.
Practically every inch of the country where
riding is possible is hunted by one or more packs of
hounds, and where the riding is bad, and there are no
coverts for foxes — or too much population, as in
Lancashire — there are harrier packs ; while where
there are neither foxhounds nor harriers, foot-beagles
will surely be found. Otter-hound packs, too, travel
all over the country during the summer months ; and
the crowds which are present at the August meets of the
Devon and Somerset staghounds must be seen to be
appreciated.

On all sides, indeed, evidence to the effect that hunt-
ing is the most important of all English field sports is
afforded. The print shops, not only in London but
in every town in the kingdom, have their windows full
of hunting pictures ; and many of the ordinary com-
mercial advertisers of the day have brought similar
scenes into requisition for the purpose of advertising
their wares. At the Peterborough and Reigate hound
shows no stranger could help being astonished at the
crowd of men and women who come to worship at the

xii THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

shrine of the hound ; and when any pack of hounds of
great reputation is for sale, either privately or by
auction, there is not only much excitement in the hunt-
ing world, but probably the sale is on so great a scale
that it will be talked about for years to come. Just as
this book goes to press a sale of thirty hounds for a
sum of ^2000 has been announced, and the price of
over ^66 per hound, though a high one, is not a
record.

It is the case, moreover, that there is a steady in-
crease in the number of hunting people, in spite of
the fact that it costs more to hunt than it did a genera-
tion or two ago. But probably the increase is greater
with regard to beagles and other hounds than in fields
composed of men and women who ride. Not so long
ago hunting on foot was little indulged in, except in
the mountainous districts of Cumberland and West-
morland, and with a few packs of otter hounds.
Now, however, there are whole communities of people
who hunt on foot, scattered all over the country, and
probably about a third of each field of foot hunters is
composed of ladies. During the winter, too, very full
reports are given each week of the doings of many of
the principal packs of hounds, and there is every
reason to believe that the supply of hunting news
is by no means equal to the demand.

In the following pages some attempt is made to
treat of foxhunting as it is carried on at the present
day, and to show the great changes which have come
into existence- — not in the actual sport itself, but in the
conditions which surround it. Every one who followed

INTRODUCTION xiii

hounds about a generation ago must know that pursuit
of the fox was a simpler affair than it is now — firstly,
because the country was in a more natural state, and
secondly, because very large '' fields" were unusual
except with certain Midland packs. Increase of popu-
lation and the building which in recent years has been
so much in evidence all over the country, to say
nothing of many new railways, have all had an effect
upon the sport, and now hunting is practically im-
possible in many suburban neighbourhoods where it
flourished not so long ago.

It may be asked, "Who wants to hunt in the
suburbs of any large town ? ", and of course there
can be only one answer to such a question ; but none
the less it is a fact that many once good hunting
countries have been curtailed owing to the extension
of suburban districts. The result of this extension
has been that all sorts of people have migrated from
the inner to the extreme outer circles of London and
of all large provincial towns, and have in their new
abodes found themselves within reasonable touch of
hunting. Many of these migrants, of course, are in
no wise concerned when they happen to see hounds
or hunting folk on the road ; but others have been
attracted, at first probably by the panoply of the
chase, and afterwards by the sport itself.

It is not every one in these days who has had gene-
rations of hunting ancestors, and has therefore been
practically born a foxhunter. Nor is it every one who
is reared in an atmosphere of hunting ; but there is,
nevertheless, an extraordinary fascination about the
sport which extends to all ranks of society, from the

xiv THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

highest to the lowest, and is frequently to be found
in the most unlikely persons. It is also the case that
whereas foxhunters of fifty years ago were chiefly
squires, farmers, parsons, and small country residents,
with a sprinkling of townsmen, the fields of the pre-
sent day are for the most part composed of business
men and their families, or if not of the actual business
men themselves, of men and women whose hunting
has been assured by the success of commercial enter-
prise.

The squires have sold out and departed — at least,
many of them have ; parsons have almost ceased to
hunt, which is a matter of extreme regret ; and the
hunting townsmen are no longer townsmen, but have
migrated to the country, and hunt more than they
did. The farmer still follows hounds in many coun-
tries, but he is not seen in such numbers as he once
was — not because he is disinclined for the sport, but
because present-day life hardly allows of the leisure
which was possible a generation ago amongst some
classes of society. Doubtless in nearly every hunting
field there is a nucleus composed of the descendants
of the original hunting men of the district, but in
many cases this nucleus is remarkably small. On the
other hand, there has been a great increase in the
size of fields everywhere, and this increase it is which
has been mostly drawn from the ranks of business
people.

As regards the science of hunting we shall be almost
silent, being of opinion that the question is best treated
of by men who have not only held long periods of office
as masters of hounds, but who have carried the horn

INTRODUCTION xv

themselves. The fact is that the observant huntsman
has chances of noting the niceties and subtleties of
hound work in a way which is impossible to the
ordinary hunting man. The huntsman has pride of
place, and can be always with his hounds ; whereas
the ordinary hunting man — if he conducts himself
properly — is not always in a position to observe every-
thing which takes place. Then, again, the huntsman
is amongst his hounds in covert, and can actually
(at times) see them find a fox ; whereas ordinary fol-
lowers, except when there are big woodlands, seldom
go into covert, and when they follow hounds through
a big woodland they are necessarily some distance
behind.

As it happens, we have had opportunities for seeing
hounds do every part of their work ; but there are men
and women who have hunted for years, and never
actually seen a fox found by hounds. They have, of
course, seen scores of foxes break covert, and have
seen many depart from little places before hounds had
a chance of finding them ; but the actual discovery of
a fox in his kennel by a hound which has winded him
is a thing which is seldom witnessed by any one but a
huntsman or whipper-in.

Then, again, there are standard works on the sub-
ject which were written by masters of hounds, and
which hold their own to the present day. Of the older
ones, Beckford's Thoughts on Huntings published in
1 781, was the first real authority on foxhunting. The
less-known but extremely valuable Observations on Fox
Huntings etc., by Colonel Cook, was published in
1826; but whereas " Beckford " is a household word

xvi THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

amongst hunting men, Colonel Cook is only appre-
ciated by a few enthusiasts. Extracts from the Diary
of a Huntsman, by Thos. Smith (1838), at one time
master of the Craven — and actually master of the
Pytchley when his book was published — has also much
useful information on hounds and their work ; and this
was followed, only a year later, by The Noble Science,
by F. P. Delme Radcliffe, who for several seasons was
master of the Hertfordshire. Then, after a lapse of
eight years, came Notitia Venatica, by R. T. Vyner,
the founder of the North Warwickshire country, and
this work almost at once became a classic. It deals
largely with hounds, and contained what is now the
first volume of the Fox Hound Kennel Stud Book.
Within the last few years new editions of all the
above — with the exception of Colonel Cook's work —
have been published, and a careful perusal of the lot
should attune the mind of any aspiring foxhunter to a
sense of the great importance of the sport. In more
recent times two famous masters wrote on the science
of hunting, viz. the late Colonel Anstruther Thomson
and the late Lord Willoughby de Broke. The first-
named began with a tiny pamphlet, which contained a
lot of useful hints, but towards the close of his life he
wrote his own biography, and therein is contained
much useful information on hunting. Lord Willoughby
de Broke's Advice on Fox Hunting is almost entirely
concerned with the science of the sport, and contains
the best and most condensed practical advice that has
ever been given to huntsmen and whippers-in. The
papers were first published in the Badminton Magazine,
but three of them were recently issued in book-form by

INTRODUCTION xvii

Messrs. Bumpus, of Oxford Street, and no master or
hunt servant should be without them.

Having explained how hunting has been treated of
from the point of view of the hound and its work, we
may add that there are literally hundreds of books
which deal with the sport in one fashion or another,
but the above are the classics from the scientific point
of view. As regards foxhunting fiction Surtees stands
alone, although it is more than forty years since his
last book was published. It need hardly be stated here
that Surtees at times caricatured the sport, but he also
wrote descriptive matter in connection with it which
has never been excelled, and a careful reader can learn
more about hunting from Surtees' novels than he
can from the works of any other writer of novels.
Whyte Melville wrote graphic descriptions of runs in
the Shires, but these were fiction. The modern writer
par excellence of accounts of real hunting is Captain
Pennell Elmhirst, known all over the world as
**Brooksby," and whose letters have held a foremost
place in the pages of the Field for more than a genera-
tion.

But matters have become greatly changed since
Surtees wrote, and there are people of either sex who
are constantly inquiring as to what line of conduct
they should pursue with a view to becoming foxhunters.
" I wish very much to go out with hounds. Can you
tell me how and where I can learn to hunt? " was the
beginning of one letter which came into our hands.
Another inquirer (quite recently) asked us for the
following particulars: '* Will you enumerate all the
subscription packs in the kingdom, stating amount of

xviii THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

each subscription ? Will you also give locality of each
pack, and say where horses can be hired, and at what
price? And will you give some particulars as to the
society in some of the hunting places, stating especially
at which places golf can be obtained as well?" But
perhaps the most extraordinary amount of ignorance
is contained in the following letter : —

"I have lately bought half a dozen horses at the
sale of a bankrupt mineral-water maker, and friends
tell me there is a good opening if I take a hunting
stable. Will you please give me information as to
where would be the best place to go to, but it must be
where I could rent a stable cheap. I think the horses
look like hunting. Two of them are handsome, or
will be when the collar marks have worn off. Those
I would call special hunters, and charge more for.
The others I would let to ladies or old gentlemen.
Please say what I should be paid per day per horse,
and mind you tell me of a place where I would be able
to let my horses most days. I thought 25s. for the
special horses and £1 for the others would do, for then
each horse might earn ;^5 or £6 a week if trade was
good. I shall be much obliged if you will answer my
questions, and also tell me anything which may occur
to you that would help me."

Such a letter, of course, looked like a practical joke,
but, as it happened, opportunity of testing the genuine-
ness of the document was forthcoming, and it was
ascertained beyond doubt that the man had written in
perfectly good faith, having, on the advice of a friend
— whose hunting knowledge was about equal to his
own — bought the horses for a trifling sum, having

INTRODUCTION xix

been to some extent caught by the auctioneer's flowery
descriptions of the nags, which, according to the man
who disposed of them, could do 'unting, 'acking, or
'arness, and carry a cavalry hofficer as well.

But the most frequent inquiries are made with regard
to hunting localities and subscriptions, to say nothing
of such minor matters as dress and equipment ; and
the number of people who appear to be in doubt as to
who should and who should not go out in scarlet is
very great too ; and many of the would-be foxhunters
are almost as vague as the man who bought the
mineral-water nags with regard to the number of days
on which horses may hunt. In point of fact, there is
always a section of the community which is anxious to
begin hunting, but which hardly knows how to set
about it. It is, to a great extent, for these people that
the following pages have been written, for an attempt
has been made at pointing out under what conditions
hunting is carried on at the present day, and how and
where the beginner can try his luck in the field.
Something has also been said about his clothes, his
saddlery, his horses and stables, and a certain amount
of advice has been proffered to the novice ; but the
author has no wish to pose as an infallible authority,
and he would merely remark that what he has written
is the outcome of personal observation exercised over
a great number of years in a great number of countries.

THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

CHAPTER I
AN HISTORICAL SKETCH

IT is an interesting, but none the less curious, fact
that no accurate date can be fixed in connection
with the earliest foxhunting ; all the evidence
which is forthcoming on the point being scanty, at
times contradictory, and very often speculative. Facts
indeed are wanting, and thus at the moment it is
claimed for nearly half a dozen packs of hounds that
they are the oldest in the kingdom, and hitherto no
seeker after information has been able to prove a clear
case for any one of them. What is quite certain is
that previous to the commencement of the eighteenth
century the stag, the buck, and the hare were the most
important beasts of the chase, and that the fox was
generally regarded as vermin, and most certainly had
hardly begun to acquire the initial stages of the great
reputation he was to enjoy a generation or two later.

Hunting had, however, been the chief sport of the
English people from the earliest times, and so far back
as during the period between 1307 and 1327 one
Guillaume Twici had written a manuscript on the
subject, which is generally supposed to be the oldest
English writing on hunting. To Xenophon, Arrian,
and others who wrote on hunting thousands of years
I

2 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

ago there is no need to refer, because no mention was
made of the fox, and for the matter of that Twici's
work, and all those which followed during the next
three or four hundred years, treated of stag and hare,
of hawking and fishing, and of other diversions, but
were unanimously silent as regards what was so shortly
to become the foremost beast of venery.

And as a matter of extreme probability, if not of
actual fact, the reasons for the tardy appearance of the
fox in hunting history are very simple ones. During
what are known as the Middle Ages, and down to a
much later period, the country was only half culti-
vated, and was in many districts covered with forests,
several of which extended over thousands of acres.
These were preserved for the chase of the stag or buck,
and in like manner the open country was utilised for
hawking, coursing, and, to a very limited extent, for
hunting the hare by scent. Foxes were then classed
with martens, wild cats, badgers, polecats, and others,
and were not regarded with any great affection by the
sportsmen of the day. But during the later Stuart
period there was an extraordinary and very rapid im-
provement in the breed of horses. Arabs, barbs, and
other Eastern sires were imported in great numbers,
and in a few short years their influence had been so
marked that the native breed showed marvellous im-
provement, and doubtless the sportsmen of the period
found that they could be carried at a higher rate of
speed than they had been accustomed to. Coeval with
this improvement in horseflesh came the gradual dis-
appearance of the stag and buck, owing to the
extended cultivation of the land, and the clearing away
of hundreds of thousands of acres of forest. Men who
were keen on hunting found the country more open,

AN HISTORICAL SKETCH 3

and more rideable than their fathers and grandfathers
had done, and about the same time they would doubt-
less discover that hounds ran faster in the open than
they did in the huge woodlands, where the buck was
the invariable quarry.

As a matter of fact, at the beginning of the seven-
teenth century the physical conditions of the land were
changing very rapidly, and the time had arrived for
quicker progression in a more open country, both for
horses and hounds. Exactly when riding across country
came into fashion is, however, just as much a matter of
conjecture as the actual date of the first pack of fox-
hounds, but no doubt the lighter horses began to be
scattered about the country during the period referred
to, and then it was gradually discovered that in open
country the fox was a nobler beast of chase than either
the hare or the buck ; but who actually made this dis-
covery has never been satisfactorily proved, and
though the library of the British Museum has been
overhauled by many who have been anxious to solve
the question, so far nothing decisive has been dis-
covered. What is known is that packs of hounds have
been in existence since the reign of Edward III, and
probably during an earlier period. Indeed, in Baily's
Huntmg Directory it is claimed that the Penistone
Harriers "were established in 1260, in which year Sir
Elias de Midhope was master. The Wilsons of Broom-
head Hall furnished the pack with masters in the four-
teenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth centuries . . .
but the roll is incomplete until the last century." It
was not until a hundred years later (1362) that there is
absolutely definite information about the now defunct
Royal Buckhounds, but in the reign of Edward III
there were a minimum number of fifteen couples in the

4 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

pack, and various taxes were imposed in connection
with the hunt in the counties of Surrey, Sussex, and
Northamptonshire. The packs named were not fox-
hounds, however, and it is probably the case that
during the eighteenth century many of the harriers,
and even some of the staghound packs then in exist-
ence, changed from hare or stag to fox, the former
because the fox had been found to be a more enduring
animal, and the latter because the stags or bucks had
disappeared.

" The Druid," in Silk and Scarlet, states that prior to
1750 it was sound orthodoxy to hunt what first came to
hand, and that it was not until some twenty years later
that the line of demarcation between hare and fox
began to grow sharp and clear. No doubt the two
quarries were hunted indiscriminately by a majority of
the packs which were in existence in the eighteenth
century ; some hunted hare in the autumn and fox in
the spring ; others had special days for either sport,
and others again just hunted what came to hand,
running a hare in the morning and a fox in the after-
noon, or vice versa. Between 1750 and 1800 all the
more important establishments then existing gradually
changed from stag, buck or hare to fox, but it was not
until the latter of the two dates that foxhunting had
taken the first place, and during the first twenty years
of the eighteenth century the change was still in course
of progress, though by this time it was the ultra-
provincial packs which were following the example of
the more important hunts.

And as regards the claims of seniority which have
been made on behalf of certain packs of hounds.
These may \>e briefly mentioned, but as a matter of fact
the point is really of little consequence, for the broad

AN HISTORICAL SKETCH 5

iact remains that in every case there is no conclusive
evidence as to the quarry which was at first pursued.
About the antiquity of several packs there is, however,
no dispute, and perhaps the oldest of all are the lately
defunct Goodwood (formerly the Charlton), the Quorn,
the Sinnington, the Bilsdale, and the predecessors of
the South Dorset, Lord Portman's, Blackmore Vale and
Cattistock, originally known as the Cranborne Chase
Hunt. In the matter of continuity perhaps no very
direct line has been handed down, and it is quite certain
that in every case the limits of the original country have
been greatly curtailed, but the evidence, such as it is,
may be given, and dealing with the Charlton Hunt first,
it may be gathered from the fifteenth volume of the
Sussex Archceological Collections that a Kentish gentle-
man, named Roper, managed a pack of hounds for the
Duke of Monmouth and Earl Grey in 1689, the year in
which William III ascended the throne. This Charlton
pack, it has always been understood, was kept to hunt
fox alone, but records as to its earliest hunting are
vague as to details, and the evidence seems to be more
traditional than anything else. In Vyner's Notitia
Venatica it is broadly stated that foxhunting first
became an amusement in England at the end of the
seventeenth century. As the earlier writers on hunting
were apparently unable to solve the questions of dates
and priority, it is hardly likely that such matters will
ever be decided. The Charlton was, however, a pros-
perous hunt during the eighteenth century, and its legi-
timate successor was the Goodwood Hunt which came
to an end about a dozen years ago. The present Duke
of Richmond, then Lord March, was the last master of
the Goodwood, and he gave up owing to want of
support in the field. He had, as a matter of fact, main-

6 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

tained a country of large area for a considerable number
of years, hunting often four days a week, and had a
first-rate pack of hounds, but when the fields dwindled
to a mere nothing it was felt that there was little use in
carrying on the hunt, and now much of the original
Goodwood, or Charlton, country is hunted by Lord
Leconfield, a little by the Hambledon, and some of
the country near Arundel by the Crawley and Horsham
pack. It may be mentioned, too, that the hunt which is
known as Lord Leconfield's had hunted the Goodwood
country for a period, during the early part of the nine-
teenth century, when Colonel George Wyndham, after-
wards the first Lord Leconfield, was master.

From the above it will be seen that the continuity of
the original Charlton Hunt has not been strictly pre-
served, and if it has a legitimate successor in these days
to Lord Leconfield's Hunt the position must certainly
be awarded. But it is no easy matter to say with
exactitude when and how certain hunts began their
existence, and thus, according to Baiiys Hunting
Directory, Lord Leconfield's country was first hunted
by Lord Egremont about the year 1773, and the same
authority states that when Lord Egremont resigned he
gave the pack to the then Duke of Richmond. But it
is further recorded that at a later date Colonel Wynd-
ham moved the kennels to Drove House, near Good-
wood, from whence he hunted the Goodwood country,
while at the same time his brother, Sir Henry Wynd-
ham, hunted Lord Leconfield's present country under
the name of the West Sussex, having kennels at
Sladeland, and also at Findon. (The Findon kennels
are still in existence, and are used at certain periods of
the year by the Crawley and Horsham pack.) The
result of every investigation goes to prove that the

AN HISTORICAL SKETCH 7

Charlton Hunt dates from before the accession of
William III, that its operations were carried on in
West Sussex, and probably in parts of Hants, and that
after its collapse there were hounds at Goodwood and
at Petworth — very often at both places — and that the
Goodwood Hunt having come to an end, Lord Lecon-
field's hunt is the natural successor to that part of the
country which must have been the centre of the hunt in
its earliest days. Charlton, it may be stated, is a little
village, lying in a hollow of the hills, not two miles
from Goodwood racecourse, and close to the road which
leads from Midhurst to Chichester.

The claims of the Quorn Hunt to be the oldest fox-
hound pack in the kingdom rest on the evidence of the
famous Mr. Boothby's hunting-horn, of which an
engraving was published in the Field some five-and-
twenty years ago. This horn bears the following
inscription : —

** Thos. Boothby, Esq., Tooley Park, Leicester. With
this horn he hunted the first pack of foxhounds then in
England 55 years. Born 1677, died 1752."

The year 1698 is given by some authorities as the
commencement of Mr. Boothby's mastership, so that
as far as the actual date is concerned the Charlton,
which as we have shown existed [in 1689 and probably
before that date, takes precedence, but whereas no
reliable evidence is forthcoming that the Charlton
hunted fox and fox alone before the close of the seven-
teenth century, the evidence of the horn strongly favours
the supposition that Mr. Boothby's hounds were always
a foxhound pack. This Mr. Boothby hunted a large
portion of Leicestershire, and was, in fact, the first
squire who is known to have hunted regularly in that
locality, but the Quorn Hunt does not exactly claim him

8 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

as its actual first master, and doubtless his pack was
quite a private one. At the same time, seeing that
much of his hunting took place in what has since been
known as the Quorn country, and that Mr. Hugo
Meynell established his hounds in the year following Mr.
Boothby's death, the claim of the country, if not of the
individual Quorn Hunt, must be recognised, and if it is
allowed on the evidence of the horn that Mr. Boothby
confined his operations solely to foxhunting the claim is
perhaps the strongest of the lot.

The Sinnington and the Bilsdale claim to go back to
" 1680 or thereabouts," when the Duke of Buckingham
established a pack, and it is pretty certain that hounds
have been maintained in the neighbourhood ever since.
But that they began as buckhounds, or harriers, is more
than likely, and the present writer has been unable to
fix any date when fox became the permanent quarry.
It is, however, the case that the Sinnington country was
at one time much larger than it now is, and notably it
included what is now known as Sir William Cooke's
country, while it has also been asserted that the Bils-
dale country was originally part of it. And here it
may be mentioned that there are several packs in North-
east Yorkshire, each claiming to be older than the
other. Thus the Bilsdale makes a claim to be the
legitimate successor of the Duke of Buckingham's
Hunt; "the Goathland Hunt goes back to a remote
period ; it is mentioned in the records dating back to
about 1650, which are preserved at Pickering"; and
lastly the Stainton Dale is popularly supposed to have
been created by royal charter in the days of King
Stephen. As to the Bilsdale and Sinnington it is
almost certain that both countries were within the
district where the Duke of Buckingham hunted, but

AN HISTORICAL SKETCH 9

the forest of Pickering was generally supposed to be
the Duke's favourite ground, and it is probable that
his hunting operations were carried on in the countries
where the Sinnington and Sir William Cooke's hounds
are now located, and that he also hunted Bilsdale
regularly. There is in Bilsdale a spot known as Buck-
ingham Stone, where a horse of the Duke's is supposed
to have died after a great run, and there is a local
tradition to the effect that stag and fox were in those
days hunted alternately, but Pickering Forest was dis-
afforested in the reign of Charles I on account of the
scarcity of deer, and as a matter of fact there is no
definite evidence as to what quarry was most hunted in
North-east Yorkshire until a hundred years later.

The Goathland claim to antiquity is also exceedingly
vague, but it is pretty certain that hunting was carried
on in what is now the Goathland country more than
two hundred years ago, but that there was any properly
constituted hunt is open to great doubt, and most
certainly there is no authority as to the fox having been
the animal hunted. Nor can the Goathland show a list
of masters prior to Mr. Peirson, who held office in the
early part of the last century ; and the case with regard
to the Stainton Dale is very similar, no records of the
hunt having been kept.

Yet it is a firmly established tradition in this hunt
that a royal charter was granted to it some time in
the Middle Ages, and the present writer remembers
being told (when a boy) that the charter granted them
the exclusive right to hunt the coast from Whitby to
Filey. In after years the Record Office yielded no
evidence on the subject, and Mr. W. Scarth Dixon has
suggested in the Foxhounds of Great Britain and
Ireland that the charter was probably a permission to

lo THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

hunt from some one in authority, something lii^e a
right of free warren. This is a very probable
solution of the matter, but there is something more
to be said concerning the Stainton Dale, and that is
that in all probability they have hunted nothing but
foxes— at all events since the days of Charles I, when
the adjoining royal Pickering Forest was disafforested.
The operations of this hunt are now confined to
a narrow strip of country, which is never more than
five miles wide, and often less, and a great part of the
hunting has always taken place on the cliffs, some of
which (Hayburn Wyke, to wit) are densely wooded.
These cliffs have always swarmed with foxes, and
according to local tradition there have been no stags
on the cliffs for more than two hundred years. It is
probable then, though the evidence is only presump-
tive, that foxes were hunted in this locality at a very
remote period, and though it has kept no records it is
quite possible that the Stainton Dale is one of the very
oldest, if not actually the oldest hunt in the kingdom,
while it also may be said to have claims to have hunted
foxes long before the fox was the general quarry.

The claims of the Cranborne Chase Hunt — of which
the Blackmore Vale is the present-day representative —
are somewhat vague. Miss Serrell, in With Hound
and Terrier in the Fields boldly states that "the Cran-
borne Chase Hunt had the distinction of being the first
country in which hounds were kept to hunt fox to the
exclusion of other quarry." She then goes on to say
that Mr. Thomas Fownes, who purchased certain rights
in the chase in the middle of the seventeenth century,
hunted his hounds from Stapleton, and built up a pack
which was said to be the best in England. In the
Encyclopcedia of Sport it is stated that one of the earliest

AN HISTORICAL SKETCH n

packs of foxhounds was established by Mr. Thomas
Fownes, of Stapleton, about the year 1730. It will
thus be seen that there is a big margin between the two
dates, and it may be pointed out that mere assertion is
not actual proof.

CHAPTER II

THE DATES OF THE PRINCIPAL
HUNTS

A

S has been explained, it can be of little real
consequence which of several hunts is the
oldest, because even if the matter was finally
decided no special object would be gained. The real
originators of foxhunting were the old family packs
which became established during the latter part of the
eighteenth century. Such packs, gradually turning their
attention from the pursuit of hare or buck to fox alone,
made the last-mentioned style of sport so generally
popular that "countries" began to be formed where
there was no family pack in possession, and thus at the
end of the eighteenth and the beginning of the nine-
teenth centuries a whole host of hunts came into
existence which are at the present day most flourishing
affairs.

Of the great family packs the Belvoir, the Brocklesby,
and the Badminton (the Duke of Beaufort's) claim
precedence. Of these the Brocklesby has the longest
history, for it claims to date from 1700 or a little earlier,
while the Hound Lists go back to 1746. It is also
understood that the country, as at present constituted,
has existed since 17 14, when Messrs. Vyner, Tyrwhitt,
and Pelham hunted it conjointly. After a while the
two first-named masters retired, and since that time the
hounds and country have been entirely in the hands

DATES OF THE PRINCIPAL HUNTS 13

of the Pelham (Lord Yarborough's) family. The
Brocklesby Hound Lists probably take the pedigree
foxhound further back than any other lists which are
in existence, and it- is hardly necessary to mention that
the blood always has been, and still is, of extraordinary
value.

The Bel voir Hunt dates from 1750, and is supposed
to have become p. foxhound pack (exclusively) in 1762.
The hounds have always been owned by the reigning
Duke of Rutland, and the mastership has been held in
the family, except for two periods, viz. between 1830
and 1857, when Lord Forester held office, and since
1896, when Sir Gilbert Greenall (the present master)
took command, hounds and kennels being lent to him
by the Duke of Rutland. That Belvoir blood has
been for the last fifty years, and still is, the best in the
world is a fact which hardly admits of dispute, but it
came originally, in a great degree, from the Brocklesby,
which in earlier days was almost the adjoining hunt,
the Burton — of which the present Blankney is a part —
being the only intervener.

At what remote date hounds were first kept at Bad-
minton there is no record to show, nor is it known
when the pack changed from stag to fox. But the fifth
Duke of Beaufort had foxhounds in the year 1786, and
since that date the pack has been regularly maintained
by four Dukes of Beaufort in succession. In many
ways the Badminton establishment is unique, more
especiall'"' in the amount of sport which is afforded.
For many seasons past hounds have hunted on every
possible day, and at times two packs are out on the same
day in different parts of the country, while on occasions an
early morning hunt with one pack has been followed by
another hunt with another pack later in the day. The

14 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

country hunted is a huge one, almost the biggest in
England, though the Warwickshire claims a larger
acreage. The variation of country is very great ; there
is grass in fair quantities, light plough, heavy plough,
vale land of mixed arable and grass, and much hilly
country. Indeed, it is probable that the Badminton
and the Belvoir stand alone in the matter of variety,
for in the last-named hunt it is all grass on the
Leicestershire side of the country, while in Lincoln-
shire almost every description of country is to be found.
In the Badminton country the hills are much steeper
than those of the Belvoir and the woodlands are
bigger, but the great charm of the whole district is the
wonderful fox supply, which never gives out. How
this is managed one must be in the country to under-
stand, but a most important factor in the great result is
the extraordinary personality of the present Duke,
who has made foxhunting the chief business of his
life, and whose influence is so widespread that his
example extends to the furthest confines of his hunt.

It has been shown that the three greatest family packs
became foxhounds about the middle or towards the end
of the eighteenth century, and now one may very
briefly glance at some of the big subscription countries,
merely with a view to showing how long they have been
in existence. The Quorn has been mentioned ; Mr.
Fernie's Hunt is an offshoot of the Quorn, hunting part
of the original Quorn country, and only dates from 1856.
The Cottesmore, on the other hand, is one of the very old
countries, which was originally hunted by a family pack,
but has been for long enough a subscription pack.
The country was, in fact, first hunted by the Noel family,
and the first record of the pack occurs in Thomas Noel's
Book of Hounds^ dated 1732. Until 1788 the Noel

DATES OF THE PRINCIPAL HUNTS 15

family maintained the hounds, but in that year they
were sold to Sir William Lowther (afterwards Lord
Lonsdale), and since that date there have been many
masters, including several members of the Lowther
family. The present Lord Lonsdale took office in 1907,
having previously been master of the Quorn, the
Woodland Pytchley, and the Blankney, and he sig-
nalised his accession to office by the purchase of the
bitch pack of the South Cheshire, which came into the
market owing to that country being reunited under one
master. Lord Lonsdale bought these hounds at
Rugby, and gave some ;^i7oo odd for a short but
beautiful pack.

The Pytchley is another of the old hunts, dating
from 1750 (or thereabouts), when Lord Spencer formed
a club at the Old Hall in the little village of Pytchley
(near the Midland main line on the eastern side of the
country), but it was never exactly a family pack, in spite
of the fact that the Spencer family have afforded no
fewer than four masters. In 1782 the club had a mem-
bership of twenty-eight, exactly half of whom were
titled, and the hunt has a list of masters which takes a
lot of beating, though as a rule Pytchley masterships
have been of short duration, there having been over
thirty masters and joint masters in a period of 158
years. Amongst the most celebrated were Mr. John
Warde, Sir Bellingham Graham, Mr. Musters, Mr.
George Osbaldeston, Mr. "Tom" Smith, Colonel
Anstruther Thomson, Mr. W. M. Wroughton — a
great houndman — and the present master, Lord Annaly.
It is indeed a moot point amongst hunting people as to
whether it is the greatest honour to be master of the
Pytchley, the Quorn, or the Cottesmore ; all three are
positions of the highest importance in the hunting

i6 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

world, but amongst those who are conversant with all
the ins and outs of hunting precedence perhaps master-
ship of the Quorn is most highly estimated. Amongst
those who hunt in the Shires it is, probably, a question
of individual opinion, however, and whilst the North-
amptonshire folk consider the Pytchley to be the
premier pack with the best country, Leicestershire people
will, naturally enough, incline to Quorn or Cottesmore.

The Warwickshire dates from the commencement of
Mr. Corbet's mastership in 1791, and the North War-
wickshire from the advent of Mr. Robert Vyner (author
of Notitia Venaticd) in 1838. The Atherstone, which
lies to the west of the Quorn, was commenced in 1804,
and has always been a subscription pack, and the
Meynell was established in 1816 by Mr. Hugo Charles
Meynell, and was in the hands of the founder and his
son until 1872, since when there have been half a
dozen masters. Much of the Bicester was originally a
part of the Warwickshire in Mr. Warde's time, but in
1829 Mr. Drake formed the present country, and the
Drake family have been much connected not only with
this country but with the Old Berkeley, while the present
head of the family, Mr. W. Tyrwhitt Drake, is master
of the Old Berkshire. The adjoining Whaddon Chase
is a family hunt, the mastership of which has been held
by various members of the Selby-Lowndes family since
before 1800, but the country was originally a part of
the Grafton, another of the old family packs, which
was a private affair owned by the Dukes of Grafton for
some generations prior to 1842, but which has since
been a subscription pack.

The Heythrop country was originally hunted by the
Dukes of Beaufort, who owned Heythrop House, and
spent part of the season there. In 1835 there was a

DATES OF THE PRINCIPAL HUNTS 17

separation, and Lord Redesdale and Messrs. Lang-
ston and Webb formed a triumvirate of masters. The
South Oxfordshire country dates from 1845, and before
that was part of a huge country which included the
Old Berkshire and the Vale of White Horse, and
which goes back to 1760. The V.W.H. was taken
from the Old Berkshire in 1831, and was divided into
the two divisions, of Cirencester and Cricklade, in 1886.

The Berkeley (Lord Fitzhardinge's) is a part of what
remains of the once largest country in the kingdom,
and which has for its two ends the present Berkeley
country in Gloucestershire, and the present old Berke-
ley countries — east and west — in Herts, Bucks, and
Middlesex. At what exact period the whole inter-
vening country was in one hand is very doubtful, and
the probable truth is that the Berkeley family in remote
times hunted bits of it occasionally, and had establish-
ments at either end of the district. In Baily's Htmting
Directory it is boldly asserted that the Berkeley Hunt
dates from 1613, and that in 1807 Colonel Berkeley
(afterwards Lord Segrave and after that again Lord
Fitzhardinge) started the present pack. Then again
we learn from the same authority that the Old Berkeley
Hunt dates from the eighteenth century, which is a
vague statement, to say the least of it.

What is practically certain is that the Berkeley hunt-
ing establishment was in its day one of the largest and
most important the world has ever known, and some idea
of its magnificence can be gleaned from Grantley Berke-
ley's Reminiscences of a Huntsman^ published in 1854.
The author of this work — who was master of the
Oakley from 1829 to 1834 — writes of his father, the
fifth Earl of Berkeley, that he retained the orange, or
yellow, or tawny plush for his hunt, and that Mr.
2

i8 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

Combe called his hounds the Old Berkeley, in remem-
brance of the name, and retained the livery. He then
goes on to say: ''To show the increase in packs of
hounds in the last eighty or hundred years, my father
used to hunt all the country from Kensington Gardens
to Berkeley Castle and Bristol. Scratch Wood, a
cover close to Wormwood Scrubs, was the nearest
cover to London ; but I have heard old Tom Oldaker
say that, while with my father, he found a fox in
Scratch Wood, and lost him in the rough ground and
cover in Kensington Gardens. There was a kennel at
Cranford, I believe a kennel at Gerard's Cross in my
father's time, and I know there was one at Nettlebed."
The last-named village lies between Henley-on-Thames
and Oxford on the north side of the Thames, and is
now on the boundary of the South Oxfordshire country.
The above quotation speaks for itself, but if one took
a direct line from Cranford to Berkeley Castle, the old
Berks, V.W.H., and Duke of Beaufort's countries
would be bisected, and it is extremely improbable that
the Berkeley hounds hunted regularly in these districts.
Indeed, the most likely solution of the story is that the
Earls of Berkeley took hounds with them when they
travelled between their Gloucestershire and Middlesex
seats, and that they had their regular kennels at either
place, while Nettlebed would be an occasional kennel
for hunting a country which, after all, is only about
five-and-twenty miles distant from Cranford.

The Craven country dates to the time of the fourth
Lord Craven, in 1739, but has been a subscription pack
for more than a hundred years, and its neighbour, the
Vine, is said to have been started in 1770, and has a
list of masters which goes back to 1790. The H.H.,
or Hampshire Hunt, dates from about 1745, but the

DATES OF THE PRINCIPAL HUNTS 19

pack were originally staghounds, and were only-
changed into foxhounds in 1793. The list of masters
of the Hambledon Hunt goes back to 1791, and the
Hursley was originally part of the H.H., and dates as
a separate establishment from 1837. The Garth, again,
has existed in its present state since 1850, but the
country was hunted long before, and Sir John Cope
was master from 18 17 to 1850, while Mr. Garth, from
whom the hunt takes its name, was in office from 1852
to 1902, and only died two years ago. The Old Surrey
and the Surrey Union can each claim a life of a hundred
years, but the Burstow were a harrier pack little more
than forty years ago, and most of their country was
originally a part of the Old Surrey. The list of masters
of the East Kent begins with Sir H. Oxenden in 1814,
but the West Kent is of considerable antiquity, being
one of several hunting establishments which were
founded by Mr. John Warde, who hunted the Wester-
ham country (from Squerries) in 1776. The Tickham
country was hunted a hundred years ago by Sir
Edward Knatchbull, and afterwards by Lord Sondes,
but the present hunt dates from 1832. The Eridgewas
taken from the West Kent in 1879, the East Sussex as
at present constituted dates from 1853, the Eastbourne
from 1 89 1, and the Southdown from 1843. But at
some former period the East Sussex was a very im-
portant hunt, as the Southdown was part of it, and the
Eastbourne was formed by dividing the Southdown.

The Essex Hunt can show a list of masters which
dates back to 1785, the East Essex dates from 1820, the
Essex and Suff'olk is of rather uncertain origin, but
has existed in its present state since 1817, while the
Essex Union dates from 1822. The Puckeridge and
Hertfordshire were originally one and the same

20 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

country, and the Salisbury family had much to do with
them towards the close of the eighteenth century,
though hounds had been kept at Cheshunt before the
Hatfield pack came into existence. The country was
divided in 1799, when the Puckeridge Hunt was
formed under the mastership of Mr. Sampson Han-
bury, and meantime the Marchioness of Salisbury was
in office with the parent pack on the western side of the
country. The Cambridgeshire list of masters goes
back to 1827, but the hunt is said to be older, while the
Suffolk list begins in the same year, but it is well
known that the country was hunted long before.

The Fitzwilliam hound pedigree book goes back to
1760, but it is known that there was an earlier book,
which was destroyed in a fire. The pack is a family
one, and the blood, which is some of the very best in
the kingdom, is generally spoken of as " Milton blood,"
the kennels being located at Milton Park. There are,
too, other Fitzwilliam packs, known as Lord Fitz-
william's, and which cover the two countries formerly
known as Lord Fitzwilliam's and Lord Galway's, or
the Grove. The first named of these two establish-
ments, at Wentworth Woodhouse in South Yorkshire,
was founded in 1S60, but the Grove Hunt, of which
Lord Gal way was master from 1876 to 1907, dates to
1827, and had hitherto been entirely in the hands of
the Lumley, Foljambe, and Lord Galway's families.
At the moment, however. Lord Fitzwilliam is master of
two countries, and has two separate establishments, one
at Wentworth and the other at Serlby.

Of the Lincolnshire packs the Belvoir, Brocklesby,
and Blankney have been mentioned ; the Burton have
a list of masters which goes back to the third Lord
Monson, 1774, and the Southwold began in 1823, but a

y<:i^^^^ra^^

DATES OF THE PRINCIPAL HUNTS 21

pack named the Gillingham had hunted the country for
a couple of seasons before that date, and before that,
again, the country was occasionally hunted by the
Brocklesby.

Many of the Yorkshire packs are of considerable
antiquity, and taking the country from the southern
boundaries, and working northwards, the Badsworth
Hunt was founded in 1730 by Mr. Bright, of Badsworth,
whose hounds — according to tradition — used to meet
at 5 a.m. in the regular season, whenever there was
enough light, and at other times at daybreak. Another
of the very old hunts is the Holderness, which dates
from 1726, but what is more remarkable is that there is
a complete list of masters from Mr. William Draper,
1726, down to the present day, and that since 1765, when
Mr. William Bethel of Low Hall took the mastership,
there has been no change in the constitution of the
country.

Lord Middleton's Hunt came into existence in 1764,
and has had many members of the Willoughby and
Sykes families for its masters, and the Bramham Moor
hounds have been in the possession of the Lane Fox
family for at least one hundred and sixty years, during
which time the country has existed in its present form.
The York and Ainsty country, which in 1906 was
divided into northern and southern divisions — each
having its own master while the hunt is still main-
tained as one — has a list of masters which begins in
1821, and the Sinnington, Bilsdale, Sir William Cooke's
are all of great antiquity, as has been explained.

The Bedale country was originally part of the vast
country hunted by Lord Darlington, whose hunt was
called the Raby, and which included, at one time, all
the country between Boroughbridge on the border of

22 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

the present Bedale and York and Ainsty countries, and
Sunderland Bridge, which is only four miles from
Durham, and half that distance from the North Durham
kennels. Lord Darlington gave up the Bedale country
in 1832, and since then a subscription pack has been
maintained, but the adjoining country to the north,
which has been known as Lord Zetland's since 1876, is
also part of Lord Darlington's Hunt, which dates from
the latter end of the eighteenth century. The Cleve-
land Hunt, formerly the Roxby and Cleveland, was in
existence more than a hundred years ago, and has a
complete list of masters since 1817, and earliest records
of the Hurworth occur in 1803. The two Durham
packs are the successors of Mr. Ralph Lambton, who
hunted the whole country from 1804 to 1838. From that
date until 1872 the pack was known as the Durham
Country, but in that year a division of the country was
made, under the titles of North and South Durham.

The Braes of Derwent country was hunted by Mr.
Humble, of Eltringham, from the middle of the
eighteenth century, and the pack was known about a
hundred years ago as the Prudhoe. It then for a
short period was called the Prudhoe and Derwent, but
in 1854 it became the Braes of Derwent. Its neigh-
bour, the Haydon, was a very old harrier pack, but
fox has been the quarry since the days of Mr.
Nicholas Maughan senior, who was the first master
of the Tynedale, previous to 1854. The country
now known as the Tynedale had previously been
a part of Sir Matthew White Ridley's country, the
other part being the Morpeth country, which, like the
Tynedale, has existed in its present state since 1854.
The Percy country was originally known as Lord
Wemyss', and the master just named hunted the whole

DATES OF THE PRINCIPAL HUNTS 23

of North Northumberland, though he seldom went as
far west as those districts where the Border and Coquet-
dale hunts are. The Border hounds have been in the
family of the Robsons, of Byrness, for about a hundred
years, but the Coquetdale is a comparatively new pack,
and the Glendale merely a part of what was Lord
Wemyss' country. The Cumberland Hunt was founded
in 1770.

There is no need to go into particulars concerning the
antiquity of the many foot packs which hunt the Lake
district, and Lancashire only supports staghounds and
harriers, but the Cheshire Hunt dates from 1763, while
Sir Watkin Wynn's is a family pack which was estab-
lished in 1788. The North Staffordshire began in 1825,
and the South Staffordshire in 1805, but the Shropshire
goes back to 1775, the Albrighton to a period previous
to 1792, the Wheatland to 181 1, and the Ludlow to
1780, though there was a period between 1780 and 1814
when this country was unhunted. Major Bland, who
resigned in 1813, was the first master of the Worcester-
shire ; the Ledbury came into existence in 1810, and the
Herefordshire, which was divided into North and South
Herefordshire in 1869, in 1826, while the Monmouth-
shire Hunt Club was founded in 1835, though hounds
had been kept in the country previous to that date. The
Cotswold is an offshoot of the Berkeley (Lord Fitz-
hardinge's) and dates from 1858, and the North Cots-
wold country was only formed in 1868 by making a
division of the big tract Lord Fitzhardinge had given
up. The Croome is also a new hunt, as it was founded
by Lord Coventry in 1867, the country having pre-
viously been included in the Worcestershire Hunt.

The Cattistock dates from 1806, and the Blackmore
Vale from 1826, but, as has been explained, the Cran-

24 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

borne Chase and Mr. Thomas Fownes hunted most
of Dorsetshire long before these dates. The South
Dorset and Lord Portman's countries were both part of
Mr. Farquharson's Hunt, which existed from 1806 until
1858, and of which the Cattistock is the chief successor.
The Tedworth country was founded by Mr. Assheton-
Smith in 1826, the South and West Wilts was formed
by the joining of two packs, the South Wilts and the
West Wilts, in 1868, and the Wilton was established by
Lord Radnor about the same date — the country being
formed of bits lent by neighbouring hunts. The New
Forest foxhounds go back to 1780, and the New Forest
Hunt Club was established ten years later.

Devonshire has a dozen packs of foxhounds and
Cornwall four. Some of them are of considerable age,
but they are more local in character than most of the
packs further up the country, and there have been so
many divisions, subdivisions, and rearrangements of
some of the countries that it is no easy matter to men-
tion correctly the dates of their actual commencement.
Moreover, in the northern part of Devon foxhunting has
a powerful rival in the shape of staghunting, and from
Tiverton, northwards to the coast of the Bristol Chan-
nel, the staghunter is in a majority amongst local
hunting folk. Lower down, that is to say further south,
foxhunting is extremely popular, and such hunts as the
Mid-Devon and South Devon have a long and honour-
able history.

■•^.r ^.^

:^''M^

A

%

CHAPTER III

MODERN CONDITIONS OF
HUNTING

MANY and great are the changes which have
taken place in hunting during the last thirty
or forty years. Not indeed in the actual
manner of hunting, but rather in the conditions which
surround it. As far as the style of pursuit of either
fox, hare, or stag is concerned there is practically nothing
new. Present-day masters and huntsmen bring out a
pack of similar size to what was used a hundred years
ago, and at a cursory glance little difference would be
noticed — except perhaps in the matter of colour — be-
tween the hounds of our great-grandfathers and those
used to-day. The expert would not be long in dis-
covering where variations existed, but to the ordinary
eye a pack of hounds is a pack of hounds all the world
over. The method of drawing coverts, the subsequent
run and general system of pursuing a fox, of casting
hounds when they can no longer own the line, and of
breaking the fox up when killed are probably much the
same as they were in the earliest days of the sport. It
is more than probable that fewer hunted foxes are dug
out than was formerly the case, and doubtless there has
been some alteration in the hours, but in all its chief
essentials foxhunting is still conducted as it always
was, the conditions only having changed.

And of the many changes which have taken place, or

25

26 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

rather of new conditions which have come about, ex-
cessive game preservation and the general use of barbed
wire are the most important, because they have in a
very great degree altered hunting all over the kingdom.
And first game preservation must be considered, and
it will not be going wide of the mark to say that the
extraordinary increase in the preservation of pheasants
and partridges has practically ruined the hunting in
many countries, while it has had a bad effect almost
everywhere, a few favoured districts, such as the Shires
and one or two other localities, alone excepted. Time
was when game preservation and fox preservation went
hand in hand ; when the landowner, whether he was
hunting man, or shooting man, or both, preserved
foxes and game alike. He set just as much store on
his coverts as does the biggest pheasant rearer of to-
day ; he preserved as strictly as the law allowed him,
and to have his coverts drawn blank when hounds
came was the biggest misfortune that could befall him
— even if he did not hunt. But of the hand-reared
pheasant he was entirely ignorant, while he had prob-
ably never heard of the foreign partridge. Such
game as he had was well looked after, and so too were
the foxes. But in those days men thought and felt
differently about sport, and the ridiculous spirit of
emulation, which tempts men to vie with each other in
the matter of big bags, had not arisen in the country.
Gradually, however, the tame or hand-reared pheasant
was introduced to every corner of the kingdom where
there was sufficient covert to shelter a brood, and at the
moment the breeding of pheasants is nothing more or
less than a craze, the chief victims of which are the
hunting men and women of certain localities.

Not for a moment are we going to suggest that the

MODERN CONDITIONS OF HUNTING 27

owner has not the right to do as he likes with his land,
or the tenant of shooting the right to rear as many
half-tame pheasants as he can. We are merely going
to state facts, and it is a bare, unvarnished truth that in
many districts where this excessive game preservation
is carried on foxes have disappeared in wholesale
fashion, and the hunting has become little more than a
farce. And in many places there is no open, honest
hostility to the hunt, but an attempt to hoodwink the
master and his field by the substitution of foxes which
have been confined, or of real bagmen, for the genuine
article. If a covert owner, or a shooting tenant, gives
notice that he does not intend to preserve foxes, and
that he would rather not have hounds near his coverts,
then the master and his following know what to expect,
and will probably give the place a wide berth, if only
because of the danger of hounds picking up poison.
But it is a fact that many covert owners and some
tenants of shooting pretend to favour the hunt, and
yet are in secret its worst enemies. Some of these men
actually invite hounds to meet at their places and draw
their coverts (generally in the spring of the year), and
when this happens the coverts are never blank, but the
foxes which are found, and which are generally killed,
are, as a rule, miserable, mangy devils, which have
been shut up in a barn or outhouse for weeks, or ever
since they were cubs, or have been sent from Leaden-
hall Market overnight.

It is an unfortunate thing that what is known as a bag-
man was ever hunted, but it is the case that in quite an
early period in the history of foxhunting it was common
enough to hunt bagged foxes. As a matter of fact the
custom arose through the scarcity of the genuine wild
fox during the earlier days of the sport. It need hardly

28 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

be stated again that until foxhunting came into fashion
the fox had been regarded as vermin, and slain accord-
ingly. This was in the days when men hunted stag or
hare, and when the fox was practically unknown as a
quarry for hounds. It happened, however, that when
the great merits of the fox were discovered foxhound
packs were established all over the country, and in many
districts there were very few foxes to hunt. Thus it
was a general practice in some localities to secure the
wild foxes from unhunted districts, and turn them out
before hounds. They were nearly always really wild
foxes, which had not been long in captivity, that were
hunted, and many of them afforded capital sport ; but
the system was a vicious one, which appealed to few
genuine sportsmen, and it was carried to extremes in
certain Tom-and-Jerry hunts, where they were not
particular where the foxes came from. Then the
dealers in wild animals took a hand in the game, and
the term " Leadenhaller " was applied to a bag-fox
more than sixty years ago. Gradually hunting of this
character was discontinued, for foxes had increased
everywhere, and there was no real demand for bagmen.
But still there was always a certain amount of illicit
traffic in foxes, and many covert owners, if at all doubt-
ful as to the chances of a find, would have a bagman
or two ready to turn down. Thus the half-and-half fox
preserver has always known where to go to for the raw
material, and of late he has depended almost entirely
on the market when he wanted to save the reproach of
having his coverts drawn blank.

Probably all hunting men whose lot is cast in a
country where game is preserved to excess know all
about the bag-fox, and what sort of a creature he is to
hunt, but fields are in these days of such enormous

MODERN CONDITIONS OF HUNTING 29

size, and so many of the men and women who go out
hunting care so little for the sport as sport, that when a
fiasco occurs with a bagman they are often none the
wiser. A fox is seldom seen by many of the field, and
if he is found, hunted, and killed in covert, it is good
odds that no one sees him except the hunt servants,
and possibly the master. Thus there is always excite-
ment when a fox is found, and if he is quickly brought
to hand there are always some of a big field to rejoice
at the mere fact of a kill, while those who suspect the
real truth will often keep the suspicions to them-
selves.

In one good country, which for obvious reasons we
shall not particularise, we were trotting on to a meet in
company with the master, and never having been in
the exact locality before, we interrogated him as to the
likelihood of sport. He was not sanguine as to the
morning draw, and candidly told us that hounds would
probably find quickly, but that he doubted the capa-
bilities of any foxes in those coverts he was likely to
draw first. He had realised the situation exactly ;
hounds found a fox which ran three hundred yards,
and when the huntsman picked him up he shook a
shower of chaff out of his coat. A second fox ran
from one little spinney to another a quarter of a mile
away. He had a broken bit of rope round his neck,
and hounds would not break him up. At a lawn meet
in quite a different country we saw a quick find in some
laurels, and what appeared to be a genuine, good-
looking fox broke away in view of a big field. He
crossed a small park, and slipped under a gateway into
a stubble field, securing a capital start, but he was
quite dazed, and ran twice round the little enclosure he
found himself in, never making any attempt to leave.

30 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

He had not only an old, rusty collar round his neck,
but part of a label attached. When such incidents as
the above occur — and they are all too frequent in many
localities — the master and the members of his hunt are
being distinctly defrauded, and such friends to fox-
hunting as the men who invite hounds to their places
and provide bagmen, knowing they do not allow wild
foxes within their domains, had far better declare them-
selves, or even warn the hunt off the ground.

But the very simple, and what the Americans might
call the very thin, device of providing bag-foxes is by
no means the worst evil where the game craze is made
a fetish of. The tampering with wild foxes by the
gamekeepers of people who are friendly to the hunt,
and indeed are very often hunting men themselves, is
greatly carried on, and in many cases the owner of the
coverts has no suspicion of what is taking place. The
last-named is possibly a foxhunter, and under any cir-
cumstances a game preserver, but he wishes to find a
good head of game on his land as well as foxes, and he
instructs his keeper accordingly, but, in many cases,
does not actually see for himself that his instructions
are strictly carried out.

It need hardly be written here that in these days there
are many varieties of game preserver, whereas a gener-
ation or two ago practically nearly all the ordinary
shootings, and especially the small ones, were in the
hands of their owners. But the small country squire
has almost ceased to exist, and where he still owns the
acres he is often obliged to let the shooting. Many
estates, both large and small, have changed hands, and
the shooting tenant, particularly the non-resident shoot-
ing tenant, has multiplied a hundredfold. The old
squires used to have the game and the foxes in their

MODERN CONDITIONS OF HUNTING 31

own hands, and their keepers acted rather as their
masters' lieutenants than as individuals with extreme
power in their hands. The average squire was often
both a hunting man and a shooter, but if he did not
actually hunt he knew all the hunting folk, and pre-
served foxes for them. At times he was practically his
own gamekeeper, and when that was the case he care-
fully watched the foxes, and saw that they were not
disturbed at breeding times ; he was under any circum-
stances a friend to the hunt, and the hunt thoroughly
appreciated his efforts ; indeed, we know of a twenty-
stone man, who was never on a horse in his life, who
was presented with a silver cup by the members of a
local hunt because a certain covert of his had been
drawn five-and-twenty times successfully. It was only
six acres in extent, but its ponderous owner watched it
night and day, and gained his reward when hounds in-
variably found a fox in it.

There is, however, little use in denying that times
have changed, and we have got to face the situation
as it is, and to make it better if possible. It must be
understood, then, that what we are going to write about
the failure of the fox supply only applies to certain
countries, and not to all. In the Shires and, happily,
in many other countries there are no grounds for com-
plaint ; foxes are found in sufficient numbers, and a fair
standard of sport is maintained ; indeed, we are inclined
to think that in a majority of countries there is little to
complain of, and the fact is that where the hunting
element dominates a district not much is heard of
shortage of foxes, or of the very unfavourable speci-
mens of the vulpine tribe which are sometimes found.
But, unfortunately, there are other countries where
matters are very bad indeed, and these cannot be

32 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

ignored. Masters of hounds and hunting people
generally are crying out for redress, and to put it
briefly some of these countries will probably cease to
exist unless there is an improvement. In some quarters
a most pernicious doctrine has been put forward, to the
effect that people have no business to hunt in a game
country. This rank heresy has actually been approved
by a journal avowedly written in the interests of sport,
and the very fact of such an idea having found its way
— not as a letter from one of the public, but as the
opinion of the newspaper in question — into print, is
evidence as to how the situation is strained in some
countries.

Perhaps it is hardly worth our while to go into this
part of the question, nor is it necessary for us to state
how much a district is benefited by a pack of hounds
and the money spent thereon. It need only be said that
in the wonderful idea to which we have referred it was
suggested that hunting people who lived in a game
country should emigrate to the Shires or elsewhere,
where game was not of so much consequence. That
was the gist of the argument, but if the matter is
looked at for a moment it will be seen that what was
proposed was the abolition of hunting everywhere, ex-
cept in some few particular districts. That residents in
any country where there was a good deal of game
should wish to hunt from home was quite ignored, and
in effect the article suggested that where the land was
suitable for a big head of game there should be no hunt-
ing. How the crowd driven to the places where hunt-
ing was still to be carried on were to be accommodated
was not shown, nor was it demonstrated how the thou-
sands and thousands of men and women who can afford
to hunt a little from their own homes were to find the

MODERN CONDITIONS OF HUNTING 33

means for an annual pilgrimage to the Midlands. Pos-
sibly a more selfish idea was never thought of, let alone
published, and no reference would have been made to
it had it not been, as we have just stated, a strong
piece of evidence as to the real feelings of some who
encourage excessive game preservation.

And in place of the old squires, and their very satis-
factory show of game as well as of foxes, we have in the
countries referred to the big manor bought by, or let
to, men who vie with each other in the size of their bags,
and whose chief idea seems to be for each man to go one
better than his neighbour. We are fond of pheasant
shooting, and fonder still of shooting at driven part-
ridges, but no one will ever make us believe that it is
sportsmanlike to shoot until two, and sometimes three,
guns are red hot, and until one is half deaf even with
the small amount of noise which is produced by the
modern cartridge. The battue in a rational way is
right enough, because driven birds afford more sporting
and more difficult shots than birds which are walked
up, but when it is reflected that each particular
battue gives pleasure to some six or eight people, and
that a run with hounds causes as great an amount of
pleasure to from ten to twenty times the number, it is
shown how very selfish the battue is which involves the
continual destruction of all foxes which may stray into
its particular neighbourhood. It is all very well for the
promoters of these big shoots to pretend to be friendly
to the hunt, but as a matter of fact they often totally
ignore the hunting interests of any district, and this is
continually being done, especially when the proprietor
of the shooting is non-resident.

Unfortunately, too, there are, in many countries, non-
resident landlords, as well as non-resident tenants of
3

34 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

shooting. By the former we mean men who own two
or three estates, and keep one of them apparently for
its shooting alone. When this happens such owners
may come for the shooting two or three times during the
season, bringing their party with them, and only stay-
ing a week or so at a time. Though owning a big
property they do not spend more than two or three
weeks of the year on it, and they are naturally outside
the local life of the district, and — one must think — care
little about what their neighbours may wish with regard
to sport.

And if we look into the matter, a big estate where
foxes are not preserved, in the midst of a hunting
country, is a terrible thing. That it is not uncommon
we have more than suggested, but if the hunting
country is large in area it is quite possible that few
beyond the master and his immediate entourage will
ever know of the trouble and annoyance caused by
such places. If it is an open secret that foxes are not
preserved on such and such a manor hounds are prob-
ably not taken there, and of course they seldom run
there, because the foxes which are hunted as a rule try
to reach the coverts they were bred in, and have lived
in ever since. Thus many of an average field hardly
realise that a certain portion of the country in which
they hunt is taboo ; those who live near the ostracised
coverts, who pass them on their way to meets, and on
their homeward road, will, of course, understand why
they are not drawn, but we have heard of men spending
two or three seasons in a country where some big
estates were to all intents and purposes closed to the
hunt, and were yet unaware that hounds were not taken
there as they were to any other covert in the hunt.
They thought — when they came to consider the matter

MODERN CONDITIONS OF HUNTING 35

— that these coverts were drawn on the days when they
were not out, and in one instance when the master com-
plained to a comparatively new subscriber that he never
went there because there were no foxes, the man
naturally asked who the covert belonged to, and who
rented the shooting.

This he was told, and though he said nothing at the
time, he was, as it happened, a friend of both parties.
The landlord, it should be said, was non-resident, and
the tenant only came down at intervals, and could not
be called a resident of the district. Well, the matter
passed out of the master's thought, but a few weeks
later he received a letter from the tenant of the shooting
— a total stranger to him — stating that he (the tenant)
had just heard that hounds never drew the coverts in
question because there were no foxes in them, also that
he was quite unaware of the state of affairs, and that as
a matter of fact he was under the impression that the
coverts were drawn in due course, and that he had
always given orders that foxes should not be interfered
with. The master's feelings when he received this letter
can be well imagined. He was delighted to find that
he had been under a misapprehension about the coverts,
but was also terribly annoyed with himself for not
having made personal application to the shooting
tenant. It appears that a previous tenant had prac-
tically warned the hunt off, and when the shooting had
changed hands it had been reported about the country
that the new tenant was a friend of the former tenant,
and an even greater enemy to hunting than his pre-
decessor.

This story suggests two things, first that it is ab-
solutely necessary for a master of hounds to approach
every new-comer, who has land in his hand, and if

36 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

possible to get into communication with every shoot-
ing tenant in his hunt. It also goes far towards prov-
ing that many keepers will hoodwink not only the hunt,
but their own master, in their attempts to keep hounds
out of their coverts. And scores of shooting tenants
are entirely in the hands of their keepers, believing
every word the keeper says, and acting on his advice as
if it was the best in the world. Many worthy men who
take shootings have little or no knowledge of country
life, or even of the sport they are taking up. They
must, at first at all events, depend upon their game-
keepers for information on a whole host of subjects,
and when a keeper gives a false or highly coloured
description of the enormities of the fox, and goes on
to state that no one in the district really preserves, that
the hunt takes care that foxes are turned down wher-
ever hounds go, and that there is absolutely no need to
have a fox on the ground, they often believe him be-
cause they know no better.

There are, of course, thousands of shooting tenants
who are true sportsmen in every sense of the word,
and in their hands a hunt will always be quite safe,
but there are, at the same time^ shooting muffs as
there are hunting muffs, and the former are often the
most gullible of individuals.

Coming to London by a South-Western train one
November evening two years ago, after a day's hunting,
we were joined at Guildford by a man carrying a
gun and two or three brace of pheasants. He at once
opened conversation, told us where he had been shoot-
ing (he had changed from a branch train and the
place was not very near Guildford), and described his
sport at length. He then began to question us about
our hunting, and remarked that he had luckily got a

MODERN CONDITIONS OF HUNTING 37

shoot where hounds never came. We knew, however,
that he was quite wrong, but as he only shot on Satur-
days, when the hounds of his particular district were on
the other side of their country, it was only natural that
he had never seen them. However, we did not argue
the point, and he then remarked how good a thing it
was for the shooters that so many packs of hounds did
not even desire to have wild foxes kept for them. " I

am told," he said, '* that in the country they always

run a drag, and turn a fox down after an hour or so,
keeping a stock of foxes at home." He went on to say
that he was told this suited the hunting people best,
because they were always sure of a run, and generally
had a kill as well ; and we let him exhaust the subject,
and then asked him where he got his information.
"From my keeper of course; he's a real knowing
fellow ; they cannot hoodwink him ; he has found out
all about it." This is a sample of the mischief which
the inner consciousness of an unscrupulous man can
evolve, and doubtless thousands of shooting men
all over the country are hoodwinked in some degree or
other.

And now to describe some of the common tricks of
the worst class of gamekeepers, and first we may re-
mark that amongst gamekeepers, as amongst men of
every calling, there are thousands of the finest
character, honest by nature and honest by practice,
men who are scrupulous to a degree, and who would
not dream of interfering with a fox in a hunting
country. But on the other hand excessive game pre-
servation has introduced another class as well, and
these, partly because of their surroundings and the
curious position in which they are placed, seem to be
entirely without any sense of the fitness of things, and

38 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

wholly ignorant as to what a fox will, or will not, do.
In their own minds they will determine that no fox
shall live within their beat, if they can help it, and
they are often cunning enough to conceal their real
line of policy even from their employers. We have
known of keepers who had been brought up from
infancy to regard foxes as their natural enemies ; who
had been taught when boys that every fox must be
killed when opportunity offered, and whom it was
practically impossible to bring to a proper frame of
mind with regard to foxes. One such man had been
employed almost from infancy on a big estate, where his
uncle was head keeper. In due time he filled his uncle's
shoes, and for a period of five-and-twenty years the
shooting was let and foxes were religiously put down.
Then a hunting man came into possession, kept the
shooting, and informed the keeper that foxes must in
future be strictly preserved. But there was practically
no change ; Scotch cubs which had been turned down
mysteriously disappeared, and though the coverts were
now drawn regularly, hounds never found except very
occasionally in the spring of the year, when an odd
travelling fox was on the move. The owner was in
despair, and consulted the master of hounds, and told
him that of course he could not solve the mystery, but
village gossip still credited the keeper with vulpicide.
The keeper was sent for and interrogated, when he
quietly remarked that it was quite true, he had killed the
foxes, and he supposed it was in the blood, for he really
could not help it. He then and there wished to go,
but his master did not wish to lose the services of a man
who had been born and had worked all his life on the
estate, and offered to give him another chance. Then,
probably for the first time in his life, the man realised

MODERN CONDITIONS OF HUNTING 39

what was required of him, and in a year or two the
coverts were the most reliable in the hunt.

Now it must be understood that this man was of retir-
ing character, honest in every other respect except with
regard to vulpicide. He never blustered or attempted
to defend his conduct, but merely stated that he had
been brought up in the idea that game preservation
could not be carried on where foxes were allowed to
live, and had acted accordingly. Another gamekeeper,
a rough, bad-mannered man of very indifferent
character, had charge of a biggish shoot for many
years, and foxes were always scarce, though the coverts
were first rate. He was far too lazy to go in for ex-
termination, but he caught and killed what foxes he
could, and sold the carcases to naturalists for stuffing.
When this man was out of place, and working as a
labourer, hounds ran a fox to ground in a field drain,
on the very shoot he had so long had charge of. He
knew all about the drain, and on his advice an open-
ing was made in the middle of a field, and a terrier put
in. But before the fox bolted we had some conversa-
tion with the man, who told us, with a sly wink, that
he had taken between thirty and forty foxes out of that
particular drain while he had been in charge of the
shooting. He quite boasted of the performance, and,
on another occasion, he opened his heart, and let us
into a lot of tricks of the trade. As a matter of fact we
did not believe all he told us, but he certainly opened
our eyes in some degree, so that we were afterwards
better qualified to estimate the position in subsequent
cases of a suspicious nature.

But it is not the known fox-destroyer who causes all
the trouble in those hunts where foxes are scarce, for
almost as much mischief is perpetrated by the keeper

40 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

who tampers with foxes, and does not allow them fair
play. These men have been told by their masters that
they (the masters) expect hounds to find when their
coverts are drawn, and unfortunately many covert
owners and shooting tenants are quite satisfied if a find
does really take place, and are delighted when a fox is
killed which has been found on their ground. What
so many of them are unable to discriminate is that
there are foxes and foxes, and that the fox they may
have been rejoicing over has been a miserable apology
for the real, wild fox. Of course if the covert owner is
friendly with the master, or even with members of the
hunt, the true state of the case will be generally re-
vealed to him, but, as has been already stated, he is so
often a comparative, and sometimes a total stranger, and
to him a fox is a fox, that he duly credits his keeper
with the find. That the fox was a bagman, or one
which had been kept in captivity, he is quite unaware,
and, as many of every large field are when this happens,
also in ignorance of the real state of the case, it is more
than likely that he will never be told.

One of the tricks where this half-hearted system of
fox preservation is in vogue is to watch carefully in the
spring of the year for the vixens, and when they have
been located, to trap and destroy them, removing the
cubs to some safe place where they are brought up by
hand. The latter are fairly well looked after during
the summer, because it is absolutely necessary that
cubs should be forthcoming in the autumn. But they
are semi-tame foxes, and the keeper knows that when
they are turned out hounds will snap up most of them,
and that the others, never having been taught to pro-
vide for themselves, will quickly die. What the keeper
is looking for is a brave show of cubs at the proper

MODERN CONDITIONS OF HUNTING 41

time, and here it may be remarked that cubs of from
six to eight months old, which have been kept in cap-
tivity, will often look just as well, at a cursory glance,
as wild cubs. If they have been well fed, and kept in
not too dirty a place, and have had some room in
which to move about, they will hardly have begun to
assume that shabbiness of coat which would, in an
ordinary way, attack them a little later. Even if they
have become infected with the germs of mange, they
will hardly show it in the early days of cub-hunting,
and in point of fact many of them will pass muster
with hunting folk of experience.

And here it may be mentioned that the proofs we put
forward in connection with the tricks played on foxes
by certain gamekeepers are not gathered from stories,
but are the results of personal knowledge and investi-
gation, and in several cases the true state of the case
was brought to light by the merest accident. Thus it
once happened that we were present when a certain
pack of hounds of great reputation drew a covert, also
of great reputation, for the first time that season. The
date was mid-September, the hour of meeting six
o'clock, and as the weather was fine there was a very
big muster. Indeed, there were quite a hundred riders
drawn up in a grass field which bordered one side of the
wood, and word was passed about that at least two
litters of stub-bred foxes had their quarters in the
covert. Hounds opened immediately, but no fox went
away, and the master afterwards remarked that he had
seen no old fox in the covert, nor had he heard of one.
But cubs were so numerous a moment later that the
fact of there being no old fox on the move was un-
noticed. The covert was very dense, and there was
little scent, but hounds killed a brace of cubs, if not

42 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

more, and long before eight o'clock were taken else-
where, the master being of opinion that there were at
least two litters in the covert, but that as they were
so backward it was most undesirable to remain
longer.

The owner of the covert was congratulated on the
fine show of foxes, and every one was deceived as to
the real qualities of the cubs, and hounds did not draw
the place again until the middle of November, when to
the general surprise no fox was forthcoming. Nor did
the covert furnish another fox that season, but as
there were several coverts at no great distance away,
which generally held, it came to be considered that the
cubs had changed their quarters after the first visit of
hounds. Indeed, this seemed to be an extremely
probable reason why the covert was drawn blank some
five or six times in succession ; but during the winter
an under keeper was sent away, and it appeared that
he had quarrelled with the head keeper of the estate,
the latter having discovered that the man had taken up
two litters of cubs in the spring, had kept them in a
disused shed all the summer, and had only turned them
down a few hours before hounds drew the place. It
was never properly discovered whether one or both of
the keepers were in the plot, but the estate was a large
one, and the man who looked after the covert alluded
to was practically in sole charge of a very large
beat.

In another country hounds had a long, slow hunt,
late in the afternoon, when few were with them.
At length they had made quite a big point, and as
scent was improving, and a covert was in front which
was in the draw for the following day, or the day after
that, the huntsman and his whippers-in tried to stop

MODERN CONDITIONS OF HUNTING 43

them. But now they had their fox close in front, and
were able to reach the covert, a large wood of nearly
one hundred acres. Including the hunt servants not
more than eight or ten were with them, and when the
wood was reached the party became divided, each man
choosing his own "ride." Hearing hounds in front
we pressed on and found them baying at a cage, which
was placed in the middle of the covert in a tremend-
ously thick place, and inside of which were two foxes
— evidently ready for the draw which was to be made in
a day or two. The hunted fox had probably gone on,
but the master and one of his men were quickly
on the spot, so that the situation was thoroughly
grasped.

We have heard on what appeared to be absolutely
reliable information that another pack of hounds came
upon one of these cages in a big covert, and that, owing
to the wire not being strong enough to resist their
weight, they got inside, and quickly disposed of the
half-dozen foxes which were being bottled up for future
use. The story was told us by a master of hounds,
and we have little doubt of its truth, because we have
actually seen three of these cages — the one referred to
above and two others. One of these we discovered by
pure accident during a summer walk, and the other we
saw when covert shooting with a non-hunting host,
who exhibited his toy with some measure of conceit,
and who was totally unaware that he was offending
against the canons of sport. "Look what an admir-
able contrivance I have for foxes," he said, and
pointed out a wired enclosure of about one hundred
feet by fifty, with a hovel at one end, just like a
mammal-house at the Zoo. This cage was placed in a
well-chosen situation, held a water trough, and a great

44 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

quantity of dry sticks and other covert, to say nothing
of bushes and trees. The wiring-in was irregular, but
whoever designed it had done his work well, and there
was little or no chance of a fox getting out or of a
hound getting in. The mesh of the wire was carried
up ten or twelve feet and the top turned inwards, so
that a cub could not scramble over, holding on by his
toes. The third cage was a little affair, being merely
two old barrels inside an enclosure some twenty feet,
and wired over so near the ground that there was only
just room for a fox to run about. The place was empty
when we found it, but it stank of foxes, and there
was plentiful evidence that it had been very recently
used.

The cage business is bad enough, but when the
cage is a large one the foxes imprisoned therein can
run about a little, and are not so likely to contract
mange as those which are confined in an old barn or
outhouse. It is the confined foxes which are really
responsible for the terrible mange epidemic which has
visited nearly every part of England during the last
ten or twelve years, for if the disease did not actually
begin with them, they have certainly been the cause of
its continuance in many countries. We are not going
to take on ourselves the responsibility of even suggest-
ing the original fons et origo of mange, as it is now
known among foxes, but there are certain facts in con-
nection with the disease in epidemic form that go far
to show that the wholesale spreading of the malady
was absolutely entirely due to excessive game preser-
vation, and we have often wondered whether the pro-
prietors of great shoots, when they were killing their
thousands of pheasants in a day, ever realised that
they were reducing the sport of the local hunt to a

MODERN CONDITIONS OF HUNTING 45

minimum, not for a day or two, but for three or four
seasons.

To thoroughly realise what a terrible curse mange is
one must have hunted in a country while the epidemic
has been at its worst, and we need hardly say that in
many countries, some few years ago, matters had
reached so terrible a pitch that it was hardly worth
while to be at the expense of keeping horses. There
are doubtless many hunting folk who never thoroughly
realised what was taking place, firstly because many
foxes have been able to run pretty well while mangy,
and secondly because the odd, clean fox never abso-
lutely disappeared. It was the case, however, that for
some seasons certain packs of hounds hunted three or
four mangy foxes for every clean one, and to give
chapter and verse the North Durham, in the season of
1903-4, only killed three clean foxes, against some
twenty to thirty brace of mangy ones. We were, so to
speak, present at the beginning of the outbreak (in a
southern country), when it first began to be realised
that the disease was an epidemic, and not a casual,
quickly disappearing visitation.

Since then we have hunted in half a dozen countries,
where mange could be studied in its various stages, and
we have also been a good deal behind the scenes, and
have been aware of the immense trouble which masters
of hounds have had, not only in the matter of arrang-
ing meets, and drawing coverts where they knew the
mange was bad, but in their attempts to restock their
countries after the season was over. In fact, it may
safely be said that to the ordinary foxhunter only
one side of the mange question was ever revealed. If
he was an observing sportsman he could not fail to
notice the falling off in sport, but in many countries the

46 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

rank and file of a big field only knew that foxes were
scarcer than they ought to be, and that good runs came
less often than formerly. The anxieties of the master,
and those acquainted with the inner workings of a hunt ;
the anxieties of the genuine fox preserver, who found
his cubs contaminated year after year ; these were
questions which hardly disturbed a great majority of
the hunting community. Nor was there ever any great
outcry made in the public Press, and on this point we
have often thought that a bolder policy would have
been all for the best. But, naturally enough, the most
prominent descriptive writers on hunting were anxious
to ignore the trouble as far as possible, and were also
extremely careful not to write anything at which um-
brage might be taken. Thus there was little or no
mention of mangy foxes being hunted, and seldom any
definite statement that sport on any particular day was
spoilt by mange.

But what really occurred all too often was a total col-
lapse of sport, and here we must go to personal
experience, and state only what we have seen ourselves.
Imagine, then, hounds meeting in a good country,
where excessive game preservation was absolutely un-
known, where foxes had always been exceedingly
numerous, and as strong as wolves, and yet where
mange had crept in, solely and entirely through infec-
tion from another country. Hounds draw covert after
covert which a year or two before were certain finds,
but two o'clock arrives, and not a sign of a fox has been
seen or heard of. The master begins to get very
anxious, especially when he notices that his hounds,
which have been drawing for three hours — and who
are only repeating the performance of several previous
days — are beginning to show signs of slackness. He

MODERN CONDITIONS OF HUNTING 47

gives the order for a large covert where he knows there
are foxes, and at length hounds open with the proper
cry. The master hurries into covert to be met by a
whipper-in, who tells him the fox is mangy ; he breaks,
however, and after twisting and turning for a mile or two,
is run into, and found to be a miserable, half-starved
specimen, and with his coat bare in places, and with
no fur on his brush. Arrangements are made for his
speedy burial, and hounds draw again, but fail to find
a second fox. On many other days no fox is forth-
coming, and at times mangy foxes are hunted, and lost
or killed as the case may be, while just to show that
the case is not altogether hopeless an occasional clean
fox varies the performance by giving a run. Imagine
also not one or two, but three or four seasons of
this kind of thing, and further imagine the feeling
of the master and his field, who know that mange
was never indigenous to their hunt, but that their
total lack of sport is neither more nor less than the
outcome of a selfish system of game preservation —
possibly more than a hundred miles away.

Mange of a sort has probably always existed in
the vulpine tribe. Thirty years ago we knew of a
baddish case of mange in a chained fox, but this
yielded to treatment, a strong solution of carbolic
being mixed with fish oil, and the fox gradually but
very slowly recovered, but had a shabby coat for
nearly a year afterwards. But except that a very
old mangy fox was occasionally killed, the disease
was practically unknown in the hunting field, and most
certainly it never appeared in its recent epidemic
form until the early nineties. It then broke out in
certain southern hunts, and as far as could be ascer-
tained at the time it was present in different districts

48 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

of the south of England at much about the same
period, the various places of outbreak being separated
by wide tracts of country which were not infected.
This, then, suggested that there was a common cause
for the beginning of the epidemic, which was at work
in more than one place. What exactly this common
factor was has never been really proved, and even
now two reasons are given by those who have studied
the question. But first it must be mentioned that by
this time there was a decided shortage of foxes in
many countries, due entirely to the increase of game
preservation. In many hunts there was little or no
breeding stock left at the end of the season, and it
was known that no litters would be allowed to live
in certain coverts. It became, then, absolutely neces-
sary that some portions of certain countries should be
restocked, and that there should be litters of cubs
where it was known that they would be properly cared
for. It is no use blinking facts, and it is a fact that
importation of strange foxes was a necessity, which
had to be acted upon. Nor was there anything new
in the idea. In many countries restocking had been
tried with success well on to a hundred years
ago, where hunting had become popular in districts
where the fox had previously been regarded as
vermin. Much later too, in the forties, fifties, and
sixties, restocking had been resorted to (if it were
necessary the names of countries could be given),
and it was a very general opinion amongst those
well versed in the habits of foxes that an occasional
infusion of fresh blood was all for the good of the
tribe. Doubtless, however, great care was taken
both in seeing that the imported foxes were strong
and healthy, and taken from a wild country, and

MODERN CONDITIONS OF HUNTING 49

similar care was exercised when they were turned
down.

For a generation or two the trials of new blood
were successful enough, but there came a time when
owing to the fact that in many places foxes were no
longer preserved, while in other districts they were
destroyed in wholesale fashion, the demand began to
exceed the supply, and then the foreign fox was
bought in large numbers, and the mange era set in
shortly afterwards. Most of these foreign foxes came,
and still come, from various parts of Germany, and as
foxes they are good enough. Indeed, we have heard
of their giving the greatest satisfaction, but when
the demand for increased numbers arose, the dealers,
or consigners, began to be careless ; the consignees
(not the buyers) were equally so, and by the time the
foxes reached the right hands, many of them, though
not showing any signs of the disease, were infected
by mange. That overcrowding, and foul kennels or
cages, with improper food, were the original causes of
virulent mange is almost certain, and there is reason to
believe that very often a consigner of foreign foxes
was collecting his cargo one by one, or in litters for
weeks, and even longer, before they were dispatched.
It is thought that during the process of collection too
many foxes were herded together in dirty places, and
that when the time for sending them off arrived they
were packed too closely in dirty crates, and also that
from the moment they were caught until they were
turned into an English earth they were, to say the
least of it, carelessly fed.

Mange takes some time to declare itself, but it
is certain that some of the German foxes were
mangy when they arrived, while it is also practically
4

50 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

certain that others had contracted the disease. Small
wonder, then, that after a while the infection spread to
the wild foxes, and that the disease rushed all over
the country. This is one view of the origin of the
mange as known in epidemic form ; the other is that
the disease has simply arisen through the most ob-
jectionable and very common habit of catching the
cubs when they were young and keeping them in
confinement until they were required for hunting
purposes. Foxes kept in captivity and fed on un-
natural food are almost bound to go wrong, except,
perhaps, the odd half-tamed fox, and he is always
more or less of a pet, and well looked after, his bed
being constantly changed, while as a rule he is fed
as far as possible on his natural food. But suppos-
ing two litters of cubs are placed in a barn, say at
the beginning of May, and kept there until the be-
ginning of September, and are looked after by a man
who is careless as to cleanliness, and ignorant as to
the food he provides. In such a case it is almost
hopeless to expect that the cubs will keep healthy,
and as we have mentioned, there are hunting men
who are strongly of opinion that this bottling-up of
cubs for months at a time is responsible for all the
mischief.

To tell the truth it is really of little consequence
whether the mange came from Germany or any other
foreign country, or whether it is a home-bred disease.
It is in either case the outcome of excessive game
preservation, because if the supply of foxes had been
allowed to remain as it was, say a generation ago,
there would have been no need for imported foxes,
while if foxes had never been kept in captivity the
belief that they (the captive foxes) are the source of

MODERN CONDITIONS OF HUNTING 51

mange would be an erroneous one. Look at it from
every point of view, and one always works round to
the same conclusion, viz. that the destruction of foxes,
or keeping them in captivity, are the primary causes
of mange, and that there would be no reason for
destroying old foxes or kidnapping cubs were it not
for the desire to have more game on the land than
there was a decade or two ago.

To turn to another subject which still agitates the
hunting community, barbed wire is now a recognised
evil, but hunting people are becoming so thoroughly
accustomed to it, and in some countries are so well able
to cope with it, that barbed-wire troubles are in these
days purely local, and seldom heard of outside the
confines of the hunt in which they exist. Indeed,
barbed wire is now such a necessary, under certain
conditions, that it is no use attempting to ignore its
existence, and yet it is very often possible to have it
taken down during the hunting season. The fact is
that barbed wire is cheap and lasting. It may cost
more to put up a strong wire fence of several strands
than to build up a timber fence of equal strength, but
the wire lasts longer than the timber, and the process
of putting it up does not involve so much labour. And
on thousands of estates there is no timber available
for good posts and rails, and then wire is used by
owners and tenants alike, and this is a fact which
hunting people have to face. But the plan of running
a strand or two of barbed wire through an old fence is a
most pernicious one, because the wire gradually destroys
the fence. Few farmers seem to see the importance of
this point, but as a matter of fact even the life of a
decaying fence is greatly shortened when it is mended
with wire, and a new, growing fence is often quickly

52 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

ruined if an attempt is made to supplement its
strength by the introduction of a couple of wire
strands.

As far as a hunt is concerned its relations to the
wire question depend on the local conditions and on
the character of the country. All over the Midlands
barbed wire is used by the large graziers, but as a
rule bullocks are only pastured between May and
November, and it is only a very exceptional farmer
who will not allow his wire to be taken down when the
bullocks are off the ground. It is customary to mark
the presence of all barbed wire which is left standing
in these and in many other localities, but when danger
signals are used the greatest care should be taken that
they are put up in every fence where there is a single
strand of wire, because in a marked country the un-
marked fences are supposed to be clear, and are there-
fore ridden at in all confidence.

Yet accidents have been known to occur when the
marking has been forgotten or omitted in one odd
unmarked fence amidst a number of marked ones, and
in such cases a certain amount of blame must accrue
to the wire committee of the hunt, if there is one,
and if not, to those who have charge of the barbed-
wire arrangements. It is, then, most important that
in every country all the wire should be marked or none
at all, but this is by no means a regular custom, and
strangers who visit one of these half-marked countries
must run a great risk. It is all very well to say that
members of the hunt know where all the wire is, but
every hunt is visited by strangers at some period of
the season ; and then, again, it is no easy matter, when a
certain amount of wire is marked, to recollect exactly
where there is unmarked wire. It seems to us, then,

MODERN CONDITIONS OF HUNTING 53

that it is better to have no danger signals than a short
supply, but each and every hunt which sets about the
wire question in a business-like manner can ameliorate
the nuisance in some degree.

It may be pointed out that, in a great majority of
cases, it is the best plan to treat with the owners of
estates or with their land agents, when negotiating
about wire. There are, of course, tenant farmers of
repute and high standing in their particular districts,
who have all such matters in their own hands, and,
of course, when wire is used on a grazing farm, and
the hunt wishes it to be taken down during the winter
months, the matter rests entirely between the tenant
farmer and the wire committee or authority of the
hunt. But when farms are let on short leases, when
tenants are being constantly changed, and when the
holdings are small, a little ventilation of the subject
with the owner or his agent often does a great deal of
good. It is often the case that there is plenty of
timber available for restoring old fences and making
new ones, and, again, timber can in many districts be
bought more cheaply than wire. But if matters are
left to the tenant and the agent, and neither of them
is a hunting man, wire (being the simplest form of
fence) will be decided upon, when a fence has to be
renewed or restored, merely because the wishes of the
hunt have never been put forward.

When wire is largely used, and owners, tenants,
or both decline to have it removed in the hunting
season, then the hunting wicket or the invitation jump
may be asked for, and leave to put this into a fence
is seldom refused. Both are by no means new, for
though wire has not been used for more than a
generation, it is about fifteen years since we found

54 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

gorsed hurdles placed in a wire fence, in the North
Staffordshire country, and since then we have seen a
variety of what are usually spoken of as invitation
jumps ; but when these are in vogue it is absolutely
necessary that they should be looked at, and mended
if necessary, after hounds have been over the ground,
for if a hundred horses jump at even a low fence, the
fence is almost certain to be damaged, while if the
ground happens to be soft, it will be badly poached on
either side of the jump.

The hunting wicket is not so convenient when fields
are large, and causes more delay, especially when the
wind is high and the gate swings back every time it
is opened ; but it is of the greatest use, especially in
a boundary fence between two farms, where very often
the obstacle has been so built up that it will either
pound a whole field or be worked into two or three
gaps, each of them big enough to drive a coach and
four through.

One of the best and simplest ways to deal with the
wire question is to divide the hunt into so many
districts, and to appoint certain residents in each
district as members of a wire committee. Care must
be exercised in choosing men of tact, who will be able,
or at least will have a fair chance of being able, to
conciliate any irreconcilables there may be in any
district, and hunting men who live on the spot, and
are not too much away from home, should, if possible,
be chosen ; but the best thing of all is to have a com-
mittee which is largely composed of tenant farmers,
who, whether they are hunting men or not, are kindly
disposed to the hunt. When a country is so divided
and things work smoothly, it will be found that wire
does not increase, that there is no difficulty in marking

MODERN CONDITIONS OF HUNTING 55

what wire there is, and that when a farm changes
hands, posts and rails will, as a rule, be provided for
any new fencing, or mending of old fences which the
new tenant requires.

Then, again, there are the numerous advantages to be
gained by farmers who do not use wire ; and these
cannot be too often or too forcibly pointed out. In
this connection we do not include the public collections
which are annually (or sometimes bi-annually) made
by the various hunts for the funds of the Royal Agri-
cultural Benevolent Institution, but may mention that
the society in question is in a very large degree sup-
ported by the contributions of hunting men and
women. There are, however, the hedge-cutting compe-
titions, which are immensely popular in the Midlands,
and the many prizes offered by masters of hounds,
and hunting people generally, at the local agricul-
tural shows, in which the competition is only open
to farmers residing within the confines of a certain
hunt, or hunts. In many cases it is now the custom
to bar all competitors whose farms are wired, and
this has been found to answer well, there being a
very strong feeling amongst farmers that those of
their calling who do not favour the hunt in some
degree should not be eligible to win a prize which
has been given by the master of hounds, or by his
followers. It is also in some cases the custom to
omit farmers who use barbed wire from the list of
puppy walkers, and when — as sometimes happens — a
farmer, whose farm is wired, does get a prize his
neighbours have plenty to say about it. But, after
all, goodwill and friendly feeling are the keynote to
a pleasant state of affairs between any hunt and the
tenant farmers within its boundaries, and this, we are

56 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

glad to say, is everywhere existent, the hunt being
still looked upon not only as a necessary adjunct of
each countryside, but as a welcome diversion of the
monotony of country life.

It has been shown that moderate (or degenerate as
they are usually called) foxes and barbed wire are
two evils which the modern conditions of hunting
entail, and, as has been suggested, the sport in many
countries has been greatly altered by the advent of
these two things. There are, too, several minor changes
which have gradually taken place within comparatively
recent time, but these will be treated of in the course of
these writings, as they crop up. It may here be stated
that on the other hand the hunting field is much more
cosmopolitan than it used to be, and that hunting is in
these days well within the reach of all who are inclined
to the sport, and are able to afford the expense.

There are of course some provincial hunts which are
still carried on as they were more than half a century
ago, where the country is remote and far away from
beaten tracks, and where the hunting folk are the third
or fourth generation of the original founders of the
hunt. Into such districts strangers rarely penetrate,
and old fashions are adhered to merely because the
conservative tone of the district has never been altered.
But such hunts can probably be counted on the fingers
of one's two hands, and in a very great majority of the
so-called provincial countries all sorts of innovations
have been adopted, chiefly because the composition of
each hunt has so greatly changed. What was once
— especially in the pre-railway days — the sport of the
landed interest and the landowners and their tenants,
has become the sport of the community at large, and in
these times two-thirds of every field are business men

MODERN CONDITIONS OF HUNTING 57

of sorts, while the remaining third is composed of men
and women who are so well endowed with this world's
goods that they have no need to work, but are able
to live in the country throughout the winter, and main-
tain a stud of horses, a motor-car to take them to and
from hunting, and a retinue of servants to administer
to their wants in the hunting field.

CHAPTER IV
THE MASTER OF HOUNDS

IT is just possible that in these days there are
not so many applications for vacant masterships
of hounds as there were five-and-twenty years
ago, and it is also possible that the post, except in a
few very important countries, does not carry quite so
much prestige as it once did. We live in an age of
levelling, and just as the old glamour which once
existed all over the country with regard to the fox
has departed, so in some minor degree have the dig-
nity and importance which environed the mastership
of all well-regulated packs of hounds disappeared.
There are, of course, many hunting folk — mostly
country-bred people who have hunted from boyhood
— who still hold the master's office in the highest
reverence, but on the other hand the spirit of the
age by no means encourages this feeling, and it is
now the case that much depends on local surround-
ings, and thus the master of one pack is a local
hero, while the master of an adjoining pack is held
in no particular esteem, except by his own following.
In what may be called a sporting country, that is
to say in a district where the love of sport is really
strong, where the hounds have a big reputation, and
where a fair proportion of the residents are interested
in the hunt, the mastership must necessarily carry
with it considerable prestige. But where the country

S8

THE MASTER OF HOUNDS 59

has an industrial as well as an agricultural popula-
tion, and where the hunting element is small in
comparison with the non-hunting portion of the com-
munity, there a mastership of hounds is thought less
of than the chairmanship of a parish council ; and
this was suggested to us not long ago by the secre-
tary of a country agricultural show. The gentleman
in question was a hunting man (secretary to the
local hunt), and the committee of the show were nearly
all tradesmen and business men from the country
town. Our friend canvassed the hunting people for
subscriptions towards the prize list, and obtained
such a goodly sum that he was able to promise the
money for all the hunter prizes, and in addition
to give half a dozen prizes to tenant farmers in the
farm stock classes. Yet when the committee pub-
lished their prize list it began with the names of a
dozen councillors, none of whom had given more
than a guinea, and the handsome sum collected by the
secretary was lumped together, with nothing written to
show that it had been subscribed by the hunting men
of the district.

On the other hand we met a master lately who was
inclined to think that the high office he held was
thought more of than formerly. We naturally asked
why, and were told that Who's Who had applied
for particulars of this gentleman's career, and that,
in fact, all the masters in the kingdom had been
circularised.

Whether the height of glory is reached when one's
name is included in the most curious of modern
directories is open to doubt, but the real fact is that the
country has undergone such manifold changes in the
last thirty years that it is practically impossible for

6o THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

the present generation to have the same thoughts
and ideas as the last. It may not be generally
remembered, but it is the case that in the early
seventies trade was wonderfully good all over the
country, and these ''good times" lasted for several
years. And one of the chief consequences of the
good trade was that there was a rush to the country
on the part of thousands of townsfolk. Some bought
estates, others rented them. Some again bought
houses without land, and others bought land and
built houses for themselves. Since that time the
exodus has continued, and it is not only London but
all the big residential centres which have sent hun-
dreds of new-comers into the heart of the country.
Some small proportion — really only a very small
proportion when one compares the size of the fields
of thirty-five years ago with those of the present day
— of these new-comers took to hunting, and the
second generation of the earlier new-comers (which
forms part of the rising generation of the present
day) has followed on, but, nevertheless, the fact
remains that at this moment there are scores and
scores of well-to-do people living in the country who
neither know nor care anything about hunting, and
that being so it is little wonder that a mastership of
hounds is not held in the high estimation that it
ought to be.

We do not wish to labour the case, however ; and to
get on to the master's position and duties, it may be
pointed out that the office of master must vary greatly
according to circumstances. Thus for the Shire packs
it is no easy matter to secure the right man, especially
for the Quorn, the mastership of which hunt is by many
thought to be the very highest honour to which a

THE MASTER OF HOUNDS 6i

hunting man can aspire. First of all a master of the
Quorn, or of one of the neighbouring packs, must have
a well-earned reputation as a sportsman. He should
have hunted in the Shires, and have thoroughly proved
his knowledge of hunting. He should, too, be a first-
flight man, and as a matter of fact all the recent
masters of the Quorn (there have been six masters
since 1884) have been really good men to hounds, and
one or two of them absolutely first rate. He must be
masterful and yet full of tact, quick at resource, and
quick to make up his mind, otherwise he will never be
able to keep the big fields in hand, and give his hunts-
man the chance of fair play. Bad language is out of
fashion, and this is all for the best ; but sarcasm was
always a deadlier weapon than an oath in the hands
of a clever man ; and when direct remonstrance fails
sarcasm is often a most efficient substitute for hard
swearing.

In the provinces, especially in the smaller hunts, it
is not an absolute essential that the master should be
a fine rider to hounds, who is in the habit of taking his
own line. It is, of course, better that any master
should be always well up ; but when the field is small
it is as a rule fairly well behaved, and therefore
it is not of so much consequence if the master is not
actually on the spot when hounds check. But in the
Shires the case is very diff'erent, and it is practically
necessary that the master should be there or there-
abouts at all critical moments. No man can make a
certainty of being always close up with hounds, and it
often happens that a master has accompanied the pack
into covert — if a wood is being drawn — and if hounds
get quickly away he may lose a certain amount of
start. If, however, he is in the habit of riding right

62 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

up to hounds, and "taking hold" of a big field if
any one is inclined to press on at a check, his absence
on an odd occasion will not be missed. His field will
know that he is generally there, and will, even if they
do not see him, act as if he was bang in front.

It will perhaps hardly be credited in these days, but
we once knew a master who, when he first took office,
was actually under the impression that it was a point
of honour with every master of hounds that he should
lead his field throughout the day, and this man fretted
sorely when any one rode in front of him even for a few
minutes. It need hardly be said that the pack, though
good enough in its way, and capable of showing
excellent sport, was not a fashionable one, and the
mastership often went begging.

Our friend was a rich man, who had come into
sudden wealth, but who had previously been unable
to indulge the passion for hunting, which he un-
doubtedly possessed. He was, too, a powerful athletic
man, and a bold, fearless horseman ; and as soon as
he could afford it he not only got together a valuable
stud of hunters, but took the mastership aforesaid. It
was late in the autumn when he took hold, and we saw
the pack only a fortnight after the season had opened.
Hounds were running all day in a cramped country,
and wherever they went the master was with them,
jumping what were apparently impossible, and often
unnecessary fences, and altogether giving such an
exhibition of fearless horsemanship as is very seldom
seen. During the evening we congratulated him on
his prowess, and then it came out that he thought it
was incumbent on the master to show the way at all
times, and that masters as a rule were chosen because
they were the best men to hounds.

THE MASTER OF HOUNDS 63

Other masters we have known who never rode over
the smallest flattened gap in a fence, and others again
who appeared to decline jumping, and who were yet
always there or thereabouts when hounds checked.
But as the fields are constantly very large, and
there are often many strangers out, the master's
duties in the Shires must be different from those of the
master of the provincial pack, where the following is
the same from day to day, and never of unmanageable
size. On the whole, tact is perhaps the most essential
requisite for the outfit of a master of hounds. Some
men are so easily offended, and a hasty master who
has not his temper under control may in the heat of
the moment say something which may give offence to
one of his field.

Too strong a point cannot be made of the unwritten
law which forbids any member of the field to argue
with the master, or indeed to retort if he is found fault
with. The master may be right, or he may be wrong,
but if he is well up in all the duties of his office it is
good odds that he knows what he is talking about, and
anyhow it is the stern duty of any one who is found
fault with to apologise, or say nothing at all, but on no
account to " answer back."

Discipline is absolutely necessary in any hunting
field, and discipline can only be enforced by the
master, or by a deputy who is acting as an authorised
field master. There are in many hunts certain men
who are constantly doing something to rub the master
the wrong way. Such men will get too far forward
when a covert is being drawn, will press on hounds at
a check, and if the master is timid, too easy-going, or
too indifferent, will follow the huntsman when he is
casting hounds, so that they may not lose an inch of

64 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

ground when the line is hit off again. As a rule these
men are fearless riders, and when they are not held in
check will do a vast amount of harm in the course of a
season. All hunting men of any experience have met
them, and will have noticed their tactics, and those
who have hunted in several different countries will
be aware that whereas one master is easily able to
hold these insubordinates in check, his neighbour is
often at their mercy, and allows his sport to be, in
a great measure, spoilt by men who are constantly
offending, and who must be perfectly aware of their
offence.

It comes to this, then, that a man who is lacking in
moral courage is hardly fit to be a master of hounds.
The best sportsman in the world, the finest rider to
hounds, the most popular fellow in the country, the
man with the greatest knowledge of hunting; everyone
of these is out of place as master if he is not prepared to
pull up an offender the moment he sees anything wrong.
As we have already said he need not swear at the cul-
prit, but he must have a certain command of language,
and the power of showing that he will be obeyed. If a
master is new to office and finds his field unruly his
position is not a pleasant one. Naturally he does not
care to begin his mastership by finding fault with his
field, and therefore he has to work gradually before he
attains the end he has in view. It will not take him long
to find out who are the offenders, and when he is
thoroughly sure of his men he can begin by remonstra-
ting with them quietly, and if this does not bring about
an improved state of affairs he can then find fault in the
presence and hearing of the field. If this or some
similar line of conduct is pursued it is quite certain that
the master's action will be appreciated and approved,

THE MASTER OF HOUNDS 65

and that, in fact, he will carry all the best part of his
field with him.

We have in recollection two cases of very young
masters, both of whom began badly, but by degrees
overcame their difficulties. In one instance the master
was a mere boy, who came forward when no other
master was forthcoming. He had, for one of his age,
considerable knowledge of hunting, but he was shy and
nervous, and his field quickly got out of hand. By
Christmas-time many of the hard riders were doing
exactly what they liked, and matters had become so bad
that some of the older members of the hunt were visit-
ing the adjoining country for their sport. Then there
came a day when hounds ran so fast that for twenty
minutes they were beating every one. At length they
checked in a field of turnips, when one of the worst
offenders calmly galloped round them cracking his whip
to turn them back to the fence. The young master saw
it, and suddenly coming out of his shell rated the would-
be huntsman in such forcible language that he slunk
away, and was not seen again that day. So hard had
hounds been running that very few of the field were
within hearing, but the story was soon spread about,
and from that day no more liberties were taken.

In the other case the master was also a young man,
but had had the experience of several seasons and also
had considerable knowledge of foxes, and of woodcraft
generally; he was, in fact (so most people thought), just
the man for the place. But he began by ladling out
indiscriminate and unmerited abuse to all and sundry,
with a view to asserting his authority. From day to
day he became more abusive, and gave more offence,
and he had not been long in office before his field
dwindled from something a little short of a hundred to
5

66 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

about fifteen. He then asked an influential member of
the hunt what was wrong, and at last he realised the
situation. He at once changed his tactics, and as he
was showing wonderful sport his field began to come
back. Still it took him the best part of two seasons to
live down his early mistakes, though on a certain public
occasion he took the opportunity of explaining how he
had begun his mastership on a wrong system, and how
sorry he was that he had unwittingly given offence.

In the field, unless there is constant overriding of
hounds, the master's lines may or may not be cast in
pleasant places, nearly everything depending upon the
style and custom of the hunt. In a country where there
is no question about the fox supply, where every covert
may be visited at the master's option, and where, in
fact, game preservation is not unduly insisted upon, the
carrying out of the prearranged programme of each
day's sport is perhaps the most important matter which
has to be considered. Where the field is well behaved
and not likely to do anything stupid the master is, of
course, well aware of the fact, and can devote himself to
the pleasure which the sport affords. He is able to
watch hounds, instead of being obliged to keep his eye
on such members of the field as are likely to get into
mischief, and he is in point of fact able to participate
in the sport, instead of having to do mounted police-
man's duty.

And before we go any further it should be mentioned
that masters of hounds may be divided into several
classes, each of which, though preserving the same
broad principles, varies in some degree from the
others. Briefly, then, there are the master who hunts
the country at his own expense ; the master of a pack
which has so large a subscription that the hounds — as

THE MASTER OF HOUNDS 67

apart from his own hunting — should cost him nothing ;
and the master of a pack which is nominally a sub-
scription pack, but where the difference between the
subscription and the actual cost of maintenance is so
great that a large sum must be forthcoming from the
master's pocket. Then there are variations in the
shape of masters who are their own huntsmen, and who
are therefore not in a position to exercise all of the
master's ordinary duties in the field.

There are hunting people who are of opinion that
the position of each and every master should be the
same, and that, whether a man receives a subscription
or not, it is his duty to acquiesce in every suggestion
made by an important member of the field. There are
those, too, who appear to think that they have almost a
right to dictate which coverts should or should not be
drawn on a certain day, who are angry if they arrive
late at the meet and find that hounds have moved off,
who often interfere if hounds are taken late in the
afternoon to a covert which is not on their way home,
and who, indeed, frohi the beginning to the end of the
season try to fix their will upon the master, instead of
allowing him to make his own arrangements.

Such men, sometimes territorial magnates, are to be
found in many hunts, and it is with such men that the
master of the average subscription pack is often placed
in a most difficult position. There is a very old saying
to the effect that he who pays the piper may call the
tune, and the man who hunts a country at his own
expense is, as a general rule, allowed far more of his
own way than the master of a subscription pack. But
hunting men generally should understand that the
master of hounds is in the same position as the captain
of a ship, and whatever programme he chooses to adopt

68 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

should be at once acquiesced in by the full strength of
the field. A master receiving a big subscription is
just as much a master as the man who does not receive
a penny piece, and whilst he is in office his word
should be law. It is true that at times men have been
made masters of subscription packs who were unfitted
for the position, but where there is a big subscription
there is always a committee, and when members of a
hunt are dissatisfied with their master he must only be
approached through the committee. To interfere with
the master in the field is just as much mutiny as when
sailors refuse to obey their captain, and too strong
emphasis cannot be laid upon the point.

At the same time it is undoubtedly the case that the
master of a subscription pack will further his own
interests by finding out, when he can, the wishes of his
field as to the days of drawing certain coverts, and by
meeting these wishes as far as possible. And it may
safely be said that this line of conduct is pursued by
ninety-nine masters out of a hundred all over the
kingdom. At times, of course, the wishes of one man
must clash with those of another, and the master will
have to decide between them, but in the case of a new
master of a subscription pack, when it is found that
he is hunting the country fairly, he ought not to have
much trouble in this respect, and when he has he must
rely upon his tact alone. What is certain in these
days is that every country must be hunted fairly, hounds
being taken into every part of it at regular intervals.
There must be no shirking of what are considered the
worst parts of any country, unless the fox supply gives
out, and there should not be too much requisitioning of
the best country merely because it is the best. Coverts
which are located in a central position will naturally

\

THE MASTER OF HOUNDS 69

be drawn much oftener than those which are on the
borders of the hunt, but a preconcerted plan of action,
providing for all coverts being drawn regularly, is of
paramount importance from the master's point of view,
and the members of the hunt should always back up a
master who determines to work the country on method-
ical lines.

It is easy enough to write what should and what
should not be done in the matter of giving each and
every part of a country its fair share of hunting, but
in these days it is not always such a simple affair as
it appears to be, and much depends upon ancient
custom, upon local surroundings, and upon the covert
owners and masters. In old days the covert owners
were all sportsmen ; many were hunting men, and
those who did not follow hounds were interested
in the sport, and were perfectly willing that all the
arrangements with regard to drawing the coverts
could safely be left to the master of hounds. That
gentleman, then, worked the country on a fixed plan,
and it was only when exceptional circumstances
occurred that a change in the regular routine took
place. Hounds were in one portion of the country
on one day of the week, and in another district on
another day, and so forth. If the country was a
large one with a four-days-a-week pack, it was appor-
tioned into quarters, and hounds were taken into each
quarter in turn. If a two-days-a-week hunt it was
divided, and if hunting took place on three days
hounds would probably have one day in either end,
and a third in the centre of the country. That was
the general idea, and the same plan is adopted in
these days when the master has a free hand. But
unfortunately the free hand is often wanting, and not

70 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

long ago we heard a master of hounds complain
that " the whole of his Tuesday country was closed
until the end of November." This gentleman hunted
a large country four days a week, and not wishing to
disappoint the members of his field he kept to his
regular days, but of course had much difficulty in
fixing his meets, and more difficulty still when he
tried to arrange his draw.

And we have good reason to believe that during
the cub-hunting period, and much later, many masters
have similar trouble to that we have just narrated,
and are, in point of fact, at their wits' end to find suitable
coverts open to them in the early part of the season.
This, too, is much the most important time as regards
coverts, for the simple reason that foxes, after the
harvest is gathered in, do not lie out in such numbers
as they do in the spring of the year. Where mustard
is grown cubs will often be found after the corn
harvest is over, but during the autumn months a
huge majority of foxes are in the coverts, and
thus from the hunting point of view the coverts are
a greater necessity then than they are towards the
end of the season — when foxes are found in the hedge-
rows, on bare fallow fields, or in any rough and secluded
shelter, however small it may be.

It is also to be borne in mind that in most countries
there are coverts which afford good lying for foxes in
the autumn, but which are practically useless after
there has been a severe frost, or a heavy fall of snow.
Bracken, for example, makes good covert as long as
it is standing, but a fall of snow or a few degrees of
frost will level it to the ground, and when that takes
place foxes will leave it at once. We have had some
experience of coverts where bracken is almost the

THE MASTER OF HOUNDS 71

only undergrowth, and we have often heard hunting
men express the opinion that foxes do not lilce bracken;
but we do not agree with this idea, and can think of
many large woodlands where bracken abounds, and
where foxes have always been numerous. Most of
our readers will probably remember the "Pinch Me
Near Forest" of Handley Cross, in which Mr. Jorrocks
and James Pigg were so often beaten by the **old
Customer." Well, Chopwell Wood in the county of
Durham — planted to grow navy timber more than a
hundred years ago — is the original of "Pinch Me
Near," and there the stunted oaks mentioned in
Surtees' narrative may still be seen, very little larger
than they were when the famous novelist lived a couple
of miles away at Hamsterley Hall. The wood has
always been a stronghold of foxes, and throughout
its twelve hundred acres bracken is practically the
only covert. In autumn it generally holds — or did
until collieries were established on its borders — two or
three litters of cubs, and up to Christmas certain parts
of it were sure finds, but occasionally in the spring the
foxes forsook it altogether, the bracken being by that
time level with the ground.

When a new master takes a country he will, if he is
a stranger, as a matter of course, consult leading mem-
bers of the hunt as to how the country has been hunted,
and find out all he can about the various arrangements
as to drawing all the coverts in turn. He may then
discover that whereas certain coverts have been drawn
almost every week throughout the season, others have
been greatly neglected, and some perhaps only drawn
once or twice in as many seasons. He will be doing well
by the sport if he then suggests that these possibly out-
of-the-way, and most probably unpopular places

72 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

should receive a little more attention ; and though it
is possible that such views may meet with some oppo-
sition, it is quite certain that they are strictly correct.
Unless foxes are regularly hunted, and a fair propor-
tion killed in the poor — or what are considered poor —
parts of the country, there is sure to be an outcry on
the part of some one, and it is bad for any hunt when
it is talked about slightingly — say at the local market
ordinary, or amongst the non-hunting population.

Many countries are greatly varied in their constitu-
tion, having vale, hills, woodlands, and perhaps even
moorlands within their confines, and when this is the
case the riding will be better in some districts than it
is in others. But to neglect the bad country for the
good is a great mistake, because it is unfair, and likely
to lead to trouble. Farmers living in the best part of
an average country have sometimes cause for the com-
plaint that hounds are never off their land, and farmers,
gamekeepers, and others who live in country which is
included in a hunt, but to which hounds are seldom
taken, are at times inclined to consider that because
hounds visit them so seldom they are at liberty to kill
foxes on their own account.

This view we have heard given out publicly by a
tenant farmer at a puppy show luncheon. He simply
stated that in his neighbourhood it was impossible
to keep a good supply of foxes because some of his
neighbours put them down, and he went on to say that
this putting down was due to two facts, firstly that
hounds did not come often enough, and secondly that
when they did come they seldom killed a fox. The
farmer who spoke was a hunting man, and the position
was a peculiar one ; for not only was the bit of country
an outlying corner, very remote from the kennels, but

THE MASTER OF HOUNDS 73

whenever the master suggested meeting there there
was an outcry on the part of his field, and then, though
he was most anxious to hunt the whole of his country
fairly, his efforts were in a great measure checked.

That hounds did not kill often when they did go
there was due to the fact that they always were a long
time in finding a fox, and that there was absolutely no
stopping done in the district. The upshot was that
nearly every fox they found slipped into an open drain,
or an earth, and of course the sport suffered, while the
reputation of the district became, from a hunting point
of view, worse than ever. This puppy luncheon speech,
however, put the master on his mettle. He at once
rode over, interviewed tenant farmers and gamekeepers
(the whole district was owned by a non-resident land-
lord, and the shooting was in the hands of the farmers,
or sublet by them in small lots), found out as far as he
could what foxes were on the ground, and then told
his field that he intended going there one day in every
three weeks. This he did for some time, finding im-
proved sport, and killing a fox or two — he had, of
course, attended to the stopping, which though still
indifferent had much improved — but still only a friend
or two went with him on hunting days. After a while
some of the field discovered that the master was in the
habit of drawing a place or two on the way home which
were in better country, and rumours of a fine afternoon
gallop were voiced about. The result was that the next
time hounds were advertised for the unpopular country
about half the usual field rode out in the afternoon, on
the chance of finding hounds in the better country. Many
of them arrived in the neighbourhood of the covert
from which the reported good run had taken place
about two o'clock, and waited there. They did not

74 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

venture further away, as they had no idea where hounds
were, but just when they were thinking of going home
a beaten fox came towards them with hounds close at
him, which a moment later was killed in the covert
fence. The master and two or three friends quickly
appeared, and then it transpired that hounds had been
running continuously for three hours in a wild, if
rough, country, and that in fact the hunt had been an
exceptionally good one, and had included an eight-
mile point.

It is needless to say that after this the long trot to
the hitherto boycotted place was ignored, and to this
day the district in question is yielding its fair share of
sport. In another hunt there are many coverts along
the banks of a river, a chain of woods, in fact, which are
not very far apart, and sloping ground behind, with
capital galloping country beyond. Foxes have always
been numerous in these riverside coverts, but very often
they stick to the low-lying land, taking hounds along
the chain, or a part of it, again and again, and never
going into the good country. At one time it was
almost the fashion in the hunt for the field to remain on
the high ground above, or to ignore the riverside meets
altogether, but there came days, not so very far apart,
when foxes made straight for the good country, and
made long points, with few there to see what hounds
were doing. Since that time the attendances at these
meets have greatly increased, and though there are still
days of riverside hunting at times, the occasional good
thing is also forthcoming.

Not so long ago a master told us that during his long
spell of office he thought he had actually seen the best
runs from what were generally considered to be bad
places. He said the good things did not come so often

THE MASTER OF HOUNDS 75

from these places as they did in the better country, and
he was strongly inclined to think that the good runs
from bad places were caused by the fact that when scent
was really first rate, and he found a fox in a wildish
country, where there was no one to head it, and only a
small following, both fox and hounds had a better
chance.

And as regards the bad places, or places of bad
reputation in any hunt, it must be remembered that on
some few days of each season scent is first rate. On
some small number of days hounds fly when a fox is
before them ; on a fair number of days they hunt at a
steady holding pace ; and on many other days they can
hardly own a line. Well, it is just as likely that one of
these exceptional scenting days may be forthcoming
when the unpopular meet is due, and then it happens
that those who stay away because they dislike the covert,
and do not like the surrounding country, may easily
miss the run of the season. Many readers of Surtees'
works will remember that in Hawhick Grange Mr.
Neville's hounds had a great run from the Chase, and
how "great Major Rasher, with a mouthful of mous-
tache," tried to explain on the mess table by the aid of
spoons, forks, and plates that such a thing was impos-
sible.

One of the longest and best hunts we ever saw took
place from a covert which had a bad name. It was in
the Ledbury country, during the mastership of Mr.
Charles Morrell, and was after a long frost. Hounds
were advertised for this big wood, on the first open day,
and at that time the covert in question had so moderate
a reputation that there was invariably a small field when
hounds met there. Memory, or rather want of memory,
will not allow of the name of the wood being given, but

76 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

it was some four or five miles from Ledbury, and on the
occasion referred to only about six or seven riders
turned up. It was soft enough in the big covert, and
as foxes generally preferred to stick to their native place
hounds were allowed to draw. This time they almost
at once found a travelling fox, who took them into the
North Hereford country, passing by a covert named
(if memory serves) Cowarne Gorse. We then turned
southwards, and ran to Stoke Edith, and here we think
Mr. Morrell tried to stop hounds, as they were a long
way from home (by this time in the South Hereford
country), but there was a great scent, and hounds got
away from Stoke Edith and ran to Holme Lacey, on the
banks of the Wye, where they killed their fox at dusk.
This was the run of the season, probably of many
seasons in that country, and we only remember that
Mr. Morrell, the late Dr. Sheward, of Malvern Wells,
and a Mr. Mason— who was then agent for Lady Emily
Foley at Stoke Edith — lasted on to the end, and so long
ago is it that we are not actually clear as to the particu-
lars. The hunt, however, may be quoted as a striking
instance of the good run from what was considered
a bad place, and in this connection mention of it is not
out of place.

Then, again, it may be stated with confidence that if
a master hunts a country impartially he will be a gainer
in the end. He may at times have to break through
his rules, but the fact that he is acting fairly by good
and bad parts alike will be quickly recognised and
appreciated, and he will find that fox preservation and
stopping are better looked after when the country is
being hunted on a regular system. There is nothing
so bad for any country as the absence of a system. The
average member of every hunt should be able to guess

THE MASTER OF HOUNDS 77

with a fair amount of certainty where the meets for the
following week will be, or if not the actual places of
meeting, the coverts which are likely to be drawn. In
one country lately it amused two or three of us to write
down an anticipation of the meets in two countries a
week in advance. In one of these the master was
methodical and scrupulously fair, and knowing some-
thing of his scheme of hunting the country we could
guess correctly about two meets out of every three,
while the third was generally quite close to the place
we had decided upon, and practically meant the same
country. In the other case the master was guided by
no sort of plan except (probably) the inclination of the
moment. To anticipate his fixtures was pure guess-
work, and to anticipate his draw when those fixtures
were reached was simply impossible.

There should be — and is in many hunts — as much
method in the arrangement of the draw as in the rota-
tion of meets. Good and bad coverts alike must be
drawn, if possible, at regular intervals, and the careful
master duly considers, and maps out in his mind, each
draw before he goes out. It may be that on arrival at
the meet he is asked to draw some covert that he has
not intended to go to, and that he cannot well refuse the
invitation, but if he is a man of method he will tackle
his originally intended draw as soon as he is at liberty
— unless, indeed, hounds have taken him into another
country. Last winter we were hunting with a provincial
pack, and one day the first covert entered held a fox
which took hounds steadily on at a holding pace for
over an hour. Then, owing to a curious declivity in
the ground, and the shoulder of a hill, hounds were
lost altogether, but shortly afterwards their line was
found, and we all followed on a long way behind. At

78 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

length hounds were reached, marking at an earth on
an open common, where the fox was left. Where to
draw next was the question, and when the master
considered the matter he found he was twelve miles
from the covert he had second on his mental list,
and ten from any covert in his intended draw.
Luckily a second fox, and as it happened a good
one, was forthcoming close by, where, curiously
enough, a large head of breeding earths was open ;
but the case has only been quoted in order to show
that it is not always possible for the most exact of
masters to conform to his prearranged programme.

On the other hand we have known a master, at
three o'clock on a late November afternoon, announce
his intention of going back to the country he had
just run from, to draw a certain covert, which in his
mind he had mapped out as part of the draw. It
was just six miles from where a fox had been killed,
and further away from kennels, but master and staff
had fresh horses, and so with two or three enthusiasts
they cantered off, hounds being taken by short cuts
at far beyond the usual covert-to-covert pace. Con-
formity to original ideas was well rewarded in this
case, for hounds found at once, and had a pretty half-
hour, killing their fox when there was just light enough
to carry out the breaking-up process.

When the master is really master and has the sup-
port of his field the business of the draw is entirely his,
and no one thinks of putting his oar in with sugges-
tions. It may, however, happen that — especially in
the afternoon — it is immaterial to him whether he goes
to one of two, three, or perhaps even more coverts.
All may be at about equal distance, and all may be
about equal as to the number of times they have been

THE MASTER OF HOUNDS 79

drawn. A consultation with the field in such a case
does good rather than harm, for members of the hunt
will see that the master is anxious to oblige the greatest
number, and will also recognise his feelings in the
matter, viz. that it is of little or no consequence to the
workings of the hunt which of these three or four
coverts should be drawn.

The vacillating master, who comes to the meet in the
morning with no fixed idea in his mind as to which
coverts he intends to draw, is always unsatisfactory, and
more likely to annoy his field and the covert owners
near his place of meeting than not. It is often the case
that a meet of hounds is fixed in a village, or at cross-
roads where numerous coverts are equidistant, and
when the master of undecided views arrives at one of
these places he is likely to go to the first covert which
he hears mentioned at the meet, quite regardless of
whether it is the proper place to go to, and whether his
drawing it first will be approved by his field.

Then, too, if the master is known to be lacking in
decision, and unlikely to have formulated any fixed
plan of campaign, he is sure to be asked to go to two
or three, or possibly even more different places, and at
such times people will make the most unreasonable
demands. Some masters are, like Mr. Puffington,
entirely in the hands of their huntsmen with regard
to the draw, and when the master has been an un-
decided man, and the huntsman has been gifted with
sound common sense, this has been found to answer
well ; but the master who leaves such matters to others
is not fit to be a master, and the master who relies upon
his huntsman for everything is in similar case, and
should resign at the earliest opportunity.

There are not many hunt servants who are fit to be

8o THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

trusted with all the arrangements which must be made
in order that a country may be satisfactorily hunted,
though if a master is unable to be present he can as a
rule entrust his huntsman with his plans and ideas for
the day. In that case he should request his man to
communicate with the field master (if there is one) at
the meet, and if there is no field master, with some
important member of the hunt, whose adoption of the
post of temporary master will be approved by the field.
It is never wise to leave everything to the huntsman,
unless it is quite certain that that functionary will state
his intentions at the meet, informing the field at the
same time that he is enunciating his master's orders
with regard to the draw. When this is done every one
will be satisfied, but if the huntsman deviates from the
original plan when there seems to be no necessity for
such deviation he will certainly hear of it again, for
there are always people who think they have a griev-
ance, and who will not let such an occasion pass without
interfering.

If it is thought advisable by the master to appoint
some one to take command, if only for a single day,
he must, as far as he possibly can, get hold of the right
man, and never must he delegate the duties to more
than one man. An instance of a divided authority
we witnessed many years ago, which almost resulted
in the loss of a good huntsman, and we have never
forgotten it. It was with a county subscription pack
of which there were joint masters, one acting as
master in the northern and the other in the southern
part of the country. On the day in question only one
of the masters was present at the meet, and he was an
elderly man and in very moderate health. Hounds
were put into covert close to the place of meeting, and

THE MASTER OF HOUNDS 8i

before they had drawn it the master felt chilled and
decided to go home ; in fact, he never left the place
of meeting, and was out of sight when hounds came
out of covert, and had not asked any one to take his
place for the day. Well, as it happened, there were
three magnates of the hunt who owned coverts in the
neighbourhood of the first place drawn. One of these
men, realising what had happened, caught the hunts-
man as he called hounds out and told him that the
master had gone home, and that he was to go to his
(the magnate's) place, which was nearly three miles
off.

Now there were other coverts, quite as good and
much nearer, and when magnates two and three found
out what was being done, they each suggested their
own coverts as the best draw. Meantime huntsman,
hounds, and whippers-in stood in the road, the hunts-
man merely observing, " Settle it amongst yourselves,
gentlemen, and then tell me where I am to go." The
three, however, argued the matter, and the argument
gradually worked up into a quarrel. Other members
of the hunt were appealed to, but declined to interfere,
and at length one of the quarrelling trio peremptorily
ordered the huntsman to go to the covert which he
had suggested. The owner of this covert was a pillar
of the hunt, a liberal subscriber, a committee man,
and a keen sportsman, but was also a domineering
man and not personally popular. His command was
promptly capped by similar loud-voiced commands by
each of the other parties to the quarrel, and thus the
huntsman was placed on the horns of a dilemma. He,
good, honest soul, tried to calm matters down, and
suggested that lots should be drawn ; but all the trio
had fairly lost their tempers by this time, and the
6

82 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

huntsman was abused by two of the men for not obey-
ing orders. He (the huntsman) was an elderly man,
mild in character, and most unwilling to give offence.
But he could not stop the quarrel, and at last he fairly
broke down, and leaving hounds with the whippers-in
rode homewards to send in his resignation.

Matters were now at a deadlock, but a dens ex
machina appeared in the person of a fourth covert
owner, a much younger man than the three who had
been quarrelling, but quite as important a member of
the hunt. When this gentleman had been told what
had taken place, he signalled to the whippers-in, who
followed him with hounds until they overtook the old
huntsman on his way back to kennels. He was quickly
cheered up by the new-comer, who kept pressing on
until a likely covert was reached. As it happened, the
country was full of foxes, and a quick find caused the
scene of half an hour before to be forgotten — for the
moment at all events. Only one of the three disput-
ants had come on, the two others having gone home
in dudgeon, but certainly two of the three wrote ample
apologies to the master and also apologised to the
huntsman, and possibly the third did likewise, but
it is so long ago that the details are difficult to re-
member.

The story, however, illustrates the suggestion that
a divided authority in the hunting field cannot possibly
be maintained. If there are joint masters, they have,
of course, a mutual understanding. One hunts
hounds and the other takes charge of the field, or if a
professional huntsman is employed they divide the
master's duties in some other fashion. Perhaps the
country is a large one, hounds being out on four days
of the week, and in that case joint masters will indi-

THE MASTER OF HOUNDS 83

vidually undertake the two divisions of the country,
each making a point of attending on his particular
days, and notifying his co-master if he is unable to
hunt. A joint mastership where one master attended
to hounds, horses, and all kennel matters, while his
partner took charge in the field, has also been known;
and, again, a joint mastership has been heard of where
one man attended to everything, both at the kennels
and in the field, while the other supplied a large part of
the sinews of war and hunted occasionally.

And now a very important point comes up, viz. the
question of a field master, and this question is every
day a more serious one. Time was when the master's
duties in an ordinary field were very simple, consisting
in the main of instructing his huntsman where he had
to draw. In the average provincial country, when the
same men were hunting day after day, a regular routine
in the matter of drawing coverts was generally ob-
served. The field knew exactly where to place them-
selves, and the master was fully aware that the regular
order of procedure would be carried out, and that in
ninety-nine cases out of a hundred there was little
chance of a fox being headed by some member of the
field who was in the wrong place. If strangers ap-
peared, they, naturally enough, remained with the
crowd, and if they knew no one there was always
some one to give them a welcome, and put them up to
what was going forward.

The master could therefore go into covert with his
hounds or remain with his friends, as he liked. He
knew that the discipline of the hunt was such that,
unless something exceptional occurred, everything
would be done in order, and that, in fact, there was
only a remote chance of things going wrong. If he

84 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

was unable to be present, he was in the habit of dele-
gating his official duties to some important member of
the hunt, and, to put the case briefly, his duties in the
actual hunting field were often the least important
and most easily achieved of all the responsibilities of
the mastership.

But in these days matters are very different in a
great number of the most important countries. There
are some out-of-the-way, provincial hunts in which
there has been little change, and where things are
carried on much as they were a generation or two
ago. But these hunts are now few and far between, and
are very quickly disappearing altogether. The multi-
plication of railways, the increase in the population,
the extension of the provincial, and even the small
country towns, to say nothing of the many com-
paratively new industrial districts which have of late
years come into being, have greatly altered the face
of the country generally, and only in the wildest parts
has there been little increase in the size of the fields,
or alteration in the conditions under which hunting is
carried on.

It must be understood, then, that in discussing the
lines of conduct pursued by the average master and
the average field, the remote country hunts are not
being taken greatly into consideration. As a matter
of course many lines of conduct must apply to fox-
hunting generally, but what we are about to say is
called forth by the altered conditions of the sport,
which have to a great extent involved altered relations
between the master and his field, and have, in many
countries, caused the office of master to be a more
difficult task than it formerly was.

And as regards change it may safely be said that in

THE MASTER OF HOUNDS 85

the Shires and their immediate neighbourhood the
conditions are constantly changing, while "fields"
come and go much more frequently than they did.
And this applies, but perhaps in a smaller degree, to
all the good and fair provincial countries where the
number of people hunting has increased even more
than it has in the Midlands. In the earlier days of
the sport hunting was, to a very great extent, confined
to men and women who spent all their lives in the
country, to country-bred people, and to a few en-
thusiasts, like Mr. Jorrocks, who, though town bred,
were so liberally endowed with the bump of '* foxhunti-
tiveness " that they could not be kept from it. Now
the average hunting field is composed of men and
women, of whom perhaps almost a majority have
taken to the sport long after years of discretion have
been reached, while it is only a minority — and often
a small one — that were bred up to hunting, and have
been thoroughly intimate with all its peculiarities since
the days of their childhood.

Not so long ago nine hunting men out of ten, and
nearly all the women who hunted had done so
almost from childhood. Many of them had begun
as soon as they were old enough to sit on a pony,
and throughout their boyhood had seen hounds
regularly enough at holiday times. It stood to
reason, then, that they had during youth gained a
certain amount of knowledge as to the sport itself, and
also as to the manner in which it ought to be conducted.
The average field when increased was increased by
those who were not novices, but who had served an
apprenticeship, and the average master was, as a rule,
in no wise troubled when each new season brought a
few recruits to the ranks of the regular supporters.

86 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

But the times have changed all over the kingdom.
Much of the land has changed hands ; many of the
old hunting families have disappeared, and probably
the ranks of hunting farmers are far thinner than
they once were. Yet in spite of this there has been
a huge increase in the size of "fields," and as many
of the new-comers commence their hunting in a happy
state of ignorance as to how the sport is or should
be conducted, it follows of necessity that the master's
task is not always the simple one which it once was,
and therefore that, when the master is not present,
there should always be a field master. But most im-
portant of all is it that there should be a field master
when the master is his own huntsman. In such cases
it is almost imperative that the field should be placed
under the charge of some responsible man. We have
used the word almost advisedly, because we do know
of a country, in which fields vary from fifty to a
hundred riders, where the master carries the horn,
where there is no field master, and yet where matters
have worked perfectly smoothly for many years past.
The case referred to is, however, in all probability an
exceptional one, for though the hunt is a smart one, a
huge majority of its members were broken to hunting
in childhood, and the master has a certain peculiar
individuality which seems to control his field when
he is out of sight, with the result that riot or mischief
among the riders is almost unknown.

And here it may be stated that when we write of
many of the new-comers to a hunting field being
ignorant as to the sport they are attempting we have
no desire or any intention of being invidious. We
are merely stating a fact about which there can be no
dispute. If a man or a woman takes to hunting after

THE MASTER OF HOUNDS 87

he or she is of mature years it stands to reason that he
or she can know little of the sport. Hunting literature
and general theories in connection with hunting
matters may have been carefully studied, but until
there has been a considerable amount of real experi-
ence knowledge must be strictly limited. And more-
over people vary greatly in their power of assimilating
knowledge of this description. To one man there
may be an inherited knowledge of woodcraft, a mind
capable of taking in all the ins and outs of hunting with
great rapidity, a bump of locality, and, in fact, all the
essential qualities which will enable him to know as
much at the end of his first season as another man
can hardly attain in his lifetime.

There is perhaps nothing more curious in connection
with hunting than this varied capability for under-
standing it. Two men may be equally imbued with a
love of the sport, and while one of them gains some
fresh knowledge on almost every hunting day of his
life, the other will very gradually arrive at a small
amount of knowledge, which will be perhaps just suffi-
cient to prevent him from making a fool of himself.
Both may be equally enthusiastic, but one has the
capability of receiving and storing up impressions,
while the other plods along, no doubt enjoying himself
as much as his neighbour, but gathering no knowledge
by the way, and in fact, after a certain time, not bene-
fiting in the least by his experience.

Some men become weatherwise ; others are always
vague and uncertain, and will go to a meet when it is
far too hard to hunt, and stay at home on a doubtful
day. The weatherwise man will always know when
the ground is fit and when it is not, and he will also
know to a nicety what the master's views are likely to

88 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

be in similar case. If he knows that the master is
careless and indifferent about a slight fall of snow or
a few degrees of frost he will turn out on most un-
suitable mornings, while if he knows that the master
is extremely cautious it is good odds that he will be
able to anticipate the master's decision when there is
just a doubt about hunting. But the man who hunts
with the ears and eyes of his understanding partially
closed will be drawn to the stables and trot on to the
meet if the sun is shining and there is no snow on
the ground, quite oblivious of the fact that there has
been a dozen degrees of frost overnight.

Again, the knowing man will know the shortest way
to a meet, and the best way home from wherever
hounds leave off, while the slow-witted one is never
sure of his road in the morning, and often quite at a loss
to know where he is when the sport of the day is over.

We have slightly deviated from the point at issue, for
in truth it is of little consequence to a master of hounds
whether individual members of his field are quick or
slow to learn the ins and outs of the sport. What is
certain is that in the average hunting field there are
many men and women who were not brought up to hunt-
ing, and that, no matter how sharp a small minority of
these may be, the rank and file take more looking after
than did the members of any particular hunt — say fifty
years ago. The master's duties are therefore more
formidable than they once were, because of the twofold
combination of a larger and a more ignorant field. The
increased numbers tend to the field being much more
scattered than it ought to be, and the ignorance chiefly
takes the form of pressing to the front at wrong times,
and is most certainly the greatest difficulty which the
modern master of hounds has to contend with.

THE MASTER OF HOUNDS 89

It is in many countries absolutely imperative that
the field should be massed together when certain small
coverts are drawn, but nowadays there are many people
hunting who will not, or cannot, see the importance of
this point ; and thus it often happens that when hounds
leave a meet to draw a certain covert, certain people
will go to the covert by some pet way of their own,
instead of following on behind hounds. Others, again,
will dawdle at the meet, or arrive late, and, following
on, find the field drawn up in one place, in reaching
which they stand a fair chance of heading a fox. Later
in the day, too, when a morning of sport has been got
through, the careless ones will wander all over the
country, and even when going home will often succeed
in getting where they are at all events likely to head a
fox.

This sort of thing frequently occurs, whereas it was
practically unknown when foxhunting was followed
with a greater general knowledge than now exists. To
give an example of what we mean, one day last season
a certain pack of hounds hunted a fox most of the
morning at a slow pace, and finally killed him about
two o'clock. Only one covert had been drawn, and
hounds were some five miles from the gorse which was
next on the list. The master decided to go to this
gorse, and after the obsequies were over the order was
given, and about half of the field sought the high road
to begin their homeward journey, while hounds and
the rest of the field proceeded towards the gorse by an
occupation road.

Half an hour's quick trotting, and the gorse was in
full view on the slope of a hill nearly a mile away, but
glimpses of scarlet were also in view, and it was plain
enough that some of the field who had been left behind

90 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

in the earlier hunt had gone there. The master sent a
second horseman to clear them away, but the mischief
had been done, for on the evidence of a man who was
ploughing quite a number of people had been laughing
and talking round the small covert for half an hour,
and a fox had stolen away.

At two or three fields' distance there was another
small gorse, and after the first of these two coverts had
been drawn blank hounds spoke to the line of the fox
which had stolen away on the grass, and gradually took
it towards the second covert. But, alas ! the high road
was close to the boundary of this covert, and as the fox
tried to break he was headed by various small groups
of riders, who were going home from the kill of nearly
an hour before, and dodging back into shelter was
quickly chopped. And even as it was he might have
succeeded in crossing the road and giving a run, but he
had been holloaed the moment he was seen, and had
turned tail at once. Not a single man or woman of the
various parties who were going leisurely homewards
had tried to get out of the way, or even to keep quiet,
and when one or two of them were informed of the mis-
chief they had caused, they really did not seem to see
the heinousness of their offence. "We were going
quietly home along the high road," they said, the nice-
ties of the situation being entirely ignored.

Now we venture to say that such an incident as the
one we have narrated would have been impossible a
generation or two ago. In the first place, there would
have been no wholesale breaking up of the field so early
in the day. An odd man might have been obliged to
go home for some reason or other, but it would have
been against the grain, and as for the bulk of the field
being satisfied with half a day, such a thing would have

THE MASTER OF HOUNDS 91

been impossible. The odd man who had to go would,
as a matter of course, have found out before he left
where hounds were going to be taken, and would have
himself taken the greatest trouble and gone a long way
round rather than risk the chance of heading a fox.
He would have considered the matter as he rode off,
and such consideration would have been quite natural,
but in these days a portion of nearly every large field is
composed of what is often called the ^'air-and-exercise
division," and many of these individuals hunt quite
regularly without ever taking in the niceties of the
sport.

Where the field is really well drilled there will be no
straggling at the covert side, and when this happens
the master's duties are perceptibly lessened, but some
fields have to be driven into position like a flock of
sheep, and even then, if a sharp look out is not kept,
some riders will move away too soon, in order that they
may poach a bit of start. But the manoeuvring of the
field at the covert side, though difficult enough at times,
is child's play compared with the trouble which is
brought about by the over-anxious ones when a fox
breaks covert. It will perhaps hardly be believed, but
it is by no means rare for some one to commence gallop-
ing after a fox long before a single hound is on its line,
and when one man begins to gallop there are always
many others to follow suit, many of whom have failed to
grasp the real situation, and think that hounds must
have got away unobserved.

Just fancy the feelings of a master who sees a fox
literally chased by an irresponsible member of his field
before a single hound has left covert. When a picture
of this sort appeared in Punch some few years ago
many hunting people laughed at it as an impossible

92 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

state of affairs, but quite advisedly we repeat that it is a
fairly common occurrence, and therefore only one more
proof of how men go out hunting who have not the
haziest idea of what may be called the rules of the
game. We have heard a master who had had experi-
ence in three different countries, widely separated, and
he told us that the fields he had to manage varied
greatly as to their knowledge of the sport. He had
found in the west of England most extraordinary back-
ing, and a community where every one had great know-
ledge of hunting, and where, as far as the field were
concerned, he never had a moment's uneasiness from
the beginning to the end of the season. He told us of
another country, where provincial townsmen formed a
large part of the field, and the knowledge was neither
widespread nor of the right kind. " They had no wish
to do anything wrong," he observed, but many of them
were in a hopeless state of ignorance, and required to
be shouted at by some one in authority all day long.
And he had more pleasant recollections of a big country
within hail of London, where all the field manners were
perfectly orthodox, where the damage bill was small,
and where two hundred horsemen and women took
less looking after than forty or fifty in his previous
country.

But in these days the better the country is from a
riding point of view, so much more difficult it is for the
master to keep order. Where there is a big field of
hard riders of both sexes, where there is good gallop-
ing ground, and where a majority of the fences are
innocent of wire, and are standing there to be jumped,
any and every master must have an infinity of trouble.
Many men and women there are who offend by getting
too far forward, and though some err in ignorance,

THE MASTER OF HOUNDS 93

others who do wrong must be fully aware of the enor-
mity of what they are doing.

The wilful over-rider who habitually gets too far for-
ward is the greatest pest which the modern master of
hounds has to contend with. He is to be found in
many countries, and when the field is really large he is
often present in considerable numbers. He is often
a fine horseman, or at all events a bold one, and it
seems to be his one idea that he should be first into and
first out of every field, and that no one should head
him between the fences. When there is a great scent
and hounds can travel faster than horses these men are
of course harmless as long as there is no falling off in
the pace, but as all hunting people are aware the slow-
ing down must come in time, and then it is that the
over-rider becomes such a nuisance.

If hounds run into their fox at the end of a quick
burst, well and good ; but it more frequently happens
that after a few minutes at top speed the pace slackens
down a little. Perhaps the fox has turned abruptly
after going through a fence ; perhaps he has crossed a
field where sheep are grazing which have foiled the
line ; perhaps an area of bad scenting ground has been
reached, or hounds which have been running hard over
grass have entered on a tract of ploughed land. Any
of these alterations in the conditions of the hunt may
cause a check, or if not an actual check, a decided
change in the pace at which hounds have been travel-
ling. The over-rider has probably been in front all the
way, but he is not content with that, his chief idea now
being to maintain his place as soon as hounds begin to
run hard again. For that purpose he keeps pressing
on, and if he does not see the master he is quickly too
far forward, and in a position to force hounds beyond

94 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

their noses. If there is really a check and a general
pulling up he soon finds that others are now as well
placed as he is, and when that happens he begins to
edge away from the crowd, when he should be standing
perfectly still. In the excitement of a run he apparently
studies no one's feelings or desires but his own. His
knowledge of hunting, his respect for the master are
thrown to the winds, and he is governed for the time
being with the one idea that he must beat every one.

But on a day of moderate scent when hounds can
only run at times he does even more harm than on a
good scenting day, for he is always too far forward,
and will not give hounds a chance. On a really bad
scenting day he may not think it worth his while to give
an exhibition of his riding prowess, and when he has
made up his mind to this course of action he is the
most harmless of the field, spending his day amidst the
rank and file of the crowd, and not attempting to go
near hounds unless some unforeseen change in the
conditions of hunting should occur.

There are, however, days when scent is not good, nor
yet very bad ; days on which great pace is maintained
for three or four fields, with a total collapse immediately
afterwards ; days on which hounds start from covert
time after time, on good terms with a fox, and yet come
to a check in eight or ten minutes. On such occasions
scent is best described as '' catchy " ; brilliant for a few
minutes, and then almost non-existent for a time.
When this happens hounds will fly for the first few
fields, and, if let alone, will do their best to work out
the puzzle afterwards, but when there is a huge field
and over-riders are prominent they have little chance of
doing themselves justice, and in many countries it is
the over-rider who is alone to blame.

THE MASTER OF HOUNDS 95

At the moment, however, our business is with the
relations of the master to the over-rider, and it cannot
be too gravely submitted that each and every master of
hounds in the kingdom owes it as a duty, not only to
himself and his field, but to the whole foxhunting com-
munity of the kingdom, to put down this most serious
menace to the sport. In some countries over-riding has
become so common a thing that on nearly every hunt-
ing day the sport suffers in some degree, while on
others — those of catchy scent, no doubt — it is completely
spoilt. Possibly some of our readers may think that
our remarks take too gloomy a view of the subject, and
where there is little or no over-riding it may indeed be
difficult to conceive that want of discipline and insub-
ordination are quite common in some hunting fields.

But we do not speak without the book, and have had
for some years past an overwhelming mass of evidence
on the subject — evidence gained at first hand through
having witnessed serious over-riding and having
noticed how the sport suffered in consequence, and
evidence at second hand from many masters of hounds
who have been victimised. And if the weekly accounts
of sport which are published in the Field a.ve regularly
studied, no one can possibly help being aware of the
frequent complaints which are made, more especially
from the Midlands. Many of the correspondents,
doubtless anxious to give no offence, and perhaps un-
willing to paint the picture as dark as it really is, make
references to what is almost a daily occurrence in terms
that are very mild. We are told that "a check took
place, for which possibly emulation among the first
flight was in some degree responsible," or we read that
'* the pace dropped to slower hunting, and the master
realising that an impetuous field was giving hounds

96 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

very little chance of working the line out, decided to

go to " and then comes the name of some covert.

At times certain writers have spoken out strongly, but
there has always been a feeling that the over-riding
in any particular hunt is a matter to be settled between
the master and his field, and that outside interference
is not required.

With this feeling we are greatly in accord, but we
are writing of hunting generally, and with no par-
ticular country in our mind, and thus we realise that
we are at full liberty to point out what a baneful thing
this spoiling of sport is, when it is merely the outcome
of jealousy or the result of a desire to show off. And
if over-riders could only be brought to realise the true
state of affairs, they would know that the men who
gradually earn great reputations as fine riders to
hounds are men who never offend the master and spoil
the sport by riding too far forward. They would be
aware that the quiet rider, who takes his own line,
often wide of hounds, and always far enough away to
be in no danger of doing harm, is the man who sur-
vives in all the long runs, who really sees most of the
sport, and who is often in a position to give important
knowledge to the huntsman at a check. They would
also know that all their efforts in the over-riding line
were noticed and loudly commented on by members
of the field, and lastly they would know that so far
from being thought heroes because they were often
first over a big fence, they were in reality looked upon
as unmitigated nuisances, whose presence was little
desired by any of the self-respecting members of the
hunt.

Another nuisance which the master has to contend
with is the man who habitually creeps forward when

THE MASTER OF HOUNDS 97

hounds are drawing a covert, in order that he may
secure an advantage if the covert holds a fox. Like
the over-rider he, too, is to be found in many hunts,
and very often he combines the two characters. But
he is often a covert owner or local magnate, and if that
should be the case his offence is a double one, because
he must know that if he is not called to order it is very
likely his worldly position which has saved him.

It is, of course, an understood thing that some
licence is allowed with regard to certain individuals,
especially when their own coverts are being drawn,
and in a woodland country there is seldom any vital
reason why the field should not be trusted to move on
through a big covert when hounds are drawing. But in
the open, when the coverts are small, the same does not
hold good, and whatever the master's desires are, they
should be implicitly adhered to. The master's great
difficulty, both with the over-rider and the man who gets
too far forward when hounds are drawing, is that when
individuals are rated, they, as a general rule, apologise,
and promise amendment if it is demanded. The
master is thus disarmed, but the incorrigible offenders
are always known, and when members of the field realise
that any particular man is constantly giving trouble,
they should support the master by adding their repre-
sentations to his, and if these have no effect by showing
their personal disapproval. The extreme course is to
inform the field that if over-riding continues hounds will
be taken home ; but to announce this line of action and
not to act on it when a flagrant case occurs shortly
after the announcement is worse than nothing, because
the offenders will look upon the threat as so much bluff,
and will in no wise amend their conduct.

CHAPTER V
THE FIELD

SUBSCRIPTIONS

IN a majority of the works which have been written
on hunting the ** field " has been little treated of,
and in the earlier days of the sport there was
probably no necessity for any discussion concerning
the crowd of men which followed hounds every day,
and whose subscriptions, in nine hunts out of ten,
kept the hunt on its legs. But in these days the field
is a most important factor in the well-being of any hunt,
and it must therefore be considered from various points
of view.

In earlier times masters of hounds, and occasionally
a few bigwigs of the district, managed a hunt much as
they pleased, and whatever they did was, if not actually
approved of, acquiesced in by the field as a matter of
course. But various changes in the methods of con-
ducting the business of a hunt, and the altered condi-
tions under which country life is carried on, have
brought out— in many, but not in all districts — a differ-
ent state of affairs, and in point of fact fields have as
a rule increased very largely everywhere, while sub-
scriptions have been raised, and many hunts are no
longer private affairs, but are really managed by a com-
mittee, the master's duties being confined to showing
sport in the field and to directing matters at the
kennels.

98

THE FIELD 99

Many of the old family packs have become subscrip-
tion packs, and nearly everywhere the list of subscribers
has been increased numerically, so that even where the
actual amount subscribed is no bigger than it was for-
merly, the number of subscribers of small amounts is
far in excess of what it used to be. And when there is
a large subscription to a pack of hounds there is gene-
rally a hunt committee, though where the subscription
is small all matters relating to finance are often still
left to the master and his secretary. And nowadays
the matter of subscription is a most important one,
because so many men make a point of hunting with
more than one pack, while others like to change their
quarters two or three times in a season.

In many hunts hard-and-fast rules with regard to
subscription have been made. In some hunts there are
minimum subscriptions, and these range from ^5 to
;^40, the lower sum being, in a moderate country where
expenses are small, comparatively as high a sum as the
£^0 is in a crack hunt. Then, again, another plan is for
subscribers to pay at the rate of £"10 per horse, or at
£10 per day, for each day of the week on which they
hunt. Such plans as these work pretty well in many
countries, but where the minimum subscription is
large, local hunting folk of small means should always
be allowed to contribute, according to their means, to
the poultry or damage fund, and their subscription to
one of these funds should be considered as conferring
upon them as free a right to hunt as if they paid the
minimum of £2>^ or £<^o.

There is always some tendency in these days to make
every sort of field sport available for the rich only. In
foxhunting there is, perhaps, less of this tendency than
with regard to certain other sports, and it should always

loo THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

be remembered that when very hard-and-fast lines are
drawn with regard to subscription some one must suffer
badly. Hunting folk there are whose circumstances
have caused them to come down to one day a week,
when they had hunted on three or four days for per-
haps half a lifetime. When this has occurred and
a lower subscription has been offered it has generally
been accepted, but cases have been known in which it
was intimated that no one was expected to hunt who did
not pay the minimum subscription, and this has had
the effect of causing men to cease hunting altogether,
or of moving into a country where matters were differ-
ently arranged.

There can be no greater mistake than to attempt to
stop the one-day-a-week man, who is willing to subscribe
^lo, from hunting ; ^lo probably means as much
to him as ;^ioo to his rich neighbour, and were it in his
power he would doubtless be out far oftener than he is.
But it is abuse of the system of subscription which
puts a hunt committee in a difficulty, for it is a fact
that many rich people pay far less than they ought to
do, while a good many expect that if the head of a
house subscribes, his subscription entitles not only
himself, but his wife, grown-up sons and daughters,
and a string of children to hunt as well. Sometimes
a party of well on to a dozen will hunt from one house,
man, wife, and half a dozen children, who, with second
horses and grooms attendant on the children, make at
least a dozen horses in the field. On the other hand
there are houses from which the subscription is more
varied — where the head of the house, his wife, and
all sons and daughters above the school boy or girl
stage subscribe individually, where foxes are well
looked after, and puppies are regularly walked. Such

THE FIELD loi

establishments are a godsend to any hunt, and one can
only wish that there were more of them scattered about
the country. When a whole family are enthusiastic
the amount of good they do in their own district is
simply enormous. Their enthusiasm infects their
neighbours, and many who are naturally inclined to be
half-hearted about hunting matters are brought to take
great interest, not only in the actual hunting, but in
the affairs of the hunt, and to help it by all the means
that lie in their power.

It is now generally understood that individual mem-
bers of a family should subscribe to hounds after they
have attained what are perhaps erroneously called
years of discretion, and it is also generally agreed that
ladies who hunt should subscribe almost as if they
were men. With all due courtesy to the fair sex, it
may be pointed out that in earlier days when hunting
women were few and far between, and when each hunt
contained only some two or three regular lady followers,
their subscription was hardly looked for, though as a
matter of fact a majority of those ladies who hunted regu-
larly did subscribe. But the times have changed, and
now there are often as many women as men to be seen
during the early part of each hunting day, and if some
of them go home early, the hard-bitten ones remain
to the end of the proceedings. Many women have
attendant grooms, too, and a great number of second
horses (we are not writing of the Shires in particular,
but of hunting generally), so that they form no small
part of the field.

But in some countries ladies expect that their grooms
shall be allowed to follow them wherever they go, and
where the master is not disposed to object the custom
is very regularly carried out. Some of these ladies'

I02 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

grooms are obliging enough, and will hold a gate for
those coming behind them, or will assist any one
at an emergency, but others are simply an un-
mitigated nuisance, as those who have suffered from
the wild career of a galloping groom have often found
out to their cost.

One season a whole field suffered from the pranks of
a lady's groom, who came out day after day, in attend-
ance on his mistress, mounted on the family brougham
horse. The man had no manners, and the horse,
though probably excellent in harness, was quite out of
place in the hunting field. He was a great, strong,
underbred brute with a will of his own (when out with
hounds) and a mouth like iron. As soon as hounds
found and an era of galloping set in, he took charge of
his rider, and went very much where he liked. How
he managed to escape the notice of the master was a
mystery, but the field was nearly always large, and
somehow the groom succeeded in keeping out of the
master's way. The girl was "spoken to," but her
ignorance of hunting was only equalled by her love of
a gallop, and she merely replied that her father would
not let her go out without a man, and that as no other
man or horse was available she was obliged to bring
the pair. That settled it as far as she was con-
cerned.

And as regards ladies' subscriptions, we know that
we are on delicate ground, but the fact is that in many
countries some ladies who hunt just as many days as
men do, do not pay at so high a rate, and seem to be
quite unaware that they ought to do so. This has
been pointed out to us, with the necessary proof of
many lists of subscribers, and we have little hesitation
in writing that, taking the country generally, the aver-

THE FIELD 103

age hunting woman pays half, or less than half, what
the average hunting man does. But in this estimate
one includes the many women who hunt on their
father's, husband's, or brother's subscriptions, and this
in some degree increases the average of those who
hunt on their own subscription, and are independent of
male belongings. If ladies were properly approached,
if there was no mock modesty about asking for the full
subscription — whatever it might be — there would prob-
ably be little difficulty in the matter, and the rank and
file of ladies who hunt would pay as do some, in most
hunts, who are more generous or more business-like
than their sisters. There are ladies scattered about the
country who are very large subscribers to hounds, and
there are others who make a point of paying according
to the regular scale of the hunt ; but again there are
others, as has been suggested, who do not pay their
proper share, and yet participate in and enjoy the sport
fully as much as the men.

Two other questions in the matter of hunt subscrip-
tions are important, one of these being the difficulty
with regard to people who subscribe well to one pack
and wish to hunt occasionally with its neighbour. It
is only since fields have become so large that this ques-
tion has cropped up. Time was when the members of
one hunt were welcome guests in the neighbouring
country, but in many hunts this friendship has been to
some extent discontinued, and in some places it is
understood that hunting with the neighbouring pack,
as a guest, will only be allowed once a month, or on
two or three days of the season. The man who lives
on the border line of two or more countries is, of course,
in rather a quandary if he wishes to hunt with all the
packs within his reach. If he should be a rich man his

I04 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

line of action is simple enough ; he has merely got to
subscribe to each of the packs he intends to visit, and
then go where he likes.

But the man of moderate means who is located in a
similar position had far better subscribe to and hunt
with one particular pack, even if he sometimes has to go
a dozen miles to covert, while the other pack is meeting
only half the distance from his home. Broadly, it may
be taken that the man who can afford to hunt two or
three times a week is, or should be, in a position to sub-
scribe to two packs. He may have two days a week
with one and a third day with the other, and if (suppos-
ing there is no fixed subscription with either) he gives
;6^20 to the pack he hunts twice a week with and ;^io to
the other, he is doing the proper thing by both. We
have in our mind the resident in a little country town
where three hunts converge ; he keeps three horses and
hunts on an average seven days a fortnight, and he
subscribes i^i5 to each of two packs and ;^io to the
third (with which he hunts least), and can therefore
pick and choose his meets; and when he told us this he
went on to explain how he would double his subscrip-
tion if it were not for "the litter of puppies he had out
at walk." For a moment we did not understand the
allusion, but when he explained that he had a boy at
Haileybury, another at Clifton, a third at Cheltenham,
and a " brace of young vixens " at a finishing academy
at Brighton, we really understood him.

Another prominent question with regard to subscrip-
tion is of quite recent origin, and not very easy of
solution. It is what may be called the short-time
subscription, and at present it has taken no very defi-
nite form, but we can see that it will be a matter for
consideration in the very immediate future of many

THE FIELD 105

countries, and our knowledge is derived from the fact
that during the last two or three years we have received
a very great number of inquiries on the subject. What
we have been constantly asked is whether in such and
such a hunt it is allowable to subscribe pro rata for a
month, six weeks, or even two or three months, with-
out having to pull out the full yearly subscription.

Where capping is in vogue the solution of this diffi-
culty is simple enough ; the temporary visitor merely
makes a point of paying the cap at the meet, and the
matter is finished. But caps take a range of from
2S. 6d. to £2, and there are many who think that £2. a
day is too much to give, and would prefer some such
arrangement as a fixed subscription for a month, two
months, and so forth.

Where the minimum subscription is ^^25 and the cap
£2 per day there is, of course, some discrepancy in the
figures, because it would only take twelve cap payments
to make up the annual subscription ; but the fact is that
the cap was not organised to meet the case of temporary
visitors, but rather to rid the field of certain individuals
who hunted regularly without subscribing to hounds.
And if no great amount of money is collected where a
cap is regularly taken, the moral effect of the innovation
has been extraordinary. We have been told that in one
important hunt the first year of capping brought in no
more than ^^50, but that within a period of two years
the subscription list had risen ;{^i7oo, because all sorts
of people had begun to subscribe for the first time.

It need hardly be stated that in every hunt there are
many occasional hunting folk, people who come out
regularly for two or three weeks, and then perhaps go
abroad for the rest of the winter, or who have so much
business to attend to that they can only find time for a few

io6 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

odd days' hunting in the course of the season. Many
who are thus placed are, and always have been, first-rate
subscribers, and in this connection it may be pointed
out that in every hunt there are large subscribers who
are seldom, if ever, seen out with hounds. But on the
other hand there has always been a class of individual
who has considered it fitting that he should hunt a little
without paying a subscription. And in the case of the
really poor man, who is occasionally given a mount,
but is unable to keep hunters of his own, it is allowable
that no subscription should be looked for, but the
occasional sportsman who can, if he likes, but will
not pay because he is not a very regular hunting
man, should be made to pay, and so far as can be
judged this can only be done by resorting to the
capping system.

In many ways the capping system is not a pleasant
one, but after it has been in practice for a week or two
in any hunt it does not give much trouble, except in
one or two exceptional places where fields are always
large, and where strangers are frequent. In the average
hunt, where capping has been instituted, rather to
compel the subscriptions of residents who did not pay
than to catch the stranger, there is little difficulty in
the working arrangements, for, of course, the secretary
knows every one personally, or at least by sight ; but
where there is a huge crowd to be inspected the atten-
tion of two or three individuals must be taken up, often
when hounds are drawing the first covert, and we have
known of an enthusiastic collector, who grieved over
the fact that he had lost half a dozen runs in a month.
''After that," he said, " I began to run cunning, and if
I had not passed the whole crowd in review before
hounds moved off, I waited until later in the morning.

THE FIELD 107

and I do not think I lost any sovereigns by waiting,
while I certainly lost a lot of sport through remaining
too long at the meets."

In these days the many who are desirous of hunting
for short periods, and who are undecided where to go,
can find out what subscription is required in nearly
every hunt, because the amounts are very often pub-
lished in Baily^s Hunting Directory. Thus for those
who hunt regularly the minimum subscription to the
Quorn is ^^40, to the Pytchley £2^ (and a £2. cap for
non-subscribers), to the Woodland Pytchley £20^ and
to Mr. Fernie's ^^25. Here we have the subscriptions
to four of the six Shire packs, but the amounts required
in the Belvoir and Cottesmore countries are not made
public. Then in the Atherstone the minimum is ^15,
in the Warwickshire there is a £2 cap (landowners,
farmers, and subscribers of ^10 excepted), while in the
North Warwickshire there is no minimum subscrip-
tion, but a £2 cap is taken from non-subscribers. In
the Meynell country a subscription of £2^ qualifies
for the hunt button, but smaller sums are taken,
and in the Duke of Beaufort's country those who are
not land or covert owners are expected to subscribe
^10 per annum for every day per week they hunt. In
the Essex country the minimum subscription is ^30,
and no cap is taken; in the Garth Hunt £\^^ and a cap
of £\ for non-subscribers; while in the Bicester
country ^10 per horse is expected of all visitors, but
not from covert-owners or landowners. In the Black-
more Vale subscriptions are also governed by the
number of horses kept, and the number of days on
which subscribers hunt, and in the Burstow the mini-
mum is £2^^ with a £\ cap to strangers, this being a
very high subscription for a two-days-a-week pack,

io8 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

but fully warranted because of the extreme popularity
of the hunt.

We have given enough instances to show what the
average rate of subscription should be all over the
kingdom, and on this point little further need be
said. But secretaries of popular hunts should, per-
haps, be prepared to take monthly subscriptions from
chance visitors, unless, indeed, their fields are so large
that they are obliged to discourage new-comers. Per-
haps the Devon and Somerset Staghounds have best
solved the visitor question, but their position is a
unique one, for they have a succession of visitors
throughout their season proper, and in point of fact
the hunt is almost entirely maintained by the con-
tributions of these visitors, who in August, September,
and early October are to be seen out with the hounds
in numbers which vary from one to beyond three
hundred per day. Some of the regular visiting sub-
scribers give largely, but the broad rule is that
strangers should pay ids. 6d. for each day's hunting,
and as the hotel proprietors and others act as receivers
to the hunt, it is a simple matter to pay at the fixed
price.

GENERAL EXPENSES

Of all expenses to be incurred in hunting the sub-
scription should rank with every hunting man and
woman as the first and most important, for the sub-
scription is in these times a far greater matter than it
was years ago, owing to the greatly increased cost of
maintaining a country. It may be that the kennel
bill for keep of hounds has not greatly increased,
though even on that score there is room for doubt,

THE FIELD 109

and one master was heard to say at a recent Rugby
hound sale, that not only was his meal bill heavier
every year, but that he was paying double the price
for dead horses that he had done when he began his
mastership a dozen years before.

Forage is not much higher than it was, but straw
is often more expensive than formerly, and it costs far
more to mount hunt servants well than it did a genera-
tion or two ago. Wages, too, have risen a little, and
rates a great deal, and some kennels are now very
highly rated indeed. But it is not so much a question
of increased price of raw material which has caused
the price of hunting to rise, but rather that a some-
what higher standard is maintained in nine hunts out
of ten than was formerly the case. It need hardly be
said that with all the really swagger packs — we dislike
the adjective, but it is expressive — a very high standard
has always been maintained, and a similar remark
applies in a great degree to many of the best pro-
vincial packs ; but if we look at hunting generally,
we can think of dozens of countries where far more
money is spent on the establishment than was once
thought to be sufficient, and this extra expenditure is
doubtless demanded.

Then, again, we have the charges outside of main-
tenance of hounds, horses, and men to consider, and
these have risen enormously everywhere. Claims for
poultry, claims for damages, rent of coverts, cost of
earth -stopping, finds and litters, cost of taking
down and putting up barbed wire, and many other
little matters have to be provided for by the executive
of every hunt, while the master's hand is never out
of his pocket, as he is continually making small
disbursements which never figure in the hunt ac-

no THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

counts. Then, again, there is the puppy show, the
expense of which is almost invariably borne by the
master, and the cost of which — prizes and luncheon to
two or three hundred — often amounts to i^ioo.

In many hunts the master is guaranteed so much, but
when this arrangement is made it, as a general rule,
means that the various funds are kept separate from
the hunt accounts, and the master has nothing to do
with them. Thus a master may be guaranteed ;^I500
or i^2000 per annum. But this is very often only sup-
posed to absolve the field from liability in the matters
of maintenance of horses and hounds, wages, clothes
for the men, and expenses which belong to the kennels
and stables. Sometimes there is rent of kennels to be
paid, and this may or may not be included in what
the master is liable for, the rent being generally made
a matter of arrangement. At one time in subscription
packs it was a general custom to give every penny
which was subscribed to the master, who then had to
pay everything, but as the extra expenses of the hunt
increased it was found that this was impossible, many
masters, though willing to take over all liabilities in
connection with maintenance, being unable to pay all
the extra charges as well.

As far as can be gathered the poultry bill was the
first "extra" which came to be considered as beyond the
ordinary expenses of mastership, and much about the
same time a custom grew up in many countries of
members of the hunt sharing amongst them the rent
of coverts. This custom is at least sixty years
old, and readers of Surtees' works will recall how at
Sir Moses Mainchance's hunt dinner the rent of a
covert was foisted on to Billy Pringle by Mr. Smoothley,
" the jackal of the hunt." And to this day the custom

THE FIELD iii

remains in force, and to give an example, in the Tyne-
dale country there are many gorse and other coverts,
the rent of which is paid by the various members of the
Tynedale Hunt Club, the amounts varying from £2, to
about ;6^20 per annum, according to the size of the
coverts. As a rule these Tynedale gorses are located
in an open country, and one can always see a board,
placed on a ten-foot post in a prominent position,
which at first glance a stranger would take to be an
ordinary trespass notice, but which when examined
will be found to bear the notice that "This covert is
the property of the Tynedale Hunt Club."

Poultry and damage claims are, broadly speaking, the
most serious "extra" which members of a hunt have
now to find. In some places the covert-rent charges
are high too, but in other districts these have become
smaller than they used to be, simply because masters
of hounds, individual members of hunts, and syndicates
of hunting men have taken shooting primarily with a
view to maintaining a fair head of foxes. This taking
of shooting by the hunting section of the community
has done an extraordinary amount of good in some
countries, and in one or two cases it has been the
actual saving of the country.

In one instance we have a vivid recollection of having
five consecutive days with a pack of hounds, during
which exactly two foxes were found. As it happened
both were wild ones, and whilst one gave a fast gallop
of about forty minutes, the other was hunted for over
two hours, and not killed until a very big tract of
country had been covered. But the outlook seemed
to be miserable in the extreme, for the season was
nearly over, and there seemed, as far as we could
judge, to be no vixens anywhere. We were staying

112 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

with the master, a very silent man who kept his own
counsel, and it was not until the conclusion of our visit
that he unburdened his mind. He then told us that
matters had been going from bad to worse for several
years, but that he and a few friends had put their heads
together, and he thought had succeeded in stopping
the rot. He himself had taken 7000 acres of shooting,
and his friends, individually, in twos, and in syndicates,
had taken 20,000 additional acres. They had some
three or four years before found means of ascertaining
who had the shooting rights in every part of the
country ; they had next approached the owners or their
agents, and had secured the reversion in dozens of
cases, and at the moment of our visit they were just
entering into possession. It was a country of huge
woodlands, with good hunting country interspersed,
and luckily for the hunt many of the members were
wealthy men, who were keen on both hunting and
shooting. Moreover, a majority of the best and most
central coverts had been secured, and we know that
there was a quick improvement in the fox supply, and
that in spite of a mange visitation matters have gone
on well since. Our friend, the old master, has been
dead many years, but quite lately we had a couple of
days in the very country where the blank days occurred,
and foxes were numerous everywhere.

Poultry fund, covert fund, earth-stopping, and wire
fund are sometimes lumped together, and sometimes
separately maintained, but whereas at one time it was
customary for the officials of a hunt to pay all hunt
subscriptions of less than ^10, or of ^5, as the case
might be, to the credit of this fund or funds, it is now
customary in many hunts for the members to make an
extra donation to each of these funds, or to the lot

THE FIELD 113

collectively. Thus many balance sheets show that men
who subscribe ^^40 or ^^^50 to the general fund of the
hunt will give an additional jC^ or ;^io to the damage
fund, or will pay the rent of a covert, after the fashion
which prevails in the Tynedale Hunt. There are mas-
ters, even of subscription packs, who are willing and
able to take over every liability which the hunt incurs,
and pay the difference between the subscription and
actual cost of everything; but it is not always the best
thing which can happen to a hunt to get hold of one of
these masters, for sometimes the mean ones give far
less than they ought to do, and no accounts can be
demanded of a master who takes a small subscription
and pays a huge difference out of his own pocket.

Indeed, in these days the plan of keeping the cost of
maintenance of hounds and horses strictly to itself, and
of putting all extra expenditure into a separate account,
has much to commend it, but of course the arrange-
ments must vary according to local conditions. In one
country, for instance, the hounds may be maintained
by some magnate at his own expense, but even when
this state of affairs exists it is now usual to have damage
and poultry funds. Again, the master may ask for a
very small guarantee, and in that case the subscription
is smaller all round than it might be, but it is only
a few favoured countries which are absolutely inde-
pendent of financial trouble, and one far oftener hears
of a hunt being hard up than of one which can always be
sure of a surplus. Countries, naturally enough, vary
greatly, some being rich, others comparatively well off,
while others again are desperately poor. We know of
really good countries as far as sport is concerned,
countries which are good to ride over, and where foxes
are religiously preserved, while only a few hundreds

114 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

can be raised for a hunt subscription, and which are
therefore practically maintained by a wealthy master,
or have a continuous struggle to keep their heads above
water.

But there are, on the other hand, countries where
double the subscription which is required could be
obtained were it necessary. The whole thing is a
matter of wealth. In a good residential district money
is generally forthcoming freely enough, but there are
hunting countries where hunting men and women are
limited in number, and few of them are even moderately
rich. In such districts the hunt is carried on somehow,
and of course there cannot be much smartness about
the establishment. The men are not so well mounted
as they might be, and horses have to come out twice a
week ; there may easily be a shortage of both horses
and hounds, but if the members of the hunt are imbued
with a true sporting spirit the hunt will continue to
struggle on, and very often these struggling establish-
ments show wonderful sport. The difficulty generally
occurs when a new master is required, for men who are
able and willing to pay largely for the prestige of mas-
tership are generally anxious to take a country which
stands well before the world, and where the society may
be considered good. It happens, then, that the very
provincial country, no matter how good it may be, is
often obliged to fall back upon a local master, and
though a local master is, as a rule, the best master, if
none of the local men can afford the expense the
services of a stranger are requisitioned.

Half a century ago it used to be broadly stated that
certain masters lived out of the hounds, and doubtless
many attempted to, but failed, while it is possible that
some few did succeed in actually paying their ordinary

THE FIELD 115

living expenses out of the hunt. That many of them
got their hunting for nothing is fairly certain, but times
have changed, and what could be done fifty years ago
cannot be done now. In those days the master of a
subscription pack would have, say, ;^i5oofor three days
a week, and no damages of any description to make
good. Possibly, too, he had kennels and stables rent
free, having nothing to pay beyond wages, keep of
horses and hounds, and the incidental bills such as the
tailor, bootmaker, saddler, and blacksmith. By main-
taining as small a pack as possible, by bringing all the
hunt horses out at least three days a fortnight, by never
using a second horse for himself and his men, it was
possible, provided he was a good manager, to keep well
within the limit, and to bring the cost of his own
hunting into the ^^1500, but nowadays it is generally
reckoned that each day's hunting of the week costs a
thousand per annum.

In other words a two-days-a-week pack will cost
;^200Q per annum for maintenance, and so on. The
calculation is, however, an erroneous one in detail, for
it is certain that a pack hunting two days a week should
cost less proportionately than a pack which hunts three
days. In a two-days-a-week country a single pack of
hounds is required, while if hounds are out on three
days two packs are maintained. We need not go into
this question of cost, for so much depends upon man-
agement. One man will secure a bargain every time he
is in the market, whether it is for horses, hay, oats, or
meal for his hounds. Another man will always pay the
top price, and be sometimes swindled. Then, again,
one man hunts a country extravagantly, giving too
much for his own and servants' horses, and keeping far
too many. Some masters delight in a perfect army of

ii6 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

scarlet-clad second horsemen, pad grooms, sending-on
grooms, and extra whippers-in (to take a lame hound
home), while others go to the other extreme, and try to
work a big country shorthanded and short-horsed. The
happy medium is no doubt the thing to cultivate, and
it is good odds that the man who strives for and obtains
the happy medium is also the best buyer of horses and
forage, and in the long run the most economical of
masters.

But the members of the field need not concern them-
selves with the financial arrangements of the master.
We have stated at some length what are some of the
systems with regard to subscription, and we have
pointed out what the expenses of hunting a country
now include, but this we have done so that hunting
men and women may be thoroughly aware of the para-
mount importance of the subscription list. No hunt
can be carried on without ample funds, and therefore it
is the duty of every one who hunts to contribute to the
subscription lists as freely as possible.

CONDUCT IN THE FIELD

It is, too, within the power of some members of every
hunt to make the master's task an easier one in the
matter of arranging meets and drawing coverts. This
question we have discussed in another part of the book,
but in every hunt some of the regular hunting men are
landowners, or renters of coverts, and such men should,
we think, always consult the master before fixing their
covert shooting days. In a country of big woodlands
masters have extraordinary difficulty in arranging meets
all through November and December, while at Christ-

THE FIELD 117

mas-time they often have two-thirds of the coverts in
the country closed to them. If the season is an early
one, and the leaves come away quickly, most of the
covert shooting, in an ordinary country, is got through
in November ; if the leaves are slow to fall the latter
part of November and the beginning of December are
the busiest times with the shooter, but almost every
owner or renter of coverts keeps some of them for
Christmas.

Very often there are boys from school or college ;
nearly always there are Christmas guests, and thus it
happens that a master of hounds a week or two before
Christmas has received notices by the dozen that cer-
tain coverts are going to be shot during the holiday
period. Only last winter we met a master of hounds in
London, during the week between Christmas and the
New Year, and as we knew that it was one of his hunt-
ing days, and that he had the greatest aversion to
losing a day's sport, we asked him why he was not at
work. He then told us — his is to a great extent a wood-
land country — that he had attempted no meets for the
week until Saturday, owing to the Christmas shooting
parties. Now we are not going to write a word against
shooting parties, especially those held at Christmas-
time, but surely some of the hunting folk should com-
pare notes at the particular time of the year, and try to
arrange that some country should be left for hounds.

In many countries Boxing Day and New Year's Day
meets are special features of the holiday season, when
hundreds of people come out for their annual hunt,
and when dozens of horses are taken from their daily
routine of harness-work and become hunters for the
nonce. Perhaps these occasions are made more of in
those countries where hunting is the foremost and most

ii8 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

prominent sport of the district, but we have actually
heard of a master who was requested to change his
Boxing Day meet because a certain magnate — not a
hunting man, but a good preserver of foxes — wanted to
shoot. The master wrote that he thought he could not
change the meet, because it was a fixture of fifty years'
standing, and the whole countryside would be up in
arms : but he went on to say that from the meet he
would take hounds into quite another district, and that
the coverts in question would not be interfered with.
The magnate then realised what he had not thought of
before, viz. that his shoot was likely to interfere with
the sport of the occasionals who came out on Boxing
Day, and he at once sent a message to the master to
the effect that he had forgotten all about Boxing Day,
and that he would postpone his sport for a week.

HORSEMANSHIP

In regard to manners and conduct in the field some
few well-recognised precepts may be set down, but
it must be understood that in this particular case we
are addressing ourselves not to hunting men and
women of experience who know quite as much about
the sport as we do, but to people of little or no ex-
perience. There are always men and women who
desire to hunt, but who have not been in the way of
seeing any sport. To such it may be pointed out that
a certain proficiency in the saddle is absolutely neces-
sary, and that to go out hunting before this has been
attained is a most rash and injudicious proceeding. It
is not all men and women who are born riders, but the
average English man or woman who wishes to hunt

THE FIELD 119

can learn to ride, even if he or she has not begun as a
boy or girl on a pony.

Those who have ridden from childhood have, of
course, an immense advantage over those who have
taken to riding later in life, but real hunting enthu-
siasm will surmount a variety of obstacles, and people
who find the desire to hunt absolutely imperative (per-
haps there are not many of this class) will not let the
fact that they have not learnt to ride be an obstacle in
their path. It must then be fully understood that no
one should attempt hunting until the rudiments of
horsemanship have been mastered. So many books have
been written on this subject that we shall not go at any
length into the matter, but we have a rather strong
opinion to the effect that grown-up people who wish to
hunt, but have not been in the habit of riding, can
attain proficiency more quickly in the open air of the
country than they can in a riding school. The school
is all very well in its way, but school-educated riders
learn a lot of tricks which are out of place in the
hunting field, and in many schools are taught to ride
with far too long a stirrup.

The best and simplest plan for a man or woman who
has actually never been on a horse is to go and live in
some quiet country spot during the summer, a farm-
house for choice, and to go there provided with a good-
mannered, easy-mouthed horse, who is unlikely to give
any trouble. But it is also necessary that the services
of some instructor should be available for the earliest
lessons. The beginner wants to be shown how to
mount, how to sit, how to hold his reins, and to grip
with his knees — and indeed with the whole leg — but not
how to ride by balance. What riding by balance may
amount to where it is practised we do not know, and

I20 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

care less, but no one can attain a proper hunting seat
unless he grips the horse firmly between his legs at
first. As time wears on the grip naturally relaxes, and
when a man finds himself thoroughly at home in the
saddle he will discover that though he has what is in
reality a grip seat, he is only using pressure at certain
times, say when he is galloping over rough ground or
negotiating a jump. As he approaches a fence he will
find that his legs are mechanically closing on his
horse, and that he is, in point of fact, holding the
horse tight between his knees.

It is practically impossible to ride over a big fence,
with a drop on the far side, without a strong grip, and
we have witnessed endless ''voluntaries" incurred by
men who had not recognised this fact. Some of these
had been taught to ride by balance, but as far as we
can judge this must be almost an acrobatic perform-
ance, and, anyhow, it is quite out of place in the
hunting field. Shortish stirrups should be used, and
a very simple guide to the length which best suits nine
men out of ten is to have them so that when one
gallops the foot is well home (or well through the
stirrup), and when one trots the pressure comes from
the ball of the foot, and not from under the instep as
in galloping.

Some men, of course, ride shorter than others, but
a long seat is seldom seen on a man who is really good
across country, for if knee-pressure is used at fences
the long stirrup will slip off the foot. And, by the
way, some men with the strongest leg-grip will often
lose an iron when jumping, merely because they are
in the habit of almost curling their legs round their
horse's body. We remember a new huntsman coming
into a country, and we quickly heard some one say that

THE FIELD 121

though he was a hard rider, he was no horseman, be-
cause he often lost one, and sometimes both stirrups
when he jumped a fence. Only a few minutes later he
elected to jump a big fence with a deep drop (he was
casting hounds), and though he sat as tight as wax,
one iron was dangling as he rode on. But we had
watched him carefully, and it was just such a case as
we have described ; the stirrup had slipped off the foot
while it (the foot) was turned right back. Moreover,
the man had a tiny foot, and the stirrup was large and
heavy. Light stirrups are a terrible delusion when
hunting ; a tight stirrup is to be avoided at all costs
because it sticks to the foot in a fall, but a very loose
stirrup is also uncomfortable and awkward, because it
slips off the foot so easily. Indeed, great care should
be taken in the matter of stirrups, which should fit
easily, being neither too large nor too small.

We once saw a raw four-year-old out with hounds for
the first time, ridden by a light lad, who managed him
fairly well, but was not quite at home. After a while
the owner of the horse, a biggish man and a first-rate
horseman, came up, and seeing what a lot of trouble
the youngster was giving, changed mounts with his
man. Some time after hounds were drawing a hanging
wood on a very steep hillside, and as they went out-
wards at the top the field rode up the hill (alongside the
covert), where there was such a gradient that one had to
go zigzag. The four-year-old plunged about, reared
and fell over, backwards, and as the saddle girth
snapped his owner landed on his back, still in the
saddle, while the horse galloped away. The farmer
was not hurt, but had the girth not given way he
would probably have been killed, as his feet were fairly
wedged into the stirrups, so that it took several minutes

122 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

and a great deal of pulling to get them off his feet. He
had, of course, omitted to change stirrups and leathers
when he changed horses with his man, and for an hour
or two had been riding in a pair of irons which were
far too small for his rather massive boots. It was a
lesson to him — as he has often told us since — and it
must also have been a lesson to all who witnessed the
accident.

It is hardly within our province just now to go further
into the riding question, for we have pointed out that a
man or woman who cannot manage his or her horse is
even more out of place in a hunting crowd than else-
where, because all horses are inclined to be excited
when hunting, especially during the early part of the
day. Horses which are in regular work, which come
out about three times a fortnight, and which have
passed the first bloom of youth, will be as steady as a
rock after the season is a week or two old, but if for
some reason or another they are short of work, through
having been a good deal confined to stables, even the
most staid of veterans will at times give way to an
ebullition of feeling, and it is no uncommon thing to see
an old and proved hunter kick off, or try to kick off, his
rider at a meet. "There is no fool like an old one,"
and there are horses who never get over the habit of
showing a little playfulness when they first see hounds,
or first get on to grass in the morning.

The new beginner must then see to it that he is not
likely to commit himself in any way as regards horse-
manship, and on this point he should be fully assured
before he attempts to follow hounds. Quite lately we
heard of a man who never was on horseback until he
was over forty years of age. By that time he had
bought a little place in the country, where he quickly

THE FIELD 123

found that for half the year hunting took first place in
every one's mind. By pure accident he found himself
living in a community where every one talked about
hunting, whilst most of his neighbours followed
hounds. He quickly caught the enthusiasm, and went
out on foot ; then he thought he would like to ride, so
he bought a steady old crock, and was not long in
mastering a primary knowledge of riding. But being
a somewhat retiring man, and being also particularly
anxious not to make a fool of himself, he conceived the
idea of going out in the afternoon at first. He would
leave home about twelve, trot on to where hounds had
met, and try to fall in with them about two o'clock.
As he afterwards explained, he thus had the advantage
of joining in when the day's work was half over, when
horses had settled down, when the field had thinned
considerably, and when he was less likely to attract
attention than in the morning.

At first, too, he was content to follow the line of the
hunt very quietly, either when they were drawing
coverts or hunting a fox, and thus he was able to
observe for himself what was taking place, and to watch
how others conducted themselves. This line of conduct
he pursued for half a season, and then he took the bull
by the horns and made his appearance at a meet.

EQUIPMENT

Having made his mind easy on the riding question
the new beginner should be careful as to the appearance
of both himself and his horse. A man who is badly
turned out is likely to create an unfavourable impres-
sion, and this should be avoided at all costs. It need

124 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

hardly be said that if either man or woman makes a
debut in the hunting world under the auspices of some
one who has hunted enough to be an authority there is
little chance of anything going wrong, but it may
happen that the average new beginner of mature years
is really new to hunting because he has not been in the
way of seeing it or hearing it discussed. Had he lived
amongst hunting people he would, even if he had not
hunted, have known something about the sport, and in
the event of his suddenly taking to hunting it would be
almost impossible for him to commit himself in the
matter of general turn-out. But the average recruit is
not only ignorant in some degree of what he is about to
participate in, but is very often not in the way of procur-
ing sound advice. He may possibly not know enough
to apply for advice in the right quarter, and may easily
seek the assistance of some one who is only a little less
ignorant than himself. Or he may rely solely upon his
groom, and this is a most risky business, because many
grooms, even after they have lived in good places where
everything was correctly done, are little able to dis-
criminate between good taste and bad.

A really first-rate groom, who has taken mental notes
of what he has seen, and who is able to decide correctly
on matters connected with turn-out, is a treasure, but
such treasures are few and far between, and it is little
use a new beginner relying upon his groom unless he
knows that the groom's opinion is sound enough to be
followed.

The matter of saddles and bridles is to many men an
unimportant one, but a bad saddle and a coarse heavy
bridle, with the reins buckled instead of sewn on to the
bits, will spoil the appearance even of a really good-
looking horse, and a clumsy ill-fitting saddle, the

THE FIELD 125

pommel of which stands up too high, is in equally bad
taste. Gaudy girths, too, are to be avoided, as are
those bits which are "coated" with some shiny pre-
paration, and which are said to involve less cleaning
than steel bits. All saddlery for hunting should be
procured from a really good saddler, who is in the
habit of supplying hunting men. Any saddler, no
matter how good he may be, should be avoided if he
does not do a hunting trade, for he will not know the
niceties of the business. A good man should then be
looked for and found, and if he is an honest tradesman
his advice will probably be worth following, firstly
because he is honest, and secondly because it would
be against his interest to turn out a customer badly.

A really well-made London saddle, which is com-
fortable and roomy and yet of no great weight, is a
joy for ever, but a clumsy thick saddle is not only
uncomfortable and stiff, but a cause for constant dis-
satisfaction. If a man can do without knee-rolls so
much the better, for a plain flap saddle is neater and
much more sporting than one which is padded out
under the knees. And apropos of knee-rolls, it is a
fact that some few London saddlers can put them on
so neatly that they are hardly noticed, while the
average country saddler invariably puts in so much
stuffing that the knee-pad bulges out in unseemly
fashion. Bits, stirrup irons, and curb chains should
all be of the best steel, and should be kept well
polished. A dull bit or irons look slovenly, and it is
a remarkable fact that even if one little thing in a
general turn-out is untidy or dirty, that will instantly
catch the eye. And it is not every groom who can
clean a saddle properly, though at a superficial glance
it may appear to be all right. The inside of the saddle

126 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

is the most important, for when a horse comes home
from hunting the inside of his saddle is more or less
soaked from the horse's sweat, and this has to be not
only carefully but very slowly dried. In the hunting
season there is often little chance of allowing the drying
process to take place outside, and under any circum-
stances it is dark, or very nearly so, when hunters are
brought back to stables. The saddle, after the girths
have been loosened, should be left on the horse's back
for a while, so that the back may become reasonably
cool before it is removed. Any mud which is sticking
to the flaps should then be removed, and the saddle
placed, not on a peg, but on its pommel, in the
saddle-room, or wherever there is a fire burning, and
consequently a dry atmosphere. In all large establish-
ments there is a cleaning and drying room, in which
all saddles, bridles, etc., are cleaned, as well as a
saddle-room, and where there are the two rooms only
saddlery that has been cleaned and is ready for use is
admitted.

It is most necessary that a saddle should not be used
two days in succession, for if it has been worn through-
out an average day's hunting it will hardly become
thoroughly dry, unless the room is heated with hot
air. Neither should the process of drying be a quick
one, and thus a damp saddle should not be placed
close in front of a hot fire, for this is apt to cause the
front part of the inside to become hard, and has also
a tendency to draw the stuffing into knots. If a saddle
has been some hours in a warm atmosphere, it may
be placed nearer the fire at bed-time, but a gradual,
all-night drying in a warm room is best, and on the
following morning, if there is any wind or sun, the
saddle should be taken out of doors, and the inside

THE FIELD 127

turned to the sun or the breeze. The outer or leather
part should be well dressed, with plenty of hand rub-
bing, and all the grease of the dressing should be
carefully removed before the saddle is used again.
We have seen saddles brought out which shone all
over, but were as slippery as glass, and in which their
users either slipped about all day, or to which they
almost stuck when they had established a seat.

Stirrup leathers, too, need careful treatment, a good
deal of dressing, and a lot of hand rubbing. A stiff
stirrup leather is more apt to snap than one which has
become pliable through treatment. And apropos of
stirrup leathers we heard a very hard rider say last
winter that he invariably broke half a dozen in the
course of a season, and that he could in no way account
for it, except on the ground that bad leather was used.
Had our friend been a duffer we should have under-
stood that he went to a bad saddler, but as a matter of
fact he is quite an exceptional man, and possibly at the
moment has won more point-to-point races than any
man in the kingdom. He has, too, hunted since he
was a child, and has always been a four and five days'
a week man, who has looked over all details of his
hunting establishment himself. It was not surprising,
then, to hear that he had had consignments of leathers
from some of the best-known saddlers in the kingdom,
and therefore one was obliged to conclude that the
frequent breakages were brought about in schooling
young horses over awkward places, and that the strain
imposed by a half-fall and recovery was in a con-
siderable degree accountable for the breaks.

The beginner, then, must see to it that his saddle and
bridle are good, well cleaned, and properly put on, but
he must also make a point of having his horse well

128 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

groomed, so that it shines from the combined effect of
good condition and much strapping. It must be neat,
too, about the mane and tail, and if the mane happens
to be hogged care should be taken that the machine
is constantly taken over the neck. A hogged neck is
not quite to our liking, but so many horses are hogged
now that a beginner is just as likely to buy a hogged
horse as one with a mane ; and when a horse has once
been hogged it is a most difficult job to secure a mane
again.

Such a thing should not be attempted in the hunting
season, because of the unsightliness of the growing
stage, but if a hogged mane is to be allowed to grow
again hogging should be ceased towards the end of the
season, and then there is just a chance that the new
mane will be respectable in six months' time. But it is
a slow and difficult process, and with some horses it
is impossible to grow a decent mane after they have
once been hogged. The owner of a grey horse should
look to it that his hunter is really properly groomed,
for grey horses do not take the outward polish which
can be given to bays, browns, chestnuts, or blacks,
and a careless groom will always slur over the toilet of
a grey, thinking that the colour of the horse will cause
his slovenly grooming to remain concealed.

And second only to the smartness of the horse is
the smartness of the rider. All hunting people should
pay great attention to their toilet, and in many countries
smartness is the rule. There are, however, untidy
countries as well as smart ones, and though the
absolutely comic sportsman apparently did not long
survive the Surtees and Leech era, there are still hunts
in which curious fashions and curious old customs pre-
vail, and again there are others in which many of the

THE FIELD 129

field buy good enough clothes, boots, and hats, but have
no idea how to wear them, or keep them in order, and
they present a most untidy appearance.

The beginner, no matter where he intends to
hunt, should at least have a look at a good country
before he commences operations. He should spend a
week in the Shires, go early to the meets, on wheels
or on his own legs, and should take thorough stock of
everything. The hounds he need not trouble about
unless he has a special leaning in that direction, but he
should mark the horses, their condition, saddles, bridles,
how they are brought to covert, and make himself
master of what constitutes a proper appearance. He
should then turn to the men, and study their coats,
boots, breeches, hats, neck-wear, spurs, hunting-crops,
and in fact every factor in the whole turn-out. He will
then observe which cut of coat suits a long, lean man,
which looks best on a short, stumpy figure, or the
sort which can hardly be made to look becoming at
any cost. A few days of this sort of thing, and his
mind and vision will be attuned to what is correct
and what is bad style in hunting costume, and he will
be in a far better position to tackle the subject with his
tailor and bootmaker than if he went to them perfectly
innocent of how to dress for hunting.

And beginners should remember that many excellent
tailors are not hunting men, and have no real know-
ledge of the subject ; they can cut and make hunting
clothes, but the greater part of their knowledge is
derived from ascertaining and quickly noting the
opinions of hunting men who are particular about
their clothes, and though tailors have a knack of
altering the fashions as often as they can, it is only
in very small matters that they can bring about any
9

I30 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

change, and even the slightest change is of no use
until its usefulness or comfort has been approved
by some unquestioned authority. If the new beginner
is going to hunt in the Shires he must go to the best
(and most expensive) men in the trade for everything,
and if he does this he can safely leave himself in the
tailor's hands. If he is in a big way of life he will of
course have a valet who can clean leathers and top-
boots as they should be cleaned ; but the average be-
ginner is about to hunt in the average country, and the
best London tailors and bootmakers are as far out of
his reach as the Shires are. He it is who should
study the matter carefully, or fix upon a good model to
dress by, for few ordinary country tailors can do
justice to hunting clothes, while provincial bootmakers
are for the most part hopeless as far as good top-boots
are concerned.

There are now in some country towns good tailors
and breeches makers, who are largely patronised by
hunting men, and who supply the clothes for many
hunt establishments, and if the beginner is in the way
of trying one of these well-known men he cannot
do better. But if he is not so situated he should,
if possible, put off buying his hunting clothes until
he is in London ; if he does this he will probably be
far better turned out than if he went to country trades-
men. And in these days London is not the name it
used to be to many hunting men of two or three genera-
tions ago. It is practically within a few hours of all
the English hunting countries, and the man who can
afford to hunt can also afford a journey to town for
the express purpose of being properly dressed when
he makes his debut. Dark frock-coat, and breeches of
the same stuff, with a tall hat for choice, should satisfy

THE FIELD 131

the new beginner until he has become thoroughly
at home out hunting. He can then advance by easy
stages to white breeches and top boots, and lastly
to scarlet and leathers, but above all things he should
avoid mufti after the season proper has commenced.

Hunting mufti was at one time to be procured of
a fairly sporting cut, and which was at all events
inoffensive, but of late years the mufti which is seen
at cub-hunting fixtures, and which is worn even later
in the season by those who have no proper sense of
what is due to hunting, is quite without the pale. We
do not mean to say that it is impossible to turn out
looking neat and respectable unless one is dressed
in orthodox fashion, but it is most difficult, for the
simple reason that the clothes which look well enough
and suitable for a man hacking about the country are
terribly out of place when one forms a unit of a
properly dressed crowd. A short jacket of a loud
pattern may do to wear at a horse sale, but when
it is accompanied by a pair of white polo breeches,
brown jack-boots, and a hideous peaked cap it is an
insult to a hunting field — after the first of November.
If mufti must be used let it be a whole suit of very dark
whipcord cloth, and let the jacket be cut long in the
waist. A short jacket is, under any circumstances,
unsightly on a horse, and a short jacket on a thick-
built, short-waisted man makes him look quite at
his worst. And, again, if mufti is imperative, special
attention should be given to details. Whip, spurs,
luncheon case and flask should all be correct, and the
horse turned out as a hunter should be, and not look-
ing like a cab horse out for the day.

But, as can be gathered, we dislike mufti except at
cub-hunting, when orthodox clothes are equally out

132 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

of place. The man who appears in full hunting rig-
out before the season proper has commenced is a
rara avis^ but he has been seen, and we have a vivid
recollection of a five-o'clock cub-hunting meet on
August 27th (we have forgotten the year, but re-
member the date of the month) with the Ledbury
during Mr. Charles Morrell's mastership, when a
tremendous swell appeared, wearing a scarlet coat,
tall hat, white breeches, and very yellow tops, almost
orange in colour. No one knew who he was, but
he stood about with the half-dozen who formed the
field, on the rides of a big covert, and at length some
one opened conversation with him. He could ride
well enough, but he had never even seen a pack of
hounds before, and therefore did not know the ropes
as regards dress ; but he had some time before made
up his mind to hunt, and had procured hunting clothes,
and possibly such a thing as cub-hunting had never
entered into the tailor's calculation. Another man
we know who to this day goes cub-hunting in top-
boots, but with them he wears dark cloth breeches
until the ist November, and then changes them for
white ones. He is, however, a privileged character
in his own district, and nothing particular was said
when he sat for an hour or two on horseback one
very hot morning under a white green-lined umbrella.
Coats and breeches are a matter which must be
decided between the hunting man and his tailor, but
any cut of coat which is unusual, or any uncommon
pattern of breeches, should never be attempted by the
beginner. There is in some hunts one man in fifty who
can come out in almost anything, and can carry off with
equanimity what would be regarded as an absurdity if
exploited by any of the other forty-nine. Such men

THE FIELD 133

may unknowingly inaugurate a new fashion, but the
chances are that they have few followers in their eccen-
tricities, and yet such men will, year after year, intro-
duce some new detail — probably a very insignificant
one — of costume. In one popular hunt a hard-riding
squire always uses white evening ties for boot garters,
while a neighbour, also a very hard man to hounds, in-
variably carries a twenty-inch "swagger" cane, such
as a soldier uses, instead of a crop. A third member
of this hunt used, a year or two ago, to appear in a very
high, flat-brimmed tall hat of French appearance, and
occasionally this same man was seen in a hunting frock
of orthodox cut, but made of the roughest and gaudiest-
patterned Harris tweed. In both of two different hunts,
three hundred miles apart, a most important, never-
miss-a-day man invariably dresses in black boots, a
whipcord suit, and a bowler hat all the season through,
and each of these men is a pillar of his hunt, whose
opinion on any point would carry as much weight as
the opinion of any man but the master.

Another eccentric we know of carries all sorts of
things, and when his long coat-flaps are not hiding his
saddle, his horse looks more like a troop horse than
a hunter. He has holsters on either side, a large
whisky and soda in one, and port in the other ; he has
of course a sandwich case, a shoe in a leather case, a
pair of wire nippers, and a little leather ''first-aid " case
fitted with one or two simple instruments, a roll of lint,
and other things likely to be useful in case of accident.
He also carries a huge knife, with a foot-picker, and
several nails for horses' shoes, has a watch in the
handle of his crop and another on his wrist — one to
check the other — while his pockets are full of cigars,
ginger nuts, sweets for the children, etc. We once

134 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

travelled to a meet by train with this worthy, and when
our horses were boxed, an out-of-place groom who had
assisted at the boxing slipped into the box with them.
On arriving at the little station where the unboxing
took place, this man stole away, and some time later
our friend discovered that both his holster flasks were
empty. He was very irate for a moment, and then,
diving his hand into an inside pocket of his coat, pro-
duced a third fairly large flask, with the words, ** Thank
God, I still have the old brandy safe."

But a man who handicaps himself with all this
luggage must be uncomfortable, and when the field
know that a sort of riding " stores " is in their midst he
will be bothered all day long for something or other.
To the eccentric of a certain bent of mind no doubt it
is amusing to go out as the White Knight in Alice in
Wonderland, but the beginner need take nothing more
than a sandwich case and flask, fastened to his saddle,
and as little as possible in his pockets. Watch, small
change (both silver and copper), and a handkerchief are
all that a hunting man must carry, though a knife
is often useful enough. Spurs should be of the best
quality, and not too small, but the rowels are quite
unnecessary with every one who is not a skilled horse-
man, and in the habit of " breaking " young horses, and
they should either be filed to bluntness or removed
altogether, or threepenny pieces may be substituted, if
the shell is big enough for them to be enclosed without
looking conspicuous. A clumsy crop is an ugly thing,
and perhaps there is no accessory of hunting with
which it is so easy to go wrong. Indeed, a very cheap
hunting whip is almost sure to be bad, unless it is an
ash plant, and it is better in the long run to buy good
crops from a first-rate maker than to procure the cheap

THE FIELD 135

ones. Even the best makers in the trade only charge
seven and sixpence or half a guinea for an ash plant
and thong, and when these are bought they should be
chosen of the right size, with a handle suitable for
holding a gate, and studded with screws.

A weak, light handle on any crop spoils it at once,
for even the hardest of riders must open and hold
gates at times, and the short, light handle slips through,
especially if it has no knob, or no screws. The best
whalebone crops which can be procured are usually
used by masters of hounds and hunt servants of the
best-turned-out packs, and these whalebones vary
greatly in their powers of resistance, while, as is only
natural, one man will get through three or four,
his neighbour may carry one for many seasons. Then,
again, there is a certain amount of luck about a whale-
bone crop, and though the makers of crops are doubt-
less good judges of the article it is certain that some
whalebones will stand far more wear and hard usage
than others. A whalebone crop is sporting, but not the
most satisfactory whip for the rank and file of hunting
men and women, firstly, because it is far heavier than
cane ; secondly, because if really good it is more ex-
pensive ; and thirdly, because it has a shorter life.

Good cane crops, with the best thong which can
be procured, are quite the most serviceable whips,
and the thong should not be too long, and of fair
thickness in the middle. A thong which is the same
size throughout its length is very useless ; there
should be what hunt servants call a good "belly" in
the middle, as this ensures force when the thong is
cracked. It is, too, by the way, the heavy weight of
the whalebone crop which causes it to be in general
use amongst hunt servants, because their whips must

136 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

be cracked continuously, and it is not an easy matter
to make a reverberating crack when the crop is light
— but this is of little consequence to ordinary mem-
bers of the field.

Fashion in whips changes, or is changed by the
whipmakers far too often. A good hunting crop
must always be a good hunting crop, but one
season they are worn long, another season shorter,
and quite lately the shop windows of the best-known
makers have been full of short, stumpy crops, which
are, we think, both heavy and awkward. Medium
length and medium thickness should satisfy every
one, while a very long crop is rather clumsy, though
handy enough for a persistent gate-opener, especially
if he be a short-armed man who is accustomed to ride
big horses.

CONDUCT IN THE FIELD

But, after all, the most important thing which the
beginner of either sex has to consider is his or her
early conduct in the field before he or she has had time
to acquire knowledge of what to do and what not to do,
where to go and where not to go, and so forth. And
by beginner in this connection we mean the man or
woman who has taken to hunting late in life, and who
has not been in the way of obtaining much knowledge
as to the sport. Some such people will quickly accom-
modate themselves to their new surroundings, and will
in a few weeks be quite at home in a hunting field.

Not every one has the happy knack of taking up a
new sport or pastime all at once and of grasping all the
details of something which they have not been accus-
tomed to, and though the quick-witted will soon learn

THE FIELD 137

a great deal, there are others who will be at a loss how
to act. The beginner, then, should understand that he
owes a duty to the master, a duty to those he hunts
with, and a duty to the farmers whose land he rides
over. As regards the master, he must be particular
not to do anything which is inconsistent with the un-
written laws of the sport. He must not thrust himself
forward ; he must keep his horse well clear of hounds,
especially at the meet, or on the way to covert ; and if
in the course of the day he happens to be in a gateway
or in a road where hounds have to pass, he must get as
far away as possible and turn his horse's head towards
them. This is most important, especially if the be-
ginner's horse should happen to be as new to hunting
as he is, for in that case the horse might easily lash out
and kill a hound.

Indeed, one is inclined to think that more hounds are
kicked by the horses of novices and by the horses of
grooms on carriage horses than by the horses of
ordinary hunting folk, and this is remarkable because
novices and grooms on carriage horses form a very
small portion of any field. Carriage horses, when
taken out hunting occasionally, very often misbehave
themselves in all sorts of ways, and the beginner
should always avoid this starnp of nag, unless it
happens to be one of the general utility sort, which are
as much at home in the hunting field as they are in
harness.

It may be pointed out that nothing creates a worse
impression than a. faux pas at the commencement of a
hunting career, and about the worst thing which can
happen to a beginner is for his horse to kick, or even
kick at and miss, a hound. In a country where fields
are always large, and where some strangers are present

138 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

every day, the beginner will not be noticed ; but where
there is no great crowd, a new face will raise inquiry as
to its identity, and all sorts of questions will be asked,
and comment probably passed on the new-comer. But
in an ordinary way the beginner will not be brought
much into contact with the master, unless that indi-
vidual happens to be a man who concerns himself as
much with his field as with his hounds.

Where the fields are really large, and especially if the
master should happen to be a person of great import-
ance, a man may hunt for years without even becoming
acquainted with the man in office. On the other hand
there are masters who make a point of knowing all
their field personally, and a master who went out of
his way to speak to strangers has been heard of. What
the beginner must bear in mind is that loud talking
when hounds are drawing a covert, or when they check,
is not only bad form, but may at times cause a lot of
mischief. A babbler amongst the followers of a pack
of hounds is just as great an evil as a babbler in the
pack.

The beginner should commence his hunting with his
mind properly subordinated to the importance of the
sport he is about to follow. He should understand
that although much fun is to be got out of foxhunting,
it has also a serious side. Not that it has to be ap-
proached with a long face, or that no one has to speak
above a whisper, but that there is a time for laughing
and talking, that plenty of opportunities will be
found during the day for working off any excess of
spirits he may have, and that if he cultivates an even
demeanour he will find that it helps him greatly in the
long run.

It is never wise to expect too much of any particular

THE FIELD 139

day or of any special covert. In hunting, as in racing,
the unexpected frequently happens, and the good days
often occur not only from unlikely meets, but when the
general conditions have suggested that sport will be
poor. Besides which the man who expects much in
hunting is frequently disappointed, and vice versa.
Let the beginner reflect that if he has the leisure and
the horse, no meet should be missed, especially in the
middle of the season. He should not miss a Monday
meet because hounds are in better country on Tuesday
— unless, indeed, the Monday meet is so far away that
attending it would make a toil of a pleasure. For it
may be good hunting weather on Monday, while snow,
frost, or a deluge of rain spoil Tuesday altogether.

In this connection we are always reminded of the
advice of a veteran hunting man, who is still riding
after hounds though in his eighty-seventh year. We
once remarked in his hearing that we were saving a

horse to go with the on Friday. The veteran

got quite excited. "I once did that," he exclaimed;
" but on Friday they were skating instead of hunting.
The frost did not last long, and on the following Friday
hounds were at the kennels. That was twenty miles
off, and I did not go, but I sent a horse on on Friday
night for the Saturday meet, and drove there the next
morning. When I got to the place the hunter was
lame, so I put his saddle on the trapper, and an hour
later he fell with me at a little place, broke his knees
and lamed himself. I had to leave him at a farmhouse,
where I borrowed a horse to drive home with. He
slipped upon some newly laid stones, cut his knees,
and I had to walk him the last three or four miles.
Hounds had the run of the season on the Friday, and
the second best run of the season on the Saturday, and

I40 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

I missed both, and was a hundred pound poorer man
on Saturday night."

We have, however, been rather off the line, and to
return to the beginner, there are certain little things as
regards his conduct to his neighbours in the field which
maybe pointed out, though a careful man is unlikely to
ignore such small matters as we have in mind. It may
be pointed out, then, that except when galloping in the
open, and in the course of a run, it is not polite to pass
any one at a fast pace, more especially when travelling
up or down a muddy lane, or along the "ride" of a
covert. If the ride is narrow single file is always
observed, and this applies when hounds are running
as well as when they are drawing. If in the former
case the beginner is impeded by some slow coach
immediately in front he may ask that individual to push
on a little, or to make way, but it is not good form to
shove past — unless the ride is a very wide one with
plenty of room for two or three horses abreast.

And whenever the shout of "Hounds, please" or
" Huntsman, please " is heard the beginner should look
about him, and if he is likely to be in the way should
quickly step aside. It is often possible to move
amongst the trees of a covert for the moment when
hounds are being taken past, and if this is impracticable
because of a ditch the rider should move his horse as
near the ditch as possible, and stand there until hounds
have passed. When hounds are running — we assume
that the beginner has mastered the art of riding across
country — he should be extremely careful not to cross
any one who is riding at a fence, and when he himself
comes to the fence he should look round on either side,
to see that he is not likely to come into collision
with any of his neighbours. He should, too, where it

THE FIELD 141

is possible, pick his own place in every fence he jumps,
but if the fence is one of those doubtful ones where a
gap or two are quickly made, and the field go through
in single file, he should, when he reaches the gap,
patiently await his turn, and not attempt to go in front
of any one who has arrived at the place before him.

Less than a month from the time of writing hounds
were running a fox in a high-lying grass country where
all the fences are stone walls. Three or four came in
succession, and then an extra high one with a boggy
take-off. The first horse to reach it hit the wall hard, but
got over with a scramble, knocking several big stones
— it was a dry wall — off the top as he went over. The
master of that particular pack went next, but one of his
field cut slightly across him, and just touched his horse
as it jumped. Down went the horse and down went the
master, the former rolling over the latter, who was con-
siderably knocked about. This was a pure misunder-
standing, for the culprit was a lady, and each had
hesitated to make way for the other, and had then gone
on again. But the moral of the story is that "First
come first served " is a good motto — though in the
particular case we have quoted the master was entitled
to precedence, because he was hunting hounds.

We once met an astounding novice when hunting
with the Heythrop. Quite late in the afternoon hounds
went to draw Tar Wood, and we followed them there
after a visit to a blacksmith, not being certain whether
they had drawn the covert and departed. There were
no signs of them on the side we approached by, so we
followed the footprints, and were soon in the depths of
the wood. At some cross rides we waited for a while,
when there suddenly appeared a gentleman in a blue
suit, with wide loose trousers, riding a tall horse, and

142 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

evidently not in the least at home on horseback.
*' Have you seen the hounds?" we asked. "No," he
replied, **but the man with the instrument passed me
just now." Some minutes later we heard hounds not
far off, and realised that they were running in covert.
Then a brace of foxes crossed the ride, to the intense
delight of the gentleman in blue. They were shortly
followed by the pack, and the horse of the novice
became excited, began to plunge violently, and quickly
got rid of its rider, who was more frightened than hurt
when he fell. By this time a dozen riders were on the
spot, and one of them going to the assistance of the
stranger found that in his fall he had torn the blue
trousers right up the outside seam of one leg, and that
underneath he was wearing leathers and top-boots,
both brand-new, and of the best London make.

There were several undergraduates amongst the
crowd which collected, and they began to chaff him
about his kit, when it transpired that this was his first
day with hounds, that at the last moment he had funked
going out in his new clothes, and so had covered his
grand new boots and breeches with a pair of old yacht-
ing trousers.

One or two other little matters will quickly present
themselves to the beginner, one being the importance
of waiting one's turn at a gate. There are in these
days many gates to be passed through in the average
day's hunting, even in the course of a run, for barbed
wire and at times boundary fences have made riding
across country without deviation in many places im-
possible. Then, too, canal bridges often have one,
and sometimes two gates, and the same thing applies
to branch railways, and lines connected with collieries,
quarries, and so forth. Main lines are almost univer-

THE FIELD 143

sally protected, and transit is seldom possible except
over a bridge or under an arch, but all over the country
there are lines of smaller importance, which are con-
stantly crossed at field gates by a hunting crowd.

Then, too, there are the hunting wickets, which are
exceedingly common in some parts of the country, and
these and every other sort of gate will be met with.
As long as hounds are only drawing or going from
one covert to another, the question of precedence is of
little importance, though even then, if a lot of men and
women are riding close together, the order of arrival
at the gate should be observed. But it is when gates
come at the beginning of a run that the crowding and
struggling for precedence always occur. Men there
are, and one is obliged to state that there are hunting
women also, who will push through when a gate which
cannot be avoided comes into the line. We have seen
a huntsman obliged to wait while a couple of dozen of
the hard-riding division struggled for pride of place
at the gate, and it goes without saying that the more
people fight for their turns the longer the delay in
getting through.

We know a veteran who prides himself that if he
arrives at a gate with fifty in front of him he will be
through about tenth or twelfth ; but he never pushes
or annoys any one ; he has merely a plan of his own
for getting past the struggling crowd, and this we are
not inclined to give away for obvious reasons. Nor
do we exactly approve of the line of conduct which our
friend adopts ; but there it is, and we have seen it
"come off" a score of times.

Another matter that the beginner should remember
is to help, or attempt to help, any one who falls. It
is a fact that men have died in the hunting field with

144 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

no one near them, though this is a rare occurrence.
It is always possible that any one who falls may be
dangerously hurt, and a simple rule to adopt is to
see the victim on his legs again before going on. If
falls take place where there is a big crowd, there is,
of course, no reason for every one to pull up ; but
where a fall occurs when only one or two other riders
are near, it is imperative that one at least should not
go on until he has ascertained whether the damage is
serious or the reverse. If any one falls at a fence,
the rider immediately behind him should deviate from
his course, or pull up if he is unable to choose another
place, for scores of accidents — not necessarily serious
ones — are caused by riders being far too near each
other at the fences.

It is also a good plan to slacken speed when about to
pass by any one who is dismounted in the course of a
run. It may be that the dismounted man is in need of
a moment's assistance ; possibly his saddle has become
shifted, or his curb-chain has become loose. He may,
in fact, have got off because of some little thing hap-
pening to his tackle, or because his horse has become
lame. On the other hand he may have dismounted to
do something for the common good of the field. At
such a time his horse may stand perfectly quiet, if no
other horse is very near it, but if horses go galloping
past it may become upset, and set about playing the
fool. It may also be difficult to mount in the open
field, and under any circumstances it stands to reason
that the rider will not have dismounted without good
cause, and the man who comes next should certainly
pause to inquire if he can be of assistance, while no
one should on any account gallop past a dismounted
horseman at top speed.

THE FIELD 145

Then, again, if a locked gate, or one which has to be
lifted, comes in the line and some one gets off to open
it, no one except the huntsman has any right to go
through until the good Samaritan is on his horse again
— unless the good Samaritan happens to be a groom,
who can pull his horse aside until the "field" is
through the gate. This is an unwritten law of the
hunting field which is very strictly adhered to, and an
infringement of it is always severely commented on.

As for catching loose horses, that is a matter of
practice, and some men can nearly always do it quickly,
while others may chase a horse round and round a field
for an hour and be beaten at the end of the time. It is
a thing the beginner should try to learn, for he may
want his own horse caught some day. Besides, there
should be unlimited give-and-take in the hunting field,
where all are in pursuit of pleasure, and where it is
every one's duty to mould his line of conduct so that it
tends to the general comfort of the field.

Perhaps, however, the most important thing for the
beginner to bear in mind, after he has mastered the
rudiments of the sport and feels that he is able to
hold his own in all ordinary circumstances, is that
good sport cannot be forthcoming every day. He
must not go out expecting that there will be a fox in
every covert, that there will always be a holding scent,
and that hounds will invariably have a brilliant forty
minutes in the morning, and a steady hunting run of
an hour and a half in the afternoon. Of such ideas he
must disabuse his mind altogether, and then when the
good things do come he will enjoy them all the more.

And above all things is it necessary to cultivate a
cheerful demeanour, and not to allow oneself to be
downhearted because of a few bad days. We once

146 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

knew a Colonial who was extremely anxious to see a
little English foxhunting. He was a superb horseman,
but had no idea how hunting was conducted in this
country. He bought a couple of horses from a dealer
on his own judgment, and good, honest horses they
were, though they had not been taught to jump a wire
fence. He also procured some quiet hunting clothes
and good saddlery, and took himself and his horses
down to a well-known hunting town on the outer
fringe of the Midlands.

As it happened he came in for a succession of good
things, for he hit upon a fortnight of wonderful scenting
weather. He got about three days out of each of his
nags — it was in the middle of the season, and they were
in hard condition when he bought them — and then he
felt that he had discovered his mission in life, and in a
week or two he had added three or four fresh horses to
his string. He then went at it again, but the sport
had changed, and about three weeks of poor days sent
his spirits down to zero. Neither did he seem to under-
stand that all foxhunting was unequal and uncertain,
and this was entirely the result of his having been so
greatly favoured at first. He disposed of his stud (at
a loss) and, as far as we know, has never hunted
since.

CHAPTER VI
HUNTING LOCALITIES

THE MIDLANDS

IT is an undoubted fact that the hunting countries
of England vary in what may almost be called an
extraordinary manner, and many men and women
there are who have followed foxhounds during the best
part of their lives, and yet are unaware of the great
physical differences which exist between one country
and another. No doubt in the early days of the sport
a huge majority of hunting men were content to
remain at home, and saw no countries except their
own and its immediate neighbours. Now people go
about much more, and the average hunting man of
to-day has a far bigger experience of localities than
his father or grandfather had, but all the same a big
majority of the hunting community hunt from home,
and are very much in the dark as to what goes on in
that part of the hunting world which does not come
under their notice.

And no doubt nine men out of ten always like best
the country they have known from childhood, and
would rather remain where they are than go elsewhere,
provided, of course, that a fair standard of sport is
maintained. Others are from disposition wanderers,
or from the force of circumstances have the chance
of seeing many countries, and such men after a while
as a general rule find that they prefer one particular

147

148 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

hunt, or group of hunts, and if possible stick to the
place of their choice. A man who has hunted early in
life in a grass country rarely takes kindly to plough,
and those who have been accustomed to big woodlands
and a hilly country are seldom at home in a flat
low-lying district, even if they find the foxes run
straighter and the sport superior. The liking or dis-
liking of a hunting country is in fact greatly a question
of early habits and of environment, and it is lucky that
this is so, for if all hunting people who could afford it
went to what are considered to be the best gallop-
ing grounds there would be ridiculous overcrowding
in certain places, and very meagre support for such
countries as were not highly favoured from a riding
point of view.

As it is the best riding countries are sometimes far
too crowded because of the great number of visitors,
while some of the provincial hunts suffer because
certain of the residents go elsewhere to hunt. But
there is probably less of this than there used to be
a few years ago, firstly because people tire of hunting
in a great crowd, and secondly because so many of
the provincial packs have been so greatly improved
that the sport they show is good enough to keep people
at home. We are not going to urge that there has
been an all-round improvement in sport all over the
country, for such is most certainly not the case.
Hounds doubtless are faster than they used to be, and
horses are on the whole better, but mange, barbed
wire, increase of population, new railways, excessive
game preservation, and a dozen minor matters have
had considerable effect upon the hunting in nine
countries out of ten, and it is because the conditions
are more equal than they used to be that the land-

HUNTING LOCALITIES 149

owner, resident in a country of no great reputation,
now so often hunts from home instead of taking up
his abode for the season in a fashionable hunt.

In earlier days men who could afford it chose their
hunting quarters in a locality where they were not only
practically certain of seeing good sport, but where they
had every reasonable chance of being able to enjoy
that sport, without being unduly hustled. They
perhaps knew that the hunting they left behind them
was good enough in its way, but the country did not
allow of a sufficiency of galloping and jumping, and
possibly the "fields" were so small that the days of
moderate sport were dull. During the last fifty years,
however, the provincial packs have been greatly im-
proved. Hound breeding has been more carefully
studied, and where there was one enthusiast there are
now a dozen. The style of hunting has changed too.
Hunt servants in the provinces are nowadays carefully
chosen, and for the most part far better mounted than
were those of a generation or two ago. Kennel
management is superior to what it used to be, and the
whole turn-out of an average provincial pack is so
greatly superior that, in spite of the modern drawbacks
to sport which have just been mentioned, as regards the
establishment a much higher all-round standard is
maintained.

Of course there are exceptions to every rule, and
it need hardly be stated here that in fifty countries,
other than the Shire countries, a high standard has
always been maintained ; but the number of fairly
smart packs has been absolutely doubled within our
recollection, and, to look for a moment at the reverse
side of the question, it would be possible to pick out
some few, very few, packs which have fallen from a

I50 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

fairly high estate to very moderate efficiency. In proof
of this we may mention two cases which we have lately
noticed in different parts of the country. One southern
pack we saw very frequently in the very early seventies.
About twenty couples of hounds were at the kennels.
The stables never contained more than six or seven
horses, including those of the master, who was also
his own huntsman. Hounds were out on two days of
the week, and the fields used to average from eight
or ten to fifteen or twenty on the most thinly-populated
side of the country, and from five-and-twenty to forty
on the other side, which extended to a fashionable
inland watering-place, though then never spoken of as
a hunting centre. In spite of this small establish-
ment the country was pretty good, and the sport very
good, and almost immediately after the date named
the conditions, as distinguished from the sport, began
to improve. Now in this particular country hounds
are out on four, and sometimes on five, days a week,
there are fifty couples of hounds at the kennels, and
about thirty horses at the hunt stables, the subscription
has been more than doubled, and the country has
acquired so good a reputation that the mastership of
the pack is eagerly sought, and the letting value of
houses and stabling has (we are told) greatly increased.
Yet the country (not being a populous one) has under-
gone little change, and though the sport is spoken of,
and written of, as very good, it is probably no better
than it was five-and-thirty years ago.

Another case is that of a semi-private pack, which
has greatly changed as to its style of hunting, and
its following. Thirty years ago the master and two
servants had a horse apiece for two days a week,
and a following so small that it often did not

HUNTING LOCALITIES 151

include a single man who was properly dressed for
hunting. The master was an enthusiast, but his en-
thusiasm was not quite the same as other people's,
and though he was himself immensely popular, and
had a wonderful huntsman, his fields were of the
smallest, and his turn-out very rough and ready. The
horses were screws, the hounds suffered from curious
experiments in breeding, and there was a lack of
smartness about the establishment, though very good
sport was at times forthcoming. In these days there
is a small subscription to the same pack, and the
country has not improved, wire being far too com-
mon and foxes all too scarce, but the establishment
would pass muster anywhere, and considering the
difficulties which the country presents, the sport is very
good indeed. A beautiful pack of hounds has been
bred, master and men are mounted on valuable horses,
each always having two out, and the smallest details of
equipment and appointment are as carefully considered
as they are in the Quorn or the Pytchley hunts.
Fields are ten times as large as they used to be, and
— as is generally the case where the master sets a good
example — both men and women are well mounted and
well turned out. A slovenly master often has a shock-
ing effect on his field, for so many think that what is
good enough for the master must be good enough for
them — a point of which a good deal was made by
Surtees in his various books.

And now we propose to give some brief description
of the hunting districts or localities. Scores of books
on hunting have been written, and quite lately an
important work, Tlie Foxhounds of Great Britain and
Ireland^ has given a historiette of every pack in the
kingdom, but the countries have never been grouped,

152 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

nor all the hunting localities described. The various
hunts have been treated in alphabetical order, and thus
in such works as that first mentioned one reads of the
Belvoir on one page and the Badsworth on the next.
Then, again, in Brooksby's Himting Countries of Great
Britam no regular order was maintained, and each
individual country was described on its merits and
with little reference to its neighbours. But the fact
is that in some localities there are groups of hunts
in which the country is for the most part similar,
while in other places the country varies in half a
dozen ways within the confines of a single hunt, and
again there are many good hunting quarters of which
little is heard, while certain other localities are perhaps
slightly overrated. That one man should be fully
acquainted with all the physical conditions of every
hunt in the kingdom is practically impossible, but
when a system of observing the peculiarities of many
countries has been carried on for many years, and
when actual field experience has been gained in half
the existing countries of England, then the result of
such experience should be of some small value.

To all who are versed in hunting knowledge it is
known that certain packs hunting in Leicestershire,
Lincolnshire, Rutlandshire, and Northamptonshire are
spoken of, written of, and generally known as the
"Shire" packs, but how the description arose, and
who was the author or godfather of the phrase, is
not known, nor could the talented writers of the
Badminton Library Hunting Volume elucidate the
mystery. What is certain is that those packs which
alone have a right to be called "Shire" packs are
the Quorn, Cottesmore, Belvoir, Mr. Fernie's (which
was originally part of the Quorn), the Pytchley, and

■^

HUNTING LOCALITIES 153

the Woodland Pytchley, which is an offshoot of the
Pytchley proper. By many these Midland hunts are
termed the grass countries, and there are those among
hunting men who will not allow of any other country
being classified in a similar manner, though in point
of fact it is a matter of considerable doubt as to
whether there are not other countries in which the
percentage of grass is not as great as it is in the
Shires. Indeed, with regard to the Bel voir, plough
predominates on the Lincolnshire side of the country,
and hounds are practically two days in each week
on the grass (on the Leicestershire side of the country),
and two days in country in which plough is in the
ascendant. As for the Quorn possibly four-fifths of it
is grass, but it is impossible to determine the exact
proportion, and a very similar remark applies to the
country hunted by Mr. Fernie, of which the compiler
of the descriptive matter in Baily's Hunting Directory
states that quite five-sixths of its area is grass, with
very little plough and woodland. The Cottesmore,
like the Belvoir, has a good deal of plough on the
eastern side of the country, but a greater part of the
hunting takes place in pasture land, and as a matter
of fact this country extends a long way eastwards,
and has a great deal of Lincolnshire fen country within
its rightful area, though hounds are seldom there.

The Pytchley has two large sections of grass, in
the northern and southern districts of the hunt, some
plough mixed with the grass in the centre, and a good
deal of plough on the eastern side, while the Wood-
land Pytchley is three-quarters pasture and one-
quarter plough and woodland.

Now following up the descriptions of countries which
are to be found in Baily's Hunting Directory^ the

154 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

Blackmore Vale is spoken of as ''chiefly pasture,
there being very little plough," the Cattistock as
''chiefly pasture, with a little light plough and some
downlands " ; the Morpeth has " 70 % of pasture, 5 % of
plough, 15% of woodlands, and 10% of moorland,"
while the description of the Tynedale states " north of
the Tyne it is practically all grass ; south of the Tyne
it is woodland country." (Hounds only go south
of the Tyne during cub-hunting and late in the
spring.) Then in Ireland the Meath country is
"nearly all pasture with very little plough." The
Kildare country is " practically all grass," the Galway
is "nearly all pasture, there being no plough and
no great extent of woodland." The East Galway is
"chiefly grass with a good deal of moorland," the
Muskerry has "about 80 % of pasture," and the Tipper-
ary is " practically all grass, there being little woodland,
and neither moorland nor plough."

Thus we see that there are other grass countries
beyond the Shires, but nevertheless that group
of Midland hunts to which the first place for excellence
of country is always given, is beyond doubt the finest
hunting arena in the kingdom. To begin with there
is a far bigger tract of the really first-rate country
in Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, and Rutland-
shire than is to be found elsewhere. Half a dozen
hunts, all closely adjacent to each other, may be said
with truth to form the grass countries, or "Shires,"
and as to which of these half-dozen is actually the best
there is, and there always has been, great diversity of
opinion. Pasture lands, strongly fenced, are the
galloping grounds of these highly favoured countries,
and when it is added that the enclosures are for the
most part of wide extent, that during the winter there

HUNTING LOCALITIES 155

is very little wire to be found, that big woodlands
are remarkably scarce, that there are few obstructions
in the way of gills, or ravines, and that a bold rider can
follow hounds almost everywhere, it will be understood
that a foxhunter's paradise still exists in this particular
part of the Midlands. Then, too, the coverts are
generally small, and foxes seldom hang to them, but
go away at once, and the grass on the majority of
hunting days carries at least a fair scent. Drawbacks
there may be to the Shires, but there are drawbacks
of sorts to every hunting country in the kingdom,
and probably there are fewer in the extra-fashionable
hunts than elsewhere. There are those who object
to the ridge and furrow of the grass, but this is a
matter which troubles new-comers more than the
habitues, and those who hunt in the Shires hardly
notice the uneven ground after they have had some
experience of galloping over it. Where hunting
in these particular Midland hunts differs from
hunting elsewhere is in the pace. It is not to be
supposed that hounds actually run faster in the Quorn,
Pytchley, or Cottesmore than they do in other countries,
but they are more favoured by open country than in
many other hunts, and as they so often find their foxes
in small gorse coverts they as often have the chance
of what is generally called "getting away on the top
of their fox." It therefore results that time after time
foxes have to fly for their lives the moment hounds are
in covert, and in consequence the quick hunt is com-
moner in the Shires than it is in countries where the
coverts are larger, and the fox is able to take a turn or
two before he slips away.

Whether the average of sport, looked at from every
point of view, is better in the Shires than it is in some

156 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

of the best provincial countries is a question which
cannot be answered offhand, as so much depends
upon individual ideas of sport. That there is more
quick galloping, and that there are more big fences
to be jumped in Leicestershire and Northamptonshire
than there are in the average good provincial hunt,
admits of no doubt, but there are hunts in which
hounds can certainly be seen to greater advantage,
and in which the average number of kills after really
good runs would work out quite as well. In fact, in
these days the question of individual taste enters
largely into the matter, and whilst men who have been
brought up in the Shires, and have hunted there from
their earliest days, will not allow that any other
countries can approach them, there are those who have
tried the crack Midland hunts and have afterwards
gone elsewhere. What really is the chief drawback to
the Shires is the overcrowding. To those who have
hunted there all their lives the large crowd is a matter
of course, but for all that the great numbers which
attend the most popular meets of the most fashionable
packs cause the sport on many days to be poorer than
it ought to be. Hounds, in fact, are constantly over-
ridden on days of moderate scent, and are in conse-
quence driven beyond the line of their fox. At times
the master has his field in hand and is able to stop this
over-riding, but it frequently happens that the front of
the field is widely spread, and if hounds are checking
in every enclosure, it is impossible for a master or field
master to be everywhere, and therefore much harm is
done.

Then, too, where so many riders are in the field it is
no easy matter to get near hounds merely because of
the great numbers. Some there are who, no matter

HUNTING LOCALITIES 157

how large the crowd may be, invariably shoot to the
front immediately hounds begin to run, but these men
and women are gifted with a certain knack, and not
once in a dozen times are they stopped from taking
their customary places at the beginning of a run.

Strangers who visit the Shires in these days must
not only be good men to hounds, but must be quick to
make up their minds, or they will indubitably be left.
Just at the moment, however, we are not discussing
hunting from a riding point of view, and to get back
to the subject in hand, the Shires are doubtless the
best place for what may be called the unattached hunt-
ing folk whose social position is very good. By un-
attached in this connection we mean those well-to-do
hunting men and women who have no location or ties
in any provincial country, but are at liberty to hunt
where they like. Such men and women can probably
get bigger value for their money in the crack hunts of
the Midlands than they can elsewhere, but they must
be prepared to pay at a fairly high rate for their sport.
High-class hunters, well bred, well conditioned, and
gifted with stamina are an absolute necessity for
ninety-nine men out of a hundred in the Shires.
There is, of course, the odd man in a hundred and
the odd woman in a thousand who can get to the front
on horses which no one else can ride, and which can
probably be bought for ^50 or less. But because one
man is at home on a horse which the average hunting
man cannot ride with comfort, it does not follow that
the latter can buy anything fit to live with hounds over
a galloping country at the same price, and as a matter
of fact the rank and file of a Leicestershire field must
either be well mounted, or be content to ride half a
mile or more behind hounds all day.

158 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

Underbred horses are as much out of place in the
Shires as a selling plater is in the Ascot Cup, and
though there are men who can even go to the front on
very moderate horses in some of the provincial hunts,
the same trick cannot be performed in the Shires.
Doubtless readers, will remember Mr. Sawyer's wonder-
ful ride on Marathon, as described by Whyte Melville,
and if they do it will not be forgotten that Marathon
was only a common, underbred beast, who merely
distinguished himself because he got through an
apparently impossible fence.

Not only are good horses a necessity, but a smart
turn-out is imperative, and though good clothes and
good saddlery cost little more than indifferent ones,
Leicestershire requires quantity as well as quality, if
hunting is to be indulged in on four or five days of the
week. Boots, breeches, coats, and habits cannot be
brought out day after day without becoming all too
quickly shabby. Should the rider come home wet, too,
the drying of his or her clothes should be a very
gradual process, and the same thing applies to saddlery.
Indeed, after considerable experience, and much con-
sideration of the subject, we have come to the conclusion
that all hunting men and women should, if they can
afford it, be provided with a full rig-out for each day of
the week on which they hunt, and if economy is an
object they should at least be prepared with two sets
of clothes for every three days of sport. As regards
saddles and bridles much depends upon the horses.
We have known men who on every occasion of their
getting a new horse had a man down from a crack
London saddler to measure the new purchase for a
saddle, and we have known others who managed well
on to a hundred days a season with one good saddle,

HUNTING LOCALITIES 159

and a deputy which was only employed when the good
saddle had had a thorough soaking. The saddle ques-
tion is indeed one which varies greatly according to the
skill and care of the stud-groom, but some ladies are
very particular, and not long ago we saw an acquaint-
ance on a railway platform whose maid was watching
over a pyramid of luggage, amongst which was a pal-
pable saddlery chest. "Where are you going?" we
asked, and were told that the lady was going to stay
in Hampshire, and that she hoped to hunt two days
a week with foxhounds, and two days with harriers.
She was taking three saddles with her, and we may
add that she was a consummate horsewoman, and
thoroughly well versed in all that pertains to stable
management. She knew in fact that she was not carry-
ing useless luggage about the country, and that
absolutely dry saddles are a necessity if sore backs are
to be avoided.

And here it may be appropriate to remark that more
sore backs are caused by using a damp saddle than by
anything else. Broadly speaking, no saddle should be
used two days in succession, for a saddle can hardly
become thoroughly dry in a single night. Of course
we do not mean to suggest that if a saddle is used on
Monday and again on Tuesday the last wearer of it is
bound to have a sore back. But as a matter of fact
every horse who goes through a run sweats freely
enough to make the inside of his saddle very wet, and
in a general way the saddle is not really dry for at
least twenty-four hours. We remember many years
ago going, in company with a well-known artist of
horse and hound, to look over a pack of hounds in
kennel. It was at the end of the season, and a brilliant
spring morning, and below the saddle-room window

i6o THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

was a row of saddles, which had been used on the
previous day, with the insides placed to catch the sun.
We pointed it out to the artist, who promptly made a
sketch, and this duly appeared in the Graphic^ but how
long ago we do not remember.

Once when visiting the Devon and Somerset country
in September we were struck with the extraordinary
number of sore backs we found, or heard of among the
hirelings, and discovered that business was so brisk
that even if the horses were rested once or twice a week
the saddles were always in use, and were brought out
almost everyday. The consequence was that not suffi-
cient time was allowed for the drying process, and as
has been remarked, very often a damp saddle will give
a horse a sore back, more especially if the saddle is lined
with leather. Leather takes even longer to dry properly
than the ordinary padding of the average saddle, and in
this particular case leather-lined saddles, or leather
rummalls, were largely used.

The would-be Meltonian, then, must grudge no
expense in horseflesh, in hunting clothes, and in sad-
dlery. He must also subscribe liberally to each pack
with which he hunts, and must also be prepared to
subscribe to the many funds which are maintained by
hunting men. Beyond the ordinary subscription there
are in many packs extra funds for rent of coverts,
poultry, damage of all sorts, and the removing and
replacing of wire. There are, too, the Hunt Servants'
Benefit Society and the Royal Agricultural Benevolent
Institution, and the hunting man of means should
make a point of subscribing to all these. Then, too,
local agricultural societies, testimonials, and tips to the
hunt servants must all be borne in mind, and in point
of fact the stranger who goes into any country with

HUNTING LOCALITIES i6i

which he has no connection for the express purpose of
hunting must be prepared to put his hand into his
pocket for all sorts of objects. He need not necessarily
be imposed upon as Mr. Puffington was when he
bought the Hanby House estate and became a master
of hounds, and if he has doubts as to the bona fides of
any particular fund he is asked to subscribe to, he will
always be able to find out the genuineness (or other-
wise) of the affair by applying to the secretary of the
hunt.

Another matter of considerable expense in the Shires
is house rent, for the best houses are quickly snapped
up, and only those which are wide of a majority of the
meets hang fire. Melton Mowbray is undoubtedly
the best and most popular centre, because four of the
Shire packs are within reach, and it is possible to hunt
on six days of the week, without, except perhaps on
Thursday, having to go very long distances to covert.
On Monday and Friday the Quorn is chiefly patronised
by those hunting from Melton. On Tuesday the
Cottesmore are generally handy, and on Wednesday
the Belvoir are in the Croxton Park country, and
seldom meet more than half a dozen miles from the
town sacred to foxhunting and pork pies. Thursday is
as a rule the most difficult day of the week. The
Cottesmore and Mr. Fernie's hounds are both out on
that day, but meeting them often involves a somewhat
long journey to covert. The Quorn do not profess to
hunt on Thursdays, but frequently have a bye day,
and all the Quorn country can be reached from Melton
by any one who is determined to get all the sport he
can. Friday has been already alluded to, and is the
most popular day of the week with the Quorn, while on
Saturday the Meltonian hunts with the Belvoir or
II

i62 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

Cottesmore, and as a rule one or other of these packs
meet close to Melton on this day.

Much of the Quorn country, too, can be reached
from Leicester, and Mr. Fernie's hounds also come
right up to this Midland town, while a corner of the
Atherstone country is well within riding distance. But
whereas Melton Mowbray is still of no great size, and
retains its countrified appearance, Leicester has be-
come a huge manufacturing town, with a large indus-
trial population, and though placed almost in the heart
of the Shires, it is by no means a sporting place. We
have seen Mr. Fernie's hounds in the outskirts of
Leicester more than once, and have a vivid recollection
of their crossing the racecourse at Oadby, in full cry,
while a steeplechase meeting was in progress ; and
whilst this speaks for the fact that Leicester is a handy
enough place to hunt from, it is nevertheless the case
that no one who can have his hunting quarters in the
pure, undiluted country will care to spend the winter in
a manufacturing town. There are, of course, nooks
and corners in the town of Leicester which are redolent
of foxhunting, and legend galore of the early days of
the Quorn hangs round the old Bell Hotel, which was
once well patronised by hunting men, but new bricks
and mortar, electric trams, steam foundries, and tall
chimneys have caused such an alteration in the place
that even the Quornites of the mid-Victorian period
would fail to recognise it now.

And this was vividly brought to our notice by
a stranger we met in the train. Journeying from
St. Pancras we had for vis-a-vis an elderly man of
sporting cut, who at once gave tongue, and was soon
hard at work on the line. After five minutes of gener-
alities he whipped on to fox, and he told story after

HUNTING LOCALITIES 163

story of Devonshire hunting. He also observed inci-
dentally that he was a doctor, and that nearly fifty
years before he had for a time acted as assistant to
a country practitioner in the neighbourhood of Syston.
He was travelling for pleasure, and was going to re-
visit Syston merely because he had never been in
Leicestershire since he had left it half a century before.
We were going to Loughborough, and our friend left
us at Leicester, intending to drive from that town to
Syston. Curiously enough, on the evening of the fol-
lowing day the old gentleman got into the train by
which we were returning to town, and all the babble of
horse and hound had gone. He was sorry he had re-
visited the country which he knew in Lord Stamford's
day, and his chief cause for sorrow was that Leicester
had grown out of knowledge, that the road to Sileby
was a street for a great part of its distance, and that
much of the country about Syston and Sileby had suc-
cumbed to the builder, while the limeworks and brick-
works had greatly increased in size. "Indeed, if all
the Quorn country has changed as it has between
Leicester and Barrow-on-Soar, I don't know where
hounds can hunt," he exclaimed ; but he brisked up
when we told him he had seen the most populous
district in the hunt, and a few minutes later he was
drinking the toast of " Foxhunting " in as good a glass
of champagne as the Midland dining-train could
supply.

Loughborough, too, commands practically all of the
Quorn country — indeed, we might say with truth that
any one who wishes to hunt all four days with the
Quorn, and does not care about any other pack, could
not do better than pitch his tent at Loughborough. It
is quite in the centre of the hunt ; the old kennels were

i64 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

close to it, and the new ones are situated at no great
distance away. But it is a dull spot on a non-hunting
day, and unless a man happens to be hail fellow well
met with the whole countryside, he will find time hang
very heavy on his hands.

After Melton Mowbray, however. Market Har-
borough has undoubtedly the strongest claims of any
of the Shire resorts. It is some twenty miles south of
Melton Mowbray, and about half the distance from
Leicester, and the Quorn are almost out of reach,
except by boxing, or sending on horses overnight.
On the other hand, the Pytchley, Woodland Pytchley,
and Mr. Fernie's all come together hereabouts, and the
Cottesmore country is only a few miles away.

There are those who are of opinion that from a riding
point of view the country round Harborough is the
most difficult in the Shires, and most certainly one can
easily find ox-fences of the most formidable character ;
but the whole district is well gated, and it is not abso-
lutely necessary that all the biggest fences should be
jumped. And by the way, it is a good thing that only
a portion of every hunting crowd is in the habit of
riding straight to hounds. In every field in every
country there are men and women who will go quite
straight until they are pulled up by some impossible
ravine, or by a fall, but it is also the case that in every
hunt there is a contingent, varying more or less in size,
which attempts to see as much as possible of what
hounds are doing, and which yet " declines extra risk,"
as Jorrocks put it. Were the full strength of a big
field all to ride, or try to ride the exact line of hounds
an enormous amount of damage would be done, for
every fence would be flattened in half a dozen places
before every one got over or through, and there would

HUNTING LOCALITIES 165

in consequence be trouble with the farmers, or unwar-
ranted expense incurred by the hunt.

And that the Shires are well gated is probably well
known to all hunting men. Occupation roads are
exceedingly numerous, and very often where there is a
strong boundary fence between one farm and the next
there is also a mode of exit by gate. We thoroughly
realised this when staying near Market Harborough in
the month of July not many years ago. The weather
was exceedingly hot, and our host was in the habit of
riding for a couple of hours every morning at a very
early hour. We accompanied him on several mornings,
visiting many of the most famous coverts in the district,
and invariably riding by country lanes, occupation
roads, and through fields. The high roads we never
seemed to touch, and though the country was at a
casual glance quite impracticable to a comparative
stranger who wished to ride from one covert to another
by means of gates, our friend, who knew it well, was
able to find his way everywhere, and was never pounded,
not even when he showed us the first few miles of
the line taken in the great Waterloo run during the
late Colonel Anstruther Thomson's mastership of the
Pytchley.

As regards the hunt just named Market Harborough
is on its north-eastern border, and though much of
the best of the Pytchley country is within reach of
the town, the hunting man who takes up his quarters
at Harborough will probably hunt as often with Mr.
Fernie's pack as with any other, while for the
Pytchley itself there are other places which are much
more central. These will be mentioned just now, but
first of all reference must be made to the Cottesmore
country, of which Brooksby wrote: "For the truest

i66 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

sport, the straightest foxes, for long runs and fast
runs, commend us to the wild pastures of the Cottes-
more." Extending a long way from east to west
this country does not actually touch Market Har-
borough, but its south-western corner is within four
miles of the town, and certain meets are within easy
riding distance. But Harborough residents, like
those of Melton, must hunt with several packs, if
they attend all the meets within reach, and of the
four countries they can choose from the Cottesmore
is the least handy. Oakham, on the other hand, is in
the centre of the best of the Cottesmore country, and
any one wishing to devote four days a week to this
particular pack would be best placed there. Stamford,
too, is just within Cottesmore domains, and handy for
much of Mr. George Fitzwilliam's country, and
Uppingham is also a Cottesmore town, from which
Mr. Fernie's and the Woodland Pytchley can be
easily reached.

Another Midland town which attracts hunting folk in
considerable numbers is Rugby, between which place
and London there is a wonderful train service by two
lines of railway. Rugby is actually within the limits
of the North Warwickshire Hunt, but the Atherstone
boundary is within two miles of the town, the Pytchley
country is not more than double that distance away,
while the Warwickshire and Mr. Fernie's are both
within riding distance on one day of the week. Those
who hunt from Rugby cannot confine their operations
to the Shire packs proper — unless indeed they choose to
hunt by train on two or three days of the week — but
the Atherstone and the two divisions of the Warwick-
shire are good countries, and as a matter of fact there
are those who place the Warwickshire country in its

HUNTING LOCALITIES 167

entirety on a level with any country in the kingdom.
It is for the most part a grass country, and in this
respect it is better than the Atherstone or North War-
wickshire, but it is a country of great extent, and some
of the best of it is wide of Rugby. The drawback (if
there is any drawback to hunting in the Midlands) to
Rugby as a centre is that, like Market Harborough and
Melton Mowbray, it involves three or four subscriptions
to those who hunt four or five days a week. Otherwise
the place is a pleasant one, which gains in popularity
every year, and where there is perhaps a little more life
on non-hunting days than there is at Market Har-
borough or Oakham.

For the two Warwickshire packs Leamington and
Warwick are very handy, and the first-named town, being
an inland watering-place, offers attractions which are
not to be found at the purely market towns. Indeed,
hunting men and women who do not care for the great
crowds, and the heavy expenses connected with hunt-
ing in the Shires, who have no country location of
their own, and are not more interested in one hunt
than another, but who are yet desirous of obtaining a
fair amount of sport, should look for winter quarters at
an inland watering-place, and the best of these are to
be found in the Western Midlands.

Many hunting folk there are, of both sexes, who can
pick and choose their quarters, and who yet are hardly
desirous of obtaining what is generally considered to
be the very best sport. Some of them may be too old
for the flying bursts so often met with in Leicestershire
or Northamptonshire ; others may have been entered
to smaller fields and a quieter style of hunting, and
may be content with two or three days a week. The
Shires are right enough for the man or woman who

i68 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

has a strong stud, and desires to hunt on every avail-
able day, but for the ordinary individual with leisure
and a certain amount of means such towns as Leaming-
ton, Cheltenham, and Malvern particularly appeal,
because there is plenty of society in these towns,
good clubs, and bridge, which is probably unlimited
as regards the quantity of it to be had, and limited as
regards the points which are played.

It is argued that Leamington is in these days to
some extent a suburb of Birmingham, and Coventry,
though situated in pleasant country, and very handy
for the Atherstone and North Warwickshire, is not
quite a watering-place, being, in point of fact, a manu-
facturing town ; but Cheltenham and Malvern are
watering-places and nothing else, and both are good
if provincial hunting centres. Hunting from Chelten-
ham means for the most part hunting with the Cots-
wold hounds, though other packs can be reached with
a little trouble, notably the Berkeley (Lord Fitz-
hardinge's), the V.W.H. (Earl Bathurst's), the Croome,
the Ledbury, and the North Cotswold. The kennels
of the Cotswold are close to the town of Cheltenham,
and hounds are out three and sometimes four days a
week, all the meets being within riding distance of the
town.

Malvern is, perhaps, a better centre than Chelten-
ham, for it is almost at the division of the Ledbury
and Croome hunts, and the Worcestershire can be
reached at times, as can the North Herefordshire, occa-
sionally on the Bromyard side of the country. The
Ledbury and the Croome, however, are out four and
three days in each week respectively, and the former
pack often have an extra day ; nearly all of the Led-
bury country is within reach of Malvern if an occa-

HUNTING LOCALITIES 169

sional long trot to covert is not objected to, while the
same remark applies to the greater part of the Croome
country, so that any one living on the famous hill can,
if he is so disposed, hunt every day. And the hunting
is wonderfully good, there being a fair amount of
grass in both Ledbury and Croome domains, while the
plough is not particularly deep. Some big woodlands
there are, but for all that the bulk of the hunting is in
the open, and the Ledbury is, on the whole, a fair
scenting country, while the Worcestershire has a bad
reputation in this respect.

Bath, another inland watering-place, is not very well
placed for hunting. It lies on the boundary of the
Duke of Beaufort's Hunt, but there is seldom any fox-
hunting on the Bristol side of the town, and thus the
Badminton pack are not very often within an easy ride of
the city. There is a pack of harriers at Bath, and some
few of the northern meets of the South and West Wilts
are not very far away, but any one living there, and
wishing to hunt several days in the week, would have
to hunt by train very often. Still, the Duke of Beaufort's
hounds attract many visitors every season, and these,
as a rule, take houses, or find quarters at Chippenham,
Cirencester, Tetbury, or Chipping Sodbury, and de-
vote a portion of their time to one of the two V.W.H.
packs. Chippenham and Calne are the most import-
ant towns near the centre of the hunt, and there is an
hotel — the ''Portcullis" — close to one of the gates of
Badminton Park.

But hunting quarters from which several important
packs can be reached are very numerous in the Mid-
lands, and mention may be made of other places which
from time to time are visited by strangers, and where
the letting of houses, chiefly for hunting purposes, is

I70 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

common enough. Thus Broadway and Evesham, in
the North Cotswold country, are suitable centres,
especially the first-named, which commands some of
the Warwickshire Vale. Banbury, too, which is close
to the junction of the Heythrop, Bicester, and War-
wickshire, and by no means remote from some of the
Grafton country; Moreton-in-the-Marsh, where the best
of the Heythrop and much of the Warwickshire are
the nearest countries ; Faringdon, where hunting with
the Old Berks and V.W.H. (Cricklade) can be en-
joyed ; Burford, where the two last-named packs and
the Bradwell Grove country (in fact, all the Southern
Heythrop country) can be reached ; Oxford, from
which hunting with the Old Berks, South Oxfordshire,
Heythrop, and Bicester can be chosen ; Bicester, in
the centre of the country of that name, and Bucking-
ham, handy for some of the Bicester, the Grafton, and
Whaddon Chase. Then there are Bletchley and Leigh-
ton Buzzard, in the Whaddon Chase country, but also
handy for Lord Rothschild's staghounds, and Ayles-
bury, where there is a wide and grand grass vale,
hunted over by the Whaddon Chase, the South Ox-
fordshire, and the Old Berkeley (West), as well as the
aforementioned staghound pack. The vale of Ayles-
bury justly bears a very great reputation, both as scent-
ing and galloping ground ; it is practically all grass,
and is strongly fenced, with many brooks meandering
about it, and the best of it is within reach of Leighton,
Winslow, and Bletchley, though Aylesbury is perhaps
nearest its centre.

HUNTING LOCALITIES 171

THE HOME AND SOUTHERN COUNTIES

Of hunting centres close to London there are some
which are convenient enough, but none of the countries
can compare with those to be found in the Midlands,
big woodlands and steep hills being all too common
on the south side of the Metropolis, while more open
country with much cold scenting plough is the chief
feature of those hunts which lie to the north of the
capital. Still, hunting is carried on most vigorously
in nearly a score of what may be called metropolitan
hunts, and nearly everywhere there are large fields
of regular followers, and an enthusiasm which is far
beyond that to be found in a really fashionable hunt.
And of boxing from London there is practically none
in these days, nineteen-twentieths of the London
hunting community having long since taken up their
quarters in the particular hunt they incline to, while
the odd twentieth, if he trains up and down from town,
keeps his horses in the country.

Dealing first with the north side there are the two
divisions of the Old Berkeley, the Hertfordshire, the
Puckeridge, the Essex, and the Essex Union, all of
which have country, even now, within about twenty
miles of London. Time was when some of them
hunted much nearer to the suburbs than they now do,
and notably the Essex used to come within eight or
ten miles of the centre of the city, while within the
last few years we have ourselves seen the Old Berkeley
within a mile of Uxbridge, and only fifteen miles from
town. The Hertfordshire, too, come a long way south
occasionally, but the Puckeridge country has its south-
ern boundary further away, north of the River Lea,

172 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

on its course between Hertford and Broxbourne.
Bricks and mortar have driven all these packs back,
but, curiously enough, when once a certain limit is
passed many of the metropolitan countries are fairly
wild, and by no means populous. Indeed, nowhere
in the Midlands is there a country of so small a popula-
tion as that to be found right across the northern part
of the Puckeridge Hunt, and a similar remark applies
to the extreme north of the Essex country.

Excessive woodland is the weak point of both
divisions of the Old Berkeley country, there being a
great deal of it, with light plough and a little pasture
as well. The plough carries a moderate scent, but, as
has been stated, part of the famous vale of Aylesbury
is within the confines of this hunt, and between them
the two packs are out on four different days of the week.
Amersham is near the centre of the Old Berkeley West,
and Rickmansworth is a handy spot for the eastern
side of the country. The recently made Great Central
Railway has opened out the western portion of this hunt
very much of late years, and a good deal of building is
being done in districts that were rural and primitive to a
degree less than a dozen years ago. The Hertfordshire
is a plough country, and mostly cold scenting land ;
there are considerable woodlands, and a little pasture,
but the country is a big one, hunted by a four-days-a-
week pack, and when the land is wet sport is often
first-rate.

Indeed, this is the case in the adjoining Puckeridge
country, and to some extent in the Essex country also,
but if one may write from personal observation the
Essex country carries a better scent when the land
is dry than does the Puckeridge or the Hertfordshire.
Like the Hertfordshire, the Essex and Puckeridge

HUNTING LOCALITIES 173

are four-days-a-week packs, with countries which are
large in area, but the two last named have far less
woodland than the Hertfordshire, and the Puckeridge
is one of the most open countries in the kingdom,
especi,ally on its northern side.

Fields are very large at times with both packs, and
Bishop's Stortford is probably the best centre, as from
this place an industrious man can hunt every day in the
week with either the Puckeridge or the Essex. The
town first named is within Puckeridge limits, but some
of the nearest coverts are neutral to the two hunts, not-
ably Takeley Forest, the finest cub-hunting ground we
ever saw. Of plough countries the Essex and Puckeridge
are generally considered to be the best in the kingdom,
and it may be mentioned that during the autumn the
stubbles afford grand galloping, and, naturally enough,
with so much arable land in the district much of it cannot
be ploughed until quite late in the season. Londoners
form the bulk of the field with both packs, but they
are Londoners who reside in either of the countries.

The Essex Union is also a four-days-a-week pack,
with a country which is being rapidly acquired by
the builder in some districts, and is remarkably
wild in others. It contains rather more grass than
its neighbours, and has good scenting land on the
extreme east, nearest the sea, but the biggest fields
are to be found on the Chelmsford side of the country,
where many of the hunting residents divide their
favours between this pack and the Essex, some of
them occasionally going to the East Essex as well.
The pack just named is hardly a metropolitan one,
a remark which also applies to the Essex and Suffolk,
the Suffolk, the Cambridgeshire, and the Newmarket
and Thurlow. Nor are any of the countries good enough

174 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

from a riding point of view to attract strangers, for in all
of them there is more plough than grass, and excessive
game preservation is a feature of many districts in
each of these hunts. The following in each is fairly
local, but very good sport is at times obtained, and
both the present and the lately retired master of the
Essex and Suffolk are great enthusiasts and most suc-
cessful breeders of hounds. Perhaps the Cambridge-
shire has more grass than the Essex countries, and
not only has this pack a fine history, but it has
some famous names on its bead-roll of past masters,
and it can boast of being almost entirely free from
wire.

The Newmarket and Thurlow country was hunted
at one time by the famous Mr. George Osbaldeston,
who held the then Thurlow country concurrently with
the Pytchley, and journeyed to and fro the two
countries, travelling at night, and very often doing
the distance on hacks, which had been sent forward
to various towns on the road. Saffron Walden, it
may be mentioned, is almost at the junction of this
hunt, the Essex, and the Puckeridge, and any one
living there can command the Puckeridge Monday
country, some of their Tuesday or Wednesday country,
one day with the Newmarket and Thurlow (generally
Thursday), while the Essex Fridays are always close at
hand. There is something comic about the idea of
Saffron Walden being a good hunting centre, but for a
man who must be in town two days a week, and can
hunt on the other four, it is by no means to be despised,
and personally we have seen rattling good sport, both
with the Puckeridge and Essex, within a few miles of
the town.

On the west side of London, in addition to the Old

HUNTING LOCALITIES 175

Berkeley, which have already been mentioned, there
are the Garth and the South Berks hunts, of which the
first named comes nearest to London in the country
about Chertsey and Virginia Water, or in the neigh-
bourhood of Maidenhead Thicket, or Hawthorn Hill.
The country is a large one, but its hunting opera-
tions do not extend to the London side of the Thames,
so that its northern or eastern boundary is over twenty
miles away, while in a southerly direction the country
reaches almost to Odiham in Hants, where it joins
the H.H. Though some of its area has been lately
built over to a considerable extent, there is still much
good country in the Garth Hunt, and none better
from a riding point of view than that which lies im-
mediately to the south of the Bath road between
Maidenhead and Reading, as far as the South-Western
Railway line from Staines to Reading. South of this
railway Chobham Ridges is a huge open common,
but the heavily wooded Swinley Forest is also of vast
extent, and the latter is hardly an ideal foxhunting
district. On the Hampshire side of the country there
is little population, but the meets are somewhat remote
for the average follower who resides in the Ascot and
Windsor district, and hounds lie out every Thursday
night before hunting in the (often known as) Hartford
Bridge district. The pack hunt four days a week,
and the fields are generally large, though perhaps
largest in the Windsor district. Strangers, naturally
enough, visit this pack a good deal at odd times, but
the bulk of the following is composed of residents,
and when it is stated that Windsor, Ascot, Maiden-
head, and Wokingham are actually within the hunt,
while Henley, Reading, Aldershot, Farnham, and
other important residential places are on its boun-

176 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

daries, its success and great popularity can be easily
understood.

The South Berks Hunt is really too far from town
to be called a metropolitan hunt, and it should perhaps
be included in a group with such hunts as the Vine,
the Craven, the South Oxfordshire, and the H.H., as
hunting people reside within its confines who are also
able to hunt with one or other of these packs. The head-
quarters of the hunt are practically at Reading, the ken-
nels being situated some four miles to the west of the
biscuit town, but many of the regular followers of this
pack live in the Kennet Valley, as far south as New-
bury, while others are scattered amongst the Thames-
side towns. Part of the country is north of the
Thames, the market-place at Henley being an occa-
sional fixture ; and here it may be stated that Henley
is a fair hunting centre, as it is only six or seven
miles from the Garth kennels, can command all the
Oxfordshire and some of the Berkshire country of the
South Berks, and is only four or five miles from the
South Oxfordshire boundary in the neighbourhood
of Nettlebed. There is also a smart pack of harriers
in the immediate neighbourhood of the town.

Continuing with the London hunts, and approaching
from the west side, we have the Surrey Union, which
joins the Garth Hunt near Chertsey and Ripley, and
the Old Surrey further east. Practically the Surrey
Union hounds hunt the whole of West Surrey, though
the Garth come into the country about Chertsey and
Windlesham, and the Chiddingfold have their kennels
and some part of their country in Surrey. The
Surrey Union may fairly be termed a London hunt,
seeing that it comes (very occasionally now) as near
to town as Worcester Park, and is frequently within

HUNTING LOCALITIES 177

a mile or two of Esher. Not so long ago the suburbs
ceased at the village first named, but huge areas of
land have now been requisitioned by the builder in
the neighbourhood of Weybridge and Woking, and
the hunting line has been gradually forced to the
south of the Guildford railway. At Cobham, too,
building estates are being laid out, but for all that
the Surrey Union have a great deal of wild, thinly-
populated country, which, though hilly in places, is
productive of capital sport. Those who know the
district will be aware that there are comparatively
few railways in Surrey. On the eastern side of this
hunt there is the Brighton line to Dorking, Horsham,
and Portsmouth, and on the extreme west the South-
western line to Portsmouth. Between these two there
are no railways beyond the loop line from Surbiton
and Leatherhead to Guildford, and as a matter of fact
one may hunt all day with the Surrey Union hounds
without seeing a railway, or even a village. Indeed, in
the greater part of the country one might be a hundred
miles from town instead of within thirty, and this is
accounted for by the fact of there being (as stated) few
railways, no towns except on the outskirts of the hunt,
many large residential estates which are too far away
to attract the builder, and lastly because of the physical
conformation of a great part of the country. Fields
are largest, perhaps, in the country nearest Leatherhead,
or where hounds meet near the old Surrey boundary
in the neighbourhood of Walton-on-the-Heath or
Tadworth, but the best country is vale land below the
hills, and possibly the best of this is on the Burstow
boundary, east of Dorking, about Betchworth and
Leigh. Hounds are generally out three days a week,
and it is the case that hard riders are in this hunt as
12

178 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

plentiful as blackberries in autumn. The field live, for
the most part, about Leatherhead, Dorking, Epsom, and
Guildford, but of course some of them reside further
south ; all are enthusiastic, and the establishment is
conducted on the most orthodox principles.

For many years we have marvelled over the word-
pictures which Surtees drew of the Old Surrey hounds,
and have never been able to realise how much of his
descriptions was true and how much chaff. For our
own part we saw the pack in question as long ago
as during the mastership of Messrs. Mortimer and
Nicholl, and the Surrey Union, when Mr. Francis Scott
or Mr. J. Barnard Hankey were in office. We never
had more than an odd day at that time with either pack,
and indeed we rode from London to more than one
Surrey Union fixture. We had, however, previously
seen all the Shire packs in the field, many of those
which hunt in the Western Midlands, and several of
the most important northern packs. We had there-
fore some experience and some knowledge of how
things should be done, and having always been great
readers of Surtees' works we had come to believe that
we should see something comic in the Old Surrey
Hunt, in spite of the fact that Surtees had written his
accounts of hunting in Surrey some thirty years before.
But we had not been five minutes at a meet before we
discovered that if the accounts which Surtees gave had
been true thirty years before, they could not be recon-
ciled for a moment now. The turn-out of the establish-
ment was just like that of any other hunt. The men
were better dressed and better mounted than we had
seen the servants of much more important hunts ; the
packs were good-looking and level, and the hunting
was conducted on correct enough lines.

HUNTING LOCALITIES 179

One remembers the story of the great hunting critic
who went on a visit of inspection to a provincial pack,
and who, after speaking of the correct way in which the
hunt was turned out, went on to say that, " in fact, there
was nothing ridiculous about the establishment until
they threw off." But with regard to the Old Surrey
there was nothing ridiculous at all, and as for the dis-
cussions concerning markets and trades — subjects on
which Surtees enlarged at length — we never heard a
word of them. Indeed, we may say here that thirty
years ago, and in much more recent times, when we have
hunted with all the Surrey packs, we have found in each
of the three — Surrey Union, Old Surrey, and Burstow
— not only the best behaved, but the most enthusiastic
of hunting people, and more hard riders in proportion
to the full strength of the field than in any other hunt.

It is true that the Old Surrey are not possessed of a
really good country ; they have a nice bit of vale,
parallel with and north of the railway from Redhill to
Edenbridge, but the northern side of the hunt is hilly,
flinty land, which does not often carry a good scent,
and in places there are very big woodlands, while much
of what was, not many years ago, good hunting coun-
try has fallen into the hands of the builder. Neither
are foxes too plentiful, but still a fair average of sport
is maintained, and the present pack is a wonderfully
good-looking one, great attention having been paid by
Mr. Boileau to their breeding.

Years ago Croydon was a sort of headquarters for the
Old Surrey, and the Saturday meets were always within
an easy ride of that town. Of late much of the original
Saturday country has been abandoned, and the fol-
lowers— as in all the hunts near London — reside all
over the country.

i8o THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

Reigate and its neighbour Redhill are, nowadays,
practically the head-quarters of hunting in Surrey.
Both the Surrey packs, the best of the Burstow country,
and much of the country hunted over by the Surrey stag-
hounds are within reach of the town, and hunting men
by the score have taken up their quarters in and about
what is really one of the pleasantest and best situated of
small southern towns. Many hunting men from all
parts of the kingdom have lately come to know Reigate
on account of its most successful and well-managed
hound show, but they only visit the place towards the
end of May, and can have little idea how different the
country looks during the winter months.

To explain what we mean v/e may mention that the
plain on the southern side of Reigate, of which the larger
part is Burstow, while the Old Surrey has the northern
strip and the Surrey Union the western portion, is for
the most part grass, with fair jumpable fences, and a
good deal of water. The coverts are not large until the
next line of hills, ten miles away, is reached, and
there are no towns or villages of any size except
Horley. It is, in fact, a really capital piece of hunting
country, which lies in a sort of basin of the Surrey
Hills, and to give some idea of its flatness it may be
mentioned that the main road to Brighton intersects it,
between Reigate or Redhill and Crawley in Sussex.
How good a galloping country this is the famous Lons-
dale-Shrewsbury driving match testifies, for five miles
of the road between the two towns just named was
chosen for the performance, and as every one knows
Lord Lonsdale drove his horses twenty miles within
the hour, yoked in four different styles, over the
ground.

But the country is pretty from a picturesque point

HUNTING LOCALITIES

I8l

of view, as well as good galloping ground. It has
numerous tiny copses, of a few roods in extent, occa-
sional belts of trees, and many small spinneys, while
grand old elms and other forest trees are to be found
standing alone in the centre of the fields or scattered up
and down the hedgerows. The upshot is that at the
end of May, when all the leaves are in their early
luxuriance, the view, when one is actually on the plain,
is very much obscured, and trees are to be seen every-
where, whilst tiny spinneys assume the proportions of
big woodlands.

This was very forcibly impressed upon us some few
years ago when we were coaching to Brighton one day
in July. Our host, who was driving, expressed
approval of the country from the scenic point of view,
but was altogether sceptical when we remarked that
it was a good hunting country also. "Why, it's all
woodland ! " he exclaimed, and we could not persuade
him to the contrary, though we admitted that there
were woods enough and to spare as soon as the
Sussex border had been crossed. Well, as it happened,
during the following winter our friend — who when
at home hunted in Cheshire — was in town, and one
day we chanced to tell him that we were going
to hunt with the Burstow on the morrow. He at
once replied that he had lately bought a horse, which
he still had in town, that he would send it down that
afternoon, and — remembering our conversation of the
previous summer — that he would then find out which of
us was right about the character of the country. Next
morning we travelled by an early train to East Grin-
stead, and having breakfasted there, trotted on to the
meet a few miles away. Our old hunting diary makes
no mention of the earlier sport of the day, and probably

i82 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

it was only moderate, but what is written about the
afternoon causes us to remember exactly what took
place. Hounds got a fox away from Cutandly Wood,
and ran to Home, and thence northwards almost to
South Hale, but they turned towards the Brighton
railway, and as far as we remember the fox got to
ground either under or close to the line, but of that we
are not sure. Our friend, who came to grief at a brook
early in the run, was much impressed, and declared it
was the best gallop he had had that season. Anyhow
the line followed was a good one, and in those days
that part of the country was fairly free from wire.

Unfortunately the whole of the Burstow country is
not like the Vale, for when once the Sussex border is
reached big woodlands are very numerous, and in-
cluded in these is Ashdown Forest. Perhaps the most
central place of residence in the hunt is East Grinstead,
but if any one wishes to be with these hounds in their
best country only, the neighbourhoods of Reigate,
Horley, or Lingfield would do equally well, and other
packs could also be reached. Saturday is the great
day with the Burstow, when the field is four times as
large as that of Wednesday, and the hunting is always
in the Vale. To give some idea of a really good day
in the Vale we may go back some twelve years, to the
last day the late Mr. Gerard Hoare (master from 1881
to 1896, and huntsman for fourteen years prior to 1881)
was out with these hounds. The meet was at Lingfield,
and a fox was found in the copse which is situated in
the centre of the racecourse. It crossed the brook, and
hounds got away by themselves, the field being held
up by wire a field or two beyond the racecourse boun-
dary. This was perhaps a good thing, for hounds
were able to settle to their fox, and when the front rank

HUNTING LOCALITIES 183

got in touch ten minutes later, were going best pace
westwards, over a good country. In some fifty minutes
they arrived at the Brighton main line, which they
crossed at Gatwick racecourse, the field riding through
the paddock, the gates of which were open, and out
on to the course. Near the top bend of the course
hounds turned southwards, and the fox began to dodge
for the first time. But scent was very good, and
exactly an hour and twenty minutes from the find he
was killed on the outskirts of Crawley, just where the
Burstow and the Crawley and Horsham countries join.
It was quite early in the day, and Mr. Hoare decided
to go back to the country he had come from, so that a
trot of something like an hour and a half was the next
item on the programme. Many of the field dropped
off, and it was after three o'clock before another fox was
found in a covert near New Chapel Green. There was
a tremendous row in covert, and Mr. Hoare came on to
the road saying that hounds had divided, that he had
seen both foxes, but that he did not feel well, and was
going home. After a while hounds got away with one
of the foxes on the eastern side of the covert and ran by
the Bellagio estate to Hammerwood, and thence to
Cowden in the West Kent country. Beyond this place
it is impossible to say where they went, for none of
the few who were left knew an inch of the country, and
it was rapidly becoming dark. But hounds were carry-
ing such a head that White (their huntsman that
season, and before that with the defunct Goodwood
pack) was unable to get very near them. Luckily they
killed their fox in a hedgerow, and he was quickly dis-
posed of in the twilight, and then came the question of
getting home. No one of the small party knew where
he was, and it was long enough before we found a

i84 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

country lane, and longer still before we discovered
a house. At last we got our bearings, and hounds
were well over twenty miles from kennels, and did not
get home until ten o'clock, while the rest of us reached
East Grinstead a little before eight, and leaving our
horses there for the night, went home by train.

This was one of the best days we ever had with any
hounds, and we always regretted that most of the usual
Burstow field did not see it. The fact is that in those
days — we do not know how it may be now — few of the
followers of these hounds had a second horse out, and
that being the case two-thirds of the field had gone
home before this second run began, while many others
had fallen out of the ranks near the West Kent border,
being of opinion (and rightly too) that a single horse
had had quite enough for one day. Poor Mr. Hoare
never hunted again, and in point of fact only lived a
few weeks after the day we have been describing. He
was a rare sportsman, who carried the horn until he
was over seventy years of age, and he was fairly wor-
shipped by the farmers of his hunt. He did much
towards making the pack what it now is, as he hunted
them for twenty-nine seasons, being master also during
the last fifteen. He had a wonderful manner with
horses, and when he was getting too old to ride over
a big fence he would get off and lead over, if it was
possible.

Brighton and Lewes are fairly central for the South-
down, as are Steyningand Hassocks, while Eastbourne
residents now have their own pack, and those who hunt
from Hastings can reach all the East Sussex country.
Chichester is a poor hunting centre, though the
southern meets of the Crawley and Horsham are avail-
able, as are — since he extended his country — some of

HUNTING LOCALITIES 185

Lord Leconfield's. At Winchester plenty of hunting
is obtainable, with the Hursley, Hambledon, and
H.H., but Portsmouth is not well placed, except for
the southern portion of the Hambledon Hunt.

By train, however, the New Forest can be reached
from Portsmouth, and much of it from Southampton by
road. Here there are both foxhounds and staghounds,
the staghounds hunting on Monday and Friday, and
the foxhounds on Thursday and Saturday. Brocken-
hurst and Lyndhurst are the most popular centres, but
hunting men are scattered all over the Forest, and in
the spring of the year many visitors arrive to secure the
benefit of hunting — with both packs — right through
the month of April. The hunting is, from a riding
point of view, quite unique, but it has, like that of
Devon and Somerset, a charm and fascination of its
own, and nowhere in the kingdom can the real lover of
hound-work see more to please him.

Farther down the south coast most of the hunting is
confined to the local population until the Blackmore
Vale and Cattistock countries are reached. Both of
these packs have first-rate country, and show sport that
is good enough to attract strangers, and, for the
Blackmore Vale, Sherborne is undoubtedly the most
popular centre, though Yeovil is fairly handy. Maiden
Newton is the most central town in the Cattistock
country, and certain meets of the pack are within reach
of Dorchester and Weymouth.

As for Devonshire, a wonderful hunting country,
and yet, except in one corner of it, extremely local as
regards the following, it is difficult to mention any
town or district where good sport cannot be enjoyed,
though the hills are almost everywhere, and the riding
lines quite different from those which are to be found in

i86 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

the Midlands. From Exeter the East and Mid-Devon
are accessible ; from Torquay and Totnes the South
Devon and Dartmoor ; from Tiverton the pack which
takes its name from the town ; and from Lynton,
Lynmouth, and Ilfracombe the Exmoor. Even now
the list is nothing like exhausted, but from the stran-
ger's point of view hunting in Devonshire generally
means hunting with the staghounds, which are located
in the extreme north of the country, and hunt as much
in West Somerset as they do in Devon.

All through the staghunting district the stranger
comes in hundreds, chiefly in August and September,
and in smaller numbers in the spring. Dunster,
Minehead, Porlock, Porlock Weir, Lynton, Lyn-
mouth, Ilfracombe, Exford, and Dulverton are all
prepared to furnish quarters for horses and their riders ;
and though Exford is much the most central for the
operations of the Devon and Somerset staghounds, it
is a somewhat dull spot on non-hunting days, whereas
the seaside towns allow of a more varied life. Those
who go westward in the late summer, and who are
paying a first visit, should go prepared for long jour-
neys to the meets, long hunts which often come late in
the afternoon, and long rides home after dark. Of
course no one is bound to exert himself by these long
journeys, but any one who goes to Exmoor and intends
to hunt thoroughly, and not merely to look on at the
tufting, should be in fair condition, and able to stand
some eight or ten hours of saddle-work on occasions.
It is not every day that is a long and hard one, but the
country is a wide one, and hounds may easily meet
twenty miles or more from the place where one is stay-
ing. The meet may be a good one, and the weather
conditions favourable, and so an effort is made and

HUNTING LOCALITIES 187

arrangements concluded for sending on one's horse
and driving the whole or a part of a distance to the
fixture.

Luckily for some of the visitors the meets do not
take place until the forenoon is well advanced, but
the sport may come quickly, or it may come late,
and when one has travelled a long way one hardly
likes to leave until one has seen something besides
the tufting. This may last a few minutes, or two
or three hours, and a slow, dragging hunt may work
up into a quick one, with the result that a stranger
may find himself at an immense distance from his
quarters, with a tired horse, and a very indistinct
notion as to how he is going to cover the long, weary
miles. No sport that we have seen is quite so uncertain
as this staghunting. We have been for two or three
hours amongst the heather on Croydon Hill, and
hounds have suddenly got away in the afternoon,
and made a fifteen-mile point. At other times — when
fat stags were in evidence — we have spent a whole
day within a radius of two or three miles, and again
we have had to ride a tired horse home from a spot
midway between Dulverton and Tiverton to Porlock
Weir.

But the fascination of Exmoor and its hunting
is extraordinary, and this is proved by the fact that
many hard-working business men spend their annual
holiday on Exmoor, hunting as often as they possibly
can with the staghounds, and filling up their spare
time with the Exmoor foxhounds, or Minehead Harriers.
Hunting men, too, come from all parts of the kingdom
for a week or two of the sport, and one has seen half
a dozen masters of foxhounds from far-away countries
at a September meet at Hawkcombe Head.

i88 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

NORTHERN HUNTING LOCALITIES

Going north from London by what Jorrocks called
the best covert hacks in the world, viz. the great main
lines which have their termini in the Euston Road,
one reaches the Midlands of which mention has been
made as far as the Shire countries and some of their
neighbours are concerned. On the eastern side of
the Shires the Fitzwilliam (Mr. George Fitzwilliam's)
Hunt is a most important one, and Peterborough is the
town which is nearest to the kennels, while on the
western side of the country Oundle and Thrapston are
handy, and allow of hunting with the Woodland
Pytchley. Visitors from Cambridge hunt with these
hounds, too, but they mostly utilise the railway ; in
the south-east of the country Huntingdon is not a
bad centre, for the Cambridgeshire are also available,
and there is a good deal of grass land hereabouts —
which, however, is frequently submerged in times of
flood.

Bedford is not far from the centre of the Oakley
country, and Grantham is a really good centre, where
plenty of good accommodation can be obtained. It is
in the Belvoir country, but much of the Blankney
country is close at hand, and there is a railway into
Leicestershire, so that both the Quorn and Cottesmore
are within reach. Further north, Newark, though
a fairly big town, much given over to industrialism,
is quite a good hunting centre. It is within Lord
Harrington's (the South Notts) country, but is close
to the Belvoir borders, and handy for some of the
Rufford, and the Blankney. Cathedral towns are
often situated in good hunting countries, and Lincoln

HUNTING LOCALITIES 189

is no exception, as it is in the heart of the Burton
country, not far from the northern part of the Blank-
ney, which was at one time part of the Burton country,
and within reach by rail of some of the Brocklesby.

For the last-named pack Market Rasen is the
most central town, but Lincoln is, after Grantham,
the best hunting centre in Lincolnshire. From Louth,
on the borders of the Brocklesby and Southwold, it
is also possible to see a good deal of sport, but to
secure all the four hunting days of Mr. Preston
Rawnsley's capital pack (the Southwold) Horncastle
is the best-placed town, as it is in the centre of the
country. Retford is in the centre of Lord Fitzwilliam's
Hunt (the Grove), and from Worksop, a few miles
to the west of Retford, the Rufford can also be reached.
Both countries are mixed, but plough land — some of
it heavy clay — is much in evidence in the Grove
country, whereas the Rufford have a lot of grass
on the Derbyshire side of their country.

Continuing north, Doncaster is a poor quarter,
being too near the fag end of two or three hunts.
The Badsworth and Lord Fitzwilliam's countries are
nearest to it, but the best country of either pack is
not very near the great racing town, on the south-
east side of which one quickly reaches salt marshes,
and other unhuntable country.

If Doncaster is a poor, York is a good hunting
quarter, where the busy man can, with a little trouble,
hunt nearly every day of the week. York is situated
in the heart of the curiously shaped York and Ainsty
country, but so narrow is this centre that the Bramham
Moor come to within seven miles on the west side
of the city (the boundary is on the Weatherby road near
Rufforth, where a year or two ago we saw chalked

iQO THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

up on a gate, "This man shot the fox." Who the
man was we do not remember, but he had to leave
the district) and Lord Middleton's to within four miles
on the east side. Indeed, the last-named pack meet
frequently at the " fourth milestone, Stockton Forest,"
and this fourth milestone means the fourth out of
York. Moreover, a resident of York can reach some
of the Holderness, the Sinnington, Lord Zetland's, and
the Hurworth by train, if he is not content with the
hunting the immediate neighbourhood provides. As
for the York country, it is very varied. In some parts
of it there is a great deal of plough, which becomes
almost hock deep in wet weather. But on the other
hand there is also a fair amount of grass, and the
whole country has a fair reputation as regards scent.
The Bramham Moor Friday country, which lies within
easy riding distance of York, is full of foxes, and very
popular, and all things considered York is a good
hunting centre.

Possibly, however, Harrogate is better, for it is close
to all the best of the Bramham Moor, which from a
riding point of view is superior to the York and
Ainsty, there being more grass on the western side
of the country than there is anywhere near York.
Moreover, a corner of the York and Ainsty Hunt
comes close to Harrogate, on the north side of the
River Nidd, and all this district is within from five to
ten miles of the sulphur town. For a casual visitor
Harrogate is a really first-rate hunting quarter, for
there are hotels galore, which are open in the winter,
and any number of horses to be hired — though if a
hunting man owns horses it pays him best to take them
about with him when he travels. Then, too, at Harro-
gate one can hunt, and hedge against attacks of gout,

HUNTING LOCALITIES 191

and lastly the train service to and from London has
been greatly improved in recent years, and now the
traveller can go through in about four hours without
the trouble of changing at York or Leeds.

On the eastern side of the county of broad acres
Malton is undoubtedly the best hunting quarter, and
this we say advisedly, and without wishing to ignore
the Holderness. But the fact is that Malton is on the
borders of three countries. Lord Middleton's, the Sin-
nington, and Sir William Cooke's (formerly Sir Hugo
Fitzherbert's, before that Mr. Penn Sherbrooke's, and
before that Sir Everard Cayley's), and it is handy for the
best of the Sinnington, which is a fine grass vale, and
for the best of Sir William Cooke's in the vale of
the Yorkshire Derwent. Moreover, Lord Middleton's
kennels are only four miles from the town, and nearly
all his best meets within riding distance. The wold
country (Lord Middleton's) contains a great deal of
plough land, but is far lighter plough than that met
with on the plain of York, and the hounds are beyond
reproach, being one of the half-dozen best packs in the
kingdom. The best centre for the Holderness is
Beverley, and any one living in the Driffield district
can reach a good deal of Lord Middleton's wold
country.

Scarborough as a hunting place is much better than
are many seaside watering-places, for there is a railway
from it right through Lord Middleton's, and another
right through the Holderness country. Then, again.
Lord Middleton's hounds are within riding distance
on one day of the week, and Sir William Cooke's on
about two hunting days out of three, and there is also
a railway line from Scarborough through the last-
named country to the Sinnington at Pickering. Lastly,

192 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

the Stainton Dale hunt the coast, and if the more pre-
tentious packs are not within reach one may see capital
hunting with this trencher-fed pack.

All over the northern part of the plain of York
there is a fair amount of hunting to be procured, but
Thirsk is not exactly a good centre ; for though it is
within reach of the most northern meets of the York
and Ainsty, and of some of the Bedale fixtures, it is
rather wide of both. The Sinnington, the Bilsdale,
and the Hurworth could also be reached from Thirsk
at times with a little trouble, and some of Lord Middle-
ton's meets are within hacking distance to an energetic
man, but on the whole Northallerton is a better place,
for it commands much of the best country of both
Bedale and Hurworth, as well as the hill packs. Bedale
itself is central for the Bedale hounds, and at Ripon
the southern Bedale country and certain parts of the
York and Ainsty are available, while Catterick, or
Catterick Bridge, which is on the border line of the
Bedale and Lord Zetland's, commands much of the
best country of either pack.

For many years *'the Bridge," as Catterick Bridge
is called locally, was a most popular place with hunting
visitors, and at one time it was no easy matter to obtain
quarters at the hotel, so great was the demand. The
hotel in question was originally one of the several
hunting boxes which Lord Darlington caused to be
built in his huge country, and the big room in which
the hunting visitors dined has the arms of the Vane
family carved on the ceiling. But unfortunately the
house is no longer an hotel — though it is understood
that accommodation can still be secured, and there is
still a vast range of stabling. Any one living in the
Catterick neighbourhood can hunt on Monday and

I

I

HUNTING LOCALITIES 193

Thursday with Lord Zetland's hounds, and on Wednes-
day and Friday with the Bedale, and, as a rule, will
have no great distance to travel to covert. On Tuesdays
and Saturdays Lord Zetland's can also be reached, but
the distances are greater, especially on Saturdays.
Catterick is in a pleasant rural district, and there is a
polo club, whose ground is the Catterick racecourse, the
gates of which are exactly opposite the Bridge House.
This tends to make the place popular, especially with
young hunting men, but as a matter of fact there is no
more sporting neighbourhood in the kingdom, and we
shall never forget a week's visit to the place some years
ago. The races were then held in the early part of the
week, and we arrived on Monday evening, were at the
races on the two following days, hunted with Lord
Zetland on the Thursday, and with the Bedale on the
Friday, finishing the week with an early morning visit
to the Middleham training stables on Saturday. Motors
had not then come into fashion, but our host drove a
smart team, which we had out every day, either to
bring a party to the races, to drive to covert, or to the
training stables. One wonders if there is a single
coach in daily use in Yorkshire, as this one was some
twelve or thirteen years ago.

But from the point of view of variety Darlington and
Croft are undoubtedly the best hunting centres in the
north of England. The two places are less than four
miles apart, and both are on the main York and Edin-
burgh line, but whereas Darlington is a big town. Croft
— or Croft Spa, as it is properly called — is only a village,
and so far it has not been spoilt by the building mania.
It is, moreover, a pretty village, well placed on the banks
of the Tees, and what is more to the point, it is at the
right side of Darlington. And here it may be explained
13

194 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

that Darlington is in many ways a unique town, and
quite unlike any other town in the north of England.
It has a residential and an industrial district, but the
residential part of it is very large, and contains not only
the ordinary good houses which are usually found on
the outskirts of a large town, but many noble mansions
in huge parks as well. The roads are mostly tree lined,
in boulevard fashion, and everything is on a spacious
scale, the town — almost to its centre — being full of fine
forest trees. The industrial end is so far from the
centre of the town that one may be in Darlington for a
week without ever finding out that there is such a place,
and the road to Croft is through pleasant scenery, as
are all the approaches (but one) to the town which one
uses in hunting.

Croft has a single drawback, and that is that the
Hurworth and Lord Zetland's hounds hunt on the same
days. Lord Zetland's are out on Monday, Tuesday,
Thursday, and Saturday, while the Hurworth hunt on
the three last-named days. But as it happens, Lord
Zetland's hounds are generally within a mile or two of
Croft on Thursday, and a long way off on Saturday,
when the Hurworth are nearer. On Tuesday Lord
Zetland's are in their best country on the north side of
the Tees, but in four weeks out of five within fairly easy
riding distance of Croft. Then on Monday the same
pack can be reached with a little trouble, while on
Friday there is choice between the Bedale and the
South Durham, the Bedale Friday country extending
to within three or four miles of Croft.

Darlington being so near Croft the hunting procur-
able is much the same, except that the South Durham
are nearer, and the Bedale further away. There are
good hotels and excellent stabling — as there are also at

HUNTING LOCALITIES 195

Croft — and not only do the residents hunt in great
numbers, but many visitors keep horses in the town,
and come by train three or four times a week to hunt.
On a Thursday when Lord Zetland's are at Willow
Bridge or Cleasby — the nearest meets to Darlington
on the Yorkshire side of the river — or on a Tuesday
when hounds are at Walworth or Coniscliffe in their
Durham country, the influx of visitors is very great, as
they come from Newcastle-on-Tyne, Sunderland, from
the Stockton and Middlesborough districts, and at
times from York. We have even known a man to
hunt with the pack (by train) from somewhere near
Windermere, travelling once or twice a week by what
is known as the Tebay route, and, on the other hand,
we heard lately of a man living at Richmond (in York-
shire) who hunted once or twice a week with Lord
Middleton's hounds. The fact is that where fast main-
line trains are available it is nowadays possible to hunt
in countries which are very remote from one's own
residence — more especially when horses are stabled in
the country where they are used.

Anyhow Lord Zetland's hounds attract far more
visitors than do any other northern pack, and this is
not to be wondered at, for the country is really good,
and the sport, taking one year with another, far above
the average. The Yorkshire country carries a good
scent, and though there is a good deal of plough in
places there is more grass, and as a rule the going is
good even in wet weather. Close to Darlington, on the
Durham side of the country, there is some strong land,
which at times becomes holding, but the country
improves every mile as one goes westward, the land
gradually rising, and grass taking the place of arable
land. Barnard Castle is within the boundaries of the

196 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

hunt, but only two days in each week would be avail-
able, without boxing or long road journeys, and the
same remark applies in a lesser degree to Richmond,
from which some of the Bedale meets can be reached.

Durham is not a good hunting centre, for the best
country of the North Durham, which is hunted on
Mondays, involves a long ride to covert. On Thursday
hounds are usually close to the city, and on Friday the
South Durham are generally within reach. Nor can it
be claimed that Newcastle-on-Tyne is a good centre,
though, if the horse-box is freely used, hunting on
every day of the week is possible. The Tynedale, the
Morpeth, and the Braes of Derwent each meet within
seven or eight miles of the town, but each pack is then
at the end of its country, and any one who rides to the
nearest meets from Newcastle might easily have double
the distance to travel on his homeward journey. Still
an industrious man can hunt three days a week — one
with each of the packs named — from Newcastle-on-
Tyne without using a horse-box.

As a matter of fact there is no convenient centre for
the Tynedale hounds, except quite a small village
named Stamfordham, and here the accommodation is
exceedingly limited. There is plenty of stabling (but
all this is requisitioned by hunting people who live
wide of the best part of the country), and there is no
hotel — only one or two public-houses of the ordinary
village type. Whalton, some ten miles north-west, is
more of a residential village, and here it is possible
to get the best of the Tynedale and the best of the
Morpeth countries. Indeed, Whalton is a really good
centre, for it is placed in a big grass country, and is well
away from all population and industrialism. Its draw-
back is that it is not very easy of access, the nearest

HUNTING LOCALITIES 197

station being on a branch line, where there are no great
number of trains. Still a really energetic man could
hunt every day in the week from Whalton, dividing his
time between the Tynedale and the Morpeth, and on
rather more than half the hunting days he would be
well within hacking distance of the meets. About five
days in every fortnight he would have to send horses
on overnight or very early in the morning, but even
then there would be no boxing, and a long drive behind
a horse or a short one in a motor-car would carry him
to the extreme boundary of either country. As a matter
of fact, Mr. Edward Dent, of Shortflat Tower (near
Whalton), so well known at one time in the coursing
world, was until quite lately in the habit of attending
every meet of either pack, and he may be doing the
same thing now for all we know to the contrary.

Further north in Northumberland the hunting be-
comes more localised, chiefly because of the physical
conditions of the country. The country all along the
coast is low-lying, pasture being in excess of plough,
but the hills and moors are not very far away inland,
and thus it happens that such countries as the Coquet-
dale and Glendale are rather self-contained. Alnwick
and Alnmouth are central spots for the Percy, and any
one located at either place can reach the Morpeth or
the North Northumberland by train ; indeed, some
meets of the Morpeth are within hacking distance, and
residents in the eastern part of Coquetdale — say be-
tween Weldon Bridge and Warkworth — are well placed
for hunting with both Percy and Morpeth, and could at
times reach the Coquetdale as well.

It is hardly worth while to mention the hunting
centres further north, for most of the Scotch packs are
in some degree isolated, though the Duke of Buc-

198 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

cleugh's, the Jed Forest, Mr. Scott Plummer's, and the
Berwickshire join each other in places. The Duke of
Buccleugh's is a big country, both as regards area and
importance. Hounds are out on four days of the week,
and though there is a good deal of wild moorland in
parts of the country, there is also a fair amount of
vale, a good deal of which is strong arable land.
St. Boswell's and Kelso are handy centres for the
Buccleugh hounds. The Dumfriesshire is practically
isolated, except that it joins the Eskdale on the east,
and this (the Dumfriesshire) is a three-days-a-week
pack, the best centres for hunting with which are
Annan, Lockerbie, and Dumfries. Lord Eglinton's is
also a four-days-a-week hunt, with no neighbour but
the Lanarkshire and Renfrewshire in the north. The
Fife and the Berwickshire hunt on three days of the
week, but all the Scotch packs which have not been
mentioned hunt on two days of the week only, and
seldom attract strangers, except those who may be
visiting members of the hunts.

The Cumberland and West Cumberland can be best
reached from Carlisle and Cockermouth respectively,
but south of the Lake district there is a big stretch of
country which contains harriers and staghounds, but
no foxhounds. Parts of Westmorland, the western
dales of Yorkshire, and the whole of Lancashire are
included in this country, and thus on the north-western
side of England it is the case that there are no
"countries" between the Cheshire and the hill packs
of the Lake country.

The Cheshire is a big country, as it practically em-
braces the whole county of Cheshire and takes in a
little bit of Shropshire as well. The Wirral peninsula,
between the rivers Mersey and Dee, is given over to

HUNTING LOCALITIES 199

harriers or beagles, but otherwise the Cheshire pack go
all over the county, hounds being out every day of the
week. For thirty years (until 1907) the country was
divided into North and South Cheshire, and hounds
were out four days a week in the northern and three
days in the southern division of the hunt. Now the
country is in one hand again — as it was prior to 1877 —
with the Duke of Westminster as master, and by the
aid of railways and motor-cars it is possible for any one
who is centrally located to attend all the meets. Indeed,
there are men living outside the county — in Lancashire,
for example — who hunt regularly with these hounds,
and there are also many — including the master — who
are wide of much of the country.

Chester, for instance, is at one end of the hunt
(Eaton Hall, where the Duke of Westminster lives, is
only four miles from Chester), and at a great distance
from some of the country, but the Delamere Forest
district is very central and extremely popular, and
Tarporley, which is on the borders of the forest, may be
said to be the head-quarters of the hunt. All about the
forest are hunting-boxes, varying from the mansion in
a park to the pretty roadside cottage, the stabling of
which at times makes a bigger block of buildings than
the house itself ; and much the same state of affairs
exists all through such portions of the country as are
well placed for some of the good fixtures. The main
line of the London and North-Western Railway to
Holyhead goes right through the country between
Crewe and Chester ; the railways from Crewe to Liver-
pool and Manchester bisect other portions of the hunt ;
and the railways of the Cheshire Lines Committee
meander about the district. Indeed, Cuddington on
the C.L.C. is close to the kennels at Sandiway, and

200 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

hereabouts many of the hunting folk are located.
Nantwich, Northwich, Malpas, and Crewe are also
central for many of the best meets, and in the southern
and western parts of the hunt it is an easy matter to
find places from which not only the Cheshire, but Sir
Watkin Wynn's, the North Staffordshire, and the
North Shropshire are within reach.

Thus from Whitchurch (in Sir Watkin Wynn's
Hunt), the Cheshire, Shropshire, and North Stafford-
shire are all available, while from Crewe (in the
Cheshire Hunt) the North Staffordshire can be reached
at least two days in the week. Wrexham is another
good centre for Sir Watkin Wynn's hounds, and
Shrewsbury is central for the South Shropshire. From
Stafford both the North and South Staffordshire and
the Albrighton are within reach ; from Bridgnorth the
Albrighton and Wheatland ; from Much Wenlock both
the Shropshire packs and the Wheatland ; from Church
Stretton the United, South Shropshire, and Wheat-
land ; and from Tenbury the Ludlow, Radnorshire, and
West Hereford, Teme Valley and United. Indeed,
Shropshire and Staffordshire (apart from the Black
Country) are fine hunting countries, well supplied with
foxhound packs, and affording a great deal of sport.
But south of Whitchurch there are, perhaps, not so
many strangers hunting as there are in the Midlands,
on the eastern side of England, or in the neighbour-
hood of the watering-places, and in neither county are
any of the fields anything like so large as those which
are to be found regularly with the Cheshire hounds.

CHAPTER VII
FOXHOUNDS

IT is a curious, but at the same time incontro-
vertible fact that the origin of the foxhound,
as he is known at the present day, has never
been thoroughly ascertained, but there is plenty of
evidence to show that hounds have been bred expressly
for hunting foxes for something like two hundred
years. And there is also some considerable amount
of indirect evidence which suggests that the old south-
ern hound, and the beagle — or northern beagle as he
was frequently called — were the two distinct varieties
of hounds from which the foxhound |Was evolved.
Unfortunately early writers on hunting" make little
or no mention of the origin of foxhounds, but in
a small volume of anonymous essays on hunting,
the following passage occurs : "The most satisfactory
reply to every hunter is that his own kind is best ; but
such as are setting up a new cry, I would advise to
begin to breed on the middle size dogs, betwixt the
Southern Hound and the Northern Beagle." This
volume, two copies of which I have seen, appears
to have been published by T. Baker at Southampton,
but no date is given. In the hunting volume of the
Badminton Library there is, however, a bibliography
of hunting, and the essays are referred to as having
been published in London in 1782. This makes the
book contemporary with Beckford, but I am inclined

202 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

to think that the edition I iiave, and which I bought
for sixpence at a bookstall twenty years ago, is a
good deal earlier than the work written by the "Im-
mortal Peter," as Jorrocks dubbed Beckford. This
date of the book is a matter of little consequence, and
now it rather looks as if the origin of the foxhound
would never be decided, the question being just as
difficult to answer as that concerning the actual first
pack of foxhounds. What we do know is that in
the early days of foxhunting hounds varied locally,
and, in all probability, for long enough there were
hounds of different types in such localities as were
remote from other hunting districts. But when fox-
hunting became an almost universal sport, and people
began to visit strange packs, interchanges of blood
naturally took place, and this gradually increasing
as the years wore on, masters of hounds and other
experts evolved a certain type, which came to be
recognised as the best sort of foxhound. And in
these days the type referred to exists almost every-
where, there being two districts only where what may
be called ordinary foxhounds are not used. The dis-
tricts referred to are certain parts of Wales and the
Lake country of Cumberland and Westmorland, where
hounds of a distinctly different type are still used.
Some of the Welsh hounds bear a high character for
nose and speed, and doubtless are better adapted to
rough, rocky, precipitous country than are the ordinary,
much heavier foxhounds. The Fell hounds in the
north are light framed, and very light in colour, but
their owners have a great opinion of them, and only
a year or two ago certain gentlemen in West Cumber-
land were anxious to run a match against hounds any
of the Midland packs could produce. Little notice

FOXHOUNDS 203

was taken of the challenge, and one is inclined to think
that on their own native fells the Cumberland hounds
would have had the best of it, while in any ordinary
enclosed country the boot would have been on the
other leg.

But when foxhounds are spoken of, it is, as a matter
of fact, only one type which comes into consideration,
viz. the hound which is entered in the Foxhound
Kennel Stud Book, and which is used all over the
kingdom, except in some half-dozen or more remote
countries. Every modern foxhound may now almost
be said to be of the same family, so much inbreeding
has there been in the last fifty or sixty years, and
so much out-crossing on the part of the old family
packs. Perhaps Mr. Robert Vyner, whose Notitia
Venatica was published just sixty years ago, was
the most interesting writer on foxhounds, and he
appears to have known a good deal as to the original
foxhound, but even then he did not think it worth
while to put his knowledge into writing. He said
that "since the commencement of hunting the fox
in the open, so many different descriptions of hounds
have been bred for the purpose, that to describe all
the sorts, and to give a statistical account of the divers
strains of blood which have been celebrated in their
time, would be far too tedious for my readers, and quite
foreign to my present purpose ; the following short
account of the pedigrees of some of the principal
packs of the present day will suffice." Vyner then
goes on to state that the original stocks from whence
the most fashionable sorts were descended were from
the packs of Lord Yar borough, from that of Lord
Fitzwilliam ; the Duke of Rutland's (which were
bred from the packs purchased of Mr. Heron and

204 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

Mr. Calcraft), Mr. Osbaldeston's (descended from the
celebrated pack of Lord Monson), Lord Vernon's
crossed with the Duke of Rutland's and also with Lord
Yarborough's and the Duke of Beaufort's, which were
in Vyner's days reported to be the steadiest and best
pack in existence ; Lord Lonsdale's descended from
Mr. Noel's and bought by Sir W. Lowther for looo
guineas, and the old Pytchley blood, descended in
a great measure from the famous Beaufort Justice —
who, according to the lately published Vol. I of the
Foxhound Stud Book, went to Badminton in 1803,
in a lot of two and a half couples from Sir Thomas
Mostyn's kennels. This Beaufort Justice — who will be
well known to readers of Surtees' works in connection
with Mr. Puffington and the Hanby hounds — was
by the New Forest Justice out of Hopeful, and his
blood has been handed down through many channels
to the foxhound of the present day.

Mr. Vyner's book was published sixty-one years
ago, and yet we find that the first three packs in his
list are the Brocklesby, the Fitzwilliam, and the Bel-
voir, each of which has maintained its reputation to
the present day, and now stands just as high in public
estimation as it did then. Of the Badminton pack the
same thing can be said, but Lord Vernon's and Lord
Monson's have long ceased to exist. It is clear, how-
ever, that as far back as Mr. Vyner's day, when
railways were as new to the country as motor-cars are
at the present time, certain packs were being resorted
to by breeders because of the reputation they had
acquired. Transit of hounds from one part of the
country in the early days of last century could only be
achieved by road, and yet the earliest volume of the
Stud Book plainly proves that even a hundred years

FOXHOUNDS 205

ago there was a certain amount of crossing the blood of
one kennel with that of another. What the Stud Book
cannot tell is from which kennel came the excess of
drive, the tongue, the bone, the straightness, or any
of the really strong points of the modern foxhound.
These qualities have, as a matter of course, been
enormously developed by the great breeders of the last
half-century, but historians of foxhunting have given
but scant information as to what were the strongest
points in the various early packs, and it is no easy
matter to form a very strong opinion on what can be
gathered from old pictures or prints, chiefly because
in forty-nine out of fifty the hound was subordinate
to the horse and his rider.

Possibly the well-known picture of the "Earl of
Darlington and His Foxhounds," painted by Mar-
shall in 1810, gives one a pretty good idea of the
foxhound of almost a hundred years ago, and of the
three and a half couples which are included not one
appears to be in the least deficient in bone. But it
should be mentioned that there is a second well-known
(through the prints) picture of the Raby pack in kennel
at feeding time. The painter of this picture was H. B.
Chalon, who described himself as animal painter to
the Prince Regent and other members of the Royal
Family (and the prints are dated 1814), and all the
hounds in the painting were portraits, their names
being Craftsman, Benedict, Merryman, Baronet, Ma-
homet, Modish, Symphony, Maynard, and Governess
— and Jasper, the terrier, a dark-coloured, smooth-
coated, prick-eared, and very verminty dog, but whose
breed it would be difficult to name in these days.

Now in Marshall's picture hounds are clustered
round their owner, who is on horseback, and pre-

2o6 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

sumably all are portraits, but we have no evidence on
the subject, as we never saw a print in which the names
of the individual hounds were given. It is a fact,
though, that in the outdoor picture the hounds painted
have very much more bone than those painted in the
kennel scene, and one cannot help thinking that one
of the artists must have misjudged or exaggerated what
he saw. (The question of ** bone " in a foxhound would
hardly be within the ken of an artist of a hundred
years ago, though at least two modern delineators
of hounds know just as much about it as do the
authorities on the breed.) Both pictures give ample
evidence of careful portraiture, but in both hounds
are in working condition, so fine drawn that all
their ribs can be counted, and not in the least got
up for show. The feet seem higher, and not quite
so catlike as those of the modern foxhound, and
there is more white in the colouring than there is in
many of the present-day packs. All the hounds are
rounded ; some are branded with a " D " on the near
flank, and all have fair make and shape, and plenty
of foxhound character. Indeed, if all the packs of a
hundred years ago were as good to look at as those of
Lord Darlington, hound breeding cannot have made
the great advance with which it has been credited ; but
there is just a suspicion that in Chalon's picture one
or two of the hounds were a little back at the knee,
while in Marshall's hounds there is a tendency to
heavy shoulders.

Unfortunately there is no record of the old Raby
pack in the earliest volume of the Stud Book, but
Baronet, mentioned above, was used by Mr. Ralph
Lambton, and appears as the sire of Billingsgate in
1815. And apropos the book it may be mentioned

FOXHOUNDS 207

that Mr. Vyner compiled the first Stud Book in the
year 1841, when the lists of forty-six packs of fox-
hounds and of the Royal Buckhounds were given.
This book has been long out of print, but Mr. Cecil
Legard a year or two ago brought out a new edition
of Mr. Vyner's work (with considerable additions), and
this now forms Volume I of the modern Foxhound
Stud Book. And if any hound of the present day can
trace back to the old packs, of which carefully kept
kennel books were treasured, its pedigree can be, in
many cases, further extended to the beginning of last
century, and in the case of Badminton, Belvoir,
Brocklesby, Milton, and Lord Middleton's blood a
good deal further back, though the pedigrees previous
to 1800 are not given in the Stud Book, but have been
merely filed by Mr. Cecil Legard. The question of
foxhound pedigrees has become a really important
matter, and now there are, one may safely say, at least
two dozen kennels where the very highest standard of
excellence is maintained, and twice as many more
where the pack would pass muster.

Amongst foxhound breeders the dog show pure and
simple is not liked, but for fifty years or so hound
shows have been approved of, strictly on the under-
standing that only masters of hounds are to judge, and
that no hound show shall be in any way connected with
an ordinary dog show. The upshot of this is that
Peterborough, Reigate, and Clonmel in Ireland fill
all the requirements of masters of hounds, and it is
exceedingly unlikely that the number of shows will be
increased, though at times one hears suggestions
of a show in the north of England, to act as a test
show for Peterborough amongst the northern packs,
as Reigate does amongst those of the south of

2o8 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

England.^ The great safeguard in connection with the
hound show as conducted at the present time is that the
classes are only open to hounds from any established
pack in the United Kingdom. This prevents any one
but a master of hounds exhibiting and does away with
the hound fancier. Not that such a man can be said to
exist, for practically no foxhounds are kept in any part
of the kingdom except for hunting purposes. At the
same time if there were many hound shows, exhibiting
would become a business, as it has done — with dis-
astrous effects — in connection with other varieties of
dogs used for sport, and therefore a very close curtail-
ment of the number is absolutely essential.

To glance at the reverse side of the case it is probable
that the Peterborough shows have done a great deal of
good. They are held at a time of year when there is
no hunting, and when masters of hounds and hunting
folk generally can attend, and they are conducted on the
soundest and strictest lines. There can be no question
of pot hunting, for the prizes are of little value, and in
fact the winning of three or four at one show would
hardly pay for the cost of sending hounds and men
from a distant part of the country. The honour and
glory of winning at Peterborough is then the great
goal which ambitious masters of hounds aim at, and it
can fairly be said that in all its thirty years of existence
there has been no real change with regard to type. In
fact, the best hounds of thirty years ago were of much
the same stamp as the best hounds of the present day —
from the onlooker's point of view. Peterborough does
not — cannot, in fact — point out which in every class are

^ In July of the present year a hound show, confined to packs hunting
in Somerset, Dorset, Devon, and Cornwall, was held at Exeter, and
met with a fair measure of success.

FOXHOUNDS 209

the best workers, but it can indicate year by year the
type which breeders should aim at, and this is what it
faithfully does. Some critics there are who affirm that
too much attention is paid to bone and straightness,
but bone means strength and constitution, and these
are absolutely necessary if a hound has to go through a
long day, and travel home at night with his stern up.
Moreover, there is no evidence to the effect that excess
of bone in any way depreciates speed, for on certain days
in every season, when scent is of the sort which is aptly
termed breast-high, hounds will beat horses altogether,
even if the ground is in first-rate galloping order, and
there is nothing formidable to hinder the progress of
the field. There are those who urge that the lighter-
built Welsh hounds can travel faster on a hot scent
than the foxhound which is used in other parts of the
kingdom, but this has yet to be proved, and meanwhile
it may be confidently stated that the modern foxhound
goes quite fast enough. Indeed, some will have it that
nose has been sacrificed to speed, but an apparent
delicacy of nose is very often due to over-riding, and
the otter hunters prefer a foxhound to an otter-hound
for the purposes of marking an otter in his holt.

Then as to straightness ; it may easily be that a
hound which is not quite straight can go as fast and as
far as his brother or sister which is really straight, but
a shapely limb is better than a malformed one, and lack
of straightness is to some small extent a malformation.
In these days of plenty of money, and a high standard
as regards hounds, a hound which is not perfectly
straight should never be bred from, for physical defects
of sire or dam are very often reproduced in the
progeny, and so on ad infinitum. The only way to
get rid of legs which are ever so crooked is to ignore
14

2IO THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

the bitches so disfigured at breeding time, and, as a
matter of course, to use no sire which is not straight.
In a big kennel the hounds which are not straight
should be drafted before they are entered, but in a
small kennel it may not be convenient to get rid of an
otherwise good-looking hound for a fault which will not
affect his working powers, and in such a case the hound
which is not straight can certainly run with a pack.

That hounds which are not straight are religiously
drafted in some kennels need hardly be stated, because
hound men know it to be a fact, and we can safely say
that we have been right through a kennel in which it
was impossible to discover a crooked-legged one. On
the other hand we have visited a kennel of some reputa-
tion, and failed to find a single straight hound in the
pack, and the huntsman — a new-comer — was bound to
admit it. '* There ain't half a dozen of 'em which are
biscuit straight," he lamented, and yet many of them
were otherwise good-looking, and they are supposed to
kill quite as many foxes as their neighbours. If, then,
Peterborough tends to cause an elimination of light
boned and crooked-legged hounds it must do good.
But it also sets the standard of that mysterious thing
called quality, which in a foxhound means make and
shape, elegance of outline, clean neck and shoulder,
gay carriage, and a general appearance of high-bred
activity. Quality is to be found in larger or smaller
quantities in all good-looking foxhounds, and it only
arrives in a kennel after the greatest care in breeding
has been- exercised for some years, and when hounds
with palpable faults have been religiously drafted, or
at all events not put to the stud.

It has been said that there is in these days one type of
foxhound, but this is not exactly true in every sense of

FOXHOUNDS 211

the word, and though the standard aimed at is un-
doubtedly the hound which is good enough to win at
Peterborough, the type varies in some degree, espe-
cially in the matter of size. In some kennels the dog-
hounds range between 23 and 23! inches, while the
bitches are at least an inch less, but there are packs in
which a much greater height is maintained, where the
dog pack will average 24^ inches, and the bitches are all
very nearly 23 inches. Then, again, one master goes
in for a lengthy and yet upstanding hound ; another
insists upon fair height, but is not so particular about
length, while a third favours the short-coupled compact
hound, who would probably be called "jumped up" by
the admirer of the other sorts. At Peterborough the
happy medium is fairly well hit off. Small hounds
have no chance of winning, and very big ones would
not be approved, but still the tendency of the critics
rather favours size, and most of the Peterborough win-
ners are fairly big, though not of abnormal height or
length. Indeed, the 25-inch hound — and there are
many of them in the country, some of which are ex-
tremely good-looking — is seldom seen on the show
bench, and he is, one thinks, rather out of place. Why
he is out of place may be explained by saying that he
seems to gain no particular advantage from his extra
size. He probably goes no faster than the hound
which is an inch less, and certainly does not hunt better
because of his stature. Neither does he look well
unless the whole pack is of his height, and worst of all
when used for stud purposes he is apt to get stock that
are even bigger than himself, and which are in conse-
quence ungainly. But whether a pack be big or small
they must be as far as possible of the same size. If a
pack is really level it fills the eye at once, whilst when

212 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

the height and size vary an uneven appearance is pre-
sented which, to the hound critic, is most distasteful.

In a mixed pack of dogs and bitches it is of course
less easy to maintain a standard size, unless the dog-
hounds of a kennel are small and the bitches large.
When that happens the smaller dog-hounds and the
bigger bitches will be much of a size, and uniformity
can be achieved. But in a small, two-days-a-week
hunt, where something like an equal number of both
sexes are kept, a level mixed pack is rarely seen, simply
because not enough hounds are bred to ensure a level in
sexes. Then, too, it must be remembered that in hound-
breeding like throws like, and therefore if the bitches
of a kennel are big their dog-puppies will also be big,
and probably those which are entered will be at least an
inch and a half higher, and proportionately bigger all
over, than their mothers. But one is inclined to think
that in the case of a small mixed pack uniformity in
size is not a very important matter as long as both
dogs and bitches — either half of the pack, in fact — are
level.

Again, even in a small establishment a very big or a
very little hound should be drafted, if any standard of
neatness is to be obtained. We have seen, years ago,
when hound-breeding was not attended to so carefully
as it now is, a great lashing 25-inch hound, and a
little, wriggling, 21-inch, harrier-like bitch contending
for the lead, each hunting with equal keenness. But
the sight of these two, and a pack behind them, in
which every type of hound was to be seen, was very
unsatisfactory, even if it had its comical side. '' I
expect you are laughing at my pack," said the master,
" but this is our first season, and they are all drafts, got
in a hurry at the eleventh hour." This explained the

FOXHOUNDS 213

situation, for the pack had a reputation, and we had not
been told that the late master had taken his hounds
with him to another country.

As regards hound-breeding, there is no royal road to
success, and very little can be done until a considerable
amount of experience has been gained. One man will
breed a good pack of hounds in half a dozen years.
Such a performance is very rare, but it has been done
more than once in recent years, and notably Mr. Charles
McNeill, the present master of the Grafton, bred a pack
of bitches during his five years' mastership of the
North Cotswold, which he sold for something like
;^4000, and with which he won prizes at Peterborough.
Another breeder will achieve no better result in twenty
years. Both may have studied the science of breeding
with equal care ; both may have spent the same amount
of money on drafts from famous kennels, and both may
have sent bitches to the best stud hounds of the day,
but one of the two may have that indefinable knack of
always doing the right thing, while the other may be
unlucky in his attempts at mating, or may, with the
best intentions, be without the grasp of hound points
and pedigrees which is almost necessary if success is
to be achieved.

A young master of hounds may, when he first takes
office, know something of hounds and their breeding.
He may be the son of a master, and have spent much
time in the kennel. When such are his antecedents
there is nothing to prevent his being a successful
breeder as long as he really works hard at the business.
But the average young man who takes a pack of hounds
for the first time probably knows nothing whatever of
hounds, and can have had no experience of breeding.
He is, naturally, fond of hunting, or he would not

214 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

have accepted the mastership of a pack, and very pos-
sibly he is inclined to be fond of hounds.

But real knowledge can only be arrived at through
experience, and that is why a comparatively young
hunt servant so often knows far more than his master
at first. The hunt servant in nineteen cases out of
twenty has been bred at a foxhound kennel, and has
been among hounds since he was able to crawl on
all fours into the kennel precincts. He has heard
hounds discussed all his life, and in all probability
he has been employed amongst them ever since he
left the Board School. He may possibly be prejudiced
in favour of certain forms of kennel management,
especially if much of his life has been spent in one
kennel, but he will be thoroughly at home amidst his
surroundings, whereas a new beginning master and
amateur huntsman combined is seldom the kennel man
that the professional huntsman is. Nor is there any
reason that he should be, for a man may become a con-
summate judge of hounds, and yet know little about how
to manage them in kennel. He may, too, have the quick-
ness, resource, and rat-catching cunning which com-
bine to make him a good huntsman, and yet neither
know nor care much about the hounds which he hunts.
It is in point of fact necessary for the professional to
be both huntsman and houndsman, and though the
amateur will do better if he combines the double
character it is not absolutely necessary that he should
do so.

We once knew a good amateur huntsman who killed
quite an average number of foxes, but often a lot of
time was wasted over the kill. The fact was that
if the kennel huntsman was not up our friend was
unequal to removing mask, brush, and pads, and

FOXHOUNDS 215

therefore he waited for his servant. No doubt this
was a rather extreme case, and it may be put forward
that no one should attempt to hunt hounds unless he
has mastered these little things, and is prepared to
perform the post-mortem rites in legitimate fashion.
At the beginning of the season the kill is a most im-
portant function, for the young entry have to be blooded,
and many young hounds do not take very kindly to
breaking up and eating their fox, even though they
may have hunted it fairly enough.

At times one hears both masters and huntsmen
complain that otherwise good hounds show very
little keenness when the kill has once been accom-
plished, and in fact take very little interest in the
subsequent proceedings. This is undoubtedly true,
and one is inclined to think that if any pack is carefully
watched from the moment a fox is killed until they
move away after he has been eaten, it will be seen
that certain hounds do not go near the centre of
interest, and seem to care nothing for blood. On the
other hand the majority af the pack will tear their
fox to pieces and swallow him up in hearty fashion,
as if they thoroughly enjoyed the business. And
if all the hounds which appear to take no interest in
the kill were slack in their work, it would be a simple
matter to draft them, but hounds which can find a
fox, which can run at head, and which can put the
pack right on a cold scenting day have been known to
decline eating fox, and this is a somewhat remarkable
thing, which has puzzled many huntsmen in the past.

But the great question of the day with regard to
hounds — of which brief mention has been made a
few pages back — is whether the modern hound is lack-
ing in scenting powers, compared with his ancestor

216 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

of from fifty to a hundred years ago. This is a matter
on which it is almost impossible to form a really
definite opinion, because we can only judge the capa-
bilities of the hound of a former generation by what
has been handed down to us in writing. And most
of the reliable literature of foxhunting goes to suggest
firstly that hounds were a little slower — say in the days
of Nimrod and Surtees — than they are now. No doubt
there was more variation between one pack and another
as regards speed, but that (if it occurred) was due to
the fact that certain kennels took the greatest pains
over the breeding of their hounds from a very early
date, while with many of the country packs the niceties
of hound-breeding are only of comparatively recent
date. But the veterans of the present hunting world —
or at all events some of them — are of opinion that nose
has deteriorated since they began to hunt, and that in
consequence the sharp burst is in these days so much
more common than the long hunting run. Some of the
critics even go so far as to suggest that the clean
necks and the disappearance of throatiness have
impaired scenting powers, and they are of opinion
that bloodhounds, and even the old blue mottle,
and in fact any hounds of the ''Southern" type, had
much more "throat" than the modern foxhounds are
possessed of, and better scenting powers.

We have said that it is impossible to form an opinion
on the subject which is absolutely definite, but never-
theless it may be pointed out that there is plenty of
evidence in favour of the modern hound being as well
off for nose as his ancestor. In the first place it is quite
certain — admitting of no contradiction — that whereas
the foxhound has improved the fox has deteriorated,
and there are far more miserable, half-scentless animals

FOXHOUNDS 217

running about the country than there were fifty years
ago. Indeed, Mr. Vyner more than sixty years ago
wrote of the foxes of the last century (the eighteenth)
"being far stouter in their nature than many of the
mongrel-bred vermin of the present age, stained as
they are by the introduction of French blood." He
then went on to explain that in the time he referred
to — viz. the eighteenth century — there were so few
game preserves that foxes travelled great distances for
their food, and were wilder and shyer in their habits
than they would have been if they had been enabled
constantly to procure their food close at home. Now
this was written something like a generation before
what is now known as excessive game preservation
came into fashion, and almost two generations before
mange amongst foxes made its appearance in the
epidemic form which has ravaged the country during
the last ten or twelve years.

If foxes were degenerating in Vyner's days they
must have been singularly magnificent animals at some
earlier date of the hunting period, but one is inclined
to think that there was not much amiss with the vul-
pine tribe until comparatively recent times, and that
even now it is only a proportion of foxes which are bad,
and that the best of the species are as good as ever they
were. Those who had hunted regularly for some years
before mange became bad, and who hunted through a
genuine mange visitation, could not help seeing the
difference between the foxes they first knew and many
of the foxes they encountered during the mange period.
But even when matters were at their worst an occasional
fox of wonderful stamina was found, which fox just
merely suggested that all the breed had not become
degenerate, that an odd good one was left. Since

2i8 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

mange conditions became improved — say three or four
seasons ago — the odd good fox has multiplied, and
therefore the long point is again of fairly frequent
occurrence.

Still hounds either could not or would not hunt all
the mangy foxes with the fire which they showed when
in pursuit of the clean, healthy fox, and doubtless on
many bad days, in various parts of the country, they
were blamed for slackness when the quality of the
foxes was really the cause of indifferent sport. But,
after all, the great point in this connection is that on
certain days hounds run so hard that horses cannot live
with them. This, of course, is due to scent being
extremely good, and it allows of **the field" going
their hardest, without being able to get far enough
forward to interfere with hounds. But the day of first-
rate scent only comes very occasionally, and it is often
followed by several days on which scent is of extremely
moderate character. The ''field," put on their mettle
by the good scenting day, do not at once recognise the
different conditions a day or so later, and pushing on
after the same fashion quickly drive hounds over the
line. And on some days in many hunts this is done
repeatedly, the upshot being that hounds appear to be
working slackly when in reality they are not getting
fair play.

Then, again, when there is much over-riding many a
huntsman lifts his hounds far too often, not because he
wishes to lift them, but because they are being unduly
pressed by the crowd. One result of this is that
hounds which are accustomed to being lifted will, the
moment a check comes, look round for assistance, or
will be prone to go to any "holloa" which they may
hear. In this case also they are at times blamed, when,

FOXHOUNDS 219

as a matter of fact, they are being gradually demoral-
ised, because no real opportunity of hunting out the
line has been afforded them. Proof of this can easily
be procured, for the sceptic need only take note of what
occurs after a popular meet of one of the Shire packs on
a really bad scenting day, and then go and hunt for a
week or two in a provincial country where fields are
always small, but where hounds are invariably allowed
room to work in.

Apropos, we remember some years ago during a good
season in ante-mange times that a small party went
from the provincial country where we were hunting to
Melton for ten days. They were men of some expe-
rience, and each of the trio had paid more than one
previous visit to Leicestershire. This time, however,
they returned with a sad story. They had each been
out about half a dozen times, had seen three of the
Shire packs, but had never come in for a gallop of
more than a few minutes' duration. They had, as it
happened, hit upon a period of poor scent, and hounds
had been badly over-ridden, with the result that sport
had been practically nil. But the curious part of it was
that the local pack they had left behind them had had
during the same period their big week of the season,
when scent, though not exactly brilliant, had been good
enough to allow of hounds running on all day long.

To sum up the question of nose, bad foxes make (or
appear to make) bad hounds, and constant over-riding
is answerable for a great deal of exceedingly moderate
sport, for which hounds are often, in some degree,
blamed.

CHAPTER VHP
THE VALUE OF FOXHOUNDS

BY EDWARD PENTON

ONE of the interesting things a hunting man
can do after a hard day with the hounds,
when he has changed and dined, and sits
back in his arm-chair in front of the fire, smoking a
cigar and feeling at peace with all the world, is to call
to mind accounts of the great hound sales which have
taken place in the past. The full and complete history
of the dispersal of great packs is yet to be written,
though, of course, the story will be found scattered in
the contemporary literature, and also in the various
hunt histories, but to dig out knowledge in this way
requires much time and more patience than some poor
mortals are possessed of, for to-day the desire is to
have everything ready to one's hand, and so there may
be a fortune awaiting the hunting historian who selects
for his subject the sale of hounds. Quien sabe ?

Without attempting in the present chapter to give a
full and complete history of the great sale of every
pack which has taken place in the past, the relation of
some of the principal transactions may prove of interest,
and it may be here pointed out that prices of fox-
hounds have fluctuated quite as much as stocks and
shares are doing at the present day. Bargains in

1 The material for this chapter has been taken, by kind permission of
the proprietors, from the Field.

THE VALUE OF FOXHOUNDS 221

hound-flesh have been made many a time and oft,
while, on the other hand, purchasers have had on more
occasions than one to pay very dearly for the hound of
their choice.

In the year 1808 Lord Althorp wrote to his father,
" I have to tell you that I have concluded the bargain
with John Warde, and am to give him ;!^iooo for the
hounds," and few readers of hunting history will need
to be reminded that the last-named celebrated master,
eighteen years later, parted with another pack to Mr.
Horlock, who followed him in the mastership of the
Craven, for 2000 gs. Taking a leap to the year 1845,
one reads in Cecil that when Mr. Foljambe parted with
his establishment Messrs. Tattersall sold his hounds
for him at the kennels, the sale realising the sum of
^35oo> while, when Captain Williams, who was master
of the Rufford for twenty years (i 841 -61), gave up, the
same well-known firm sold his pack for 2681 gs. As
many hunting men know, the celebrated Quorn Hunt
has seen its hounds sold on several occasions, and in
his first season (1806-7) M^* Assheton Smith gave Mr.
Musters 1000 gs. for several couples, while later on
Lord Suffield purchased Mr. Ralph Lambton's hounds
for 3000 gs., or 1000 gs. more than had ever been given
for a pack up to that time. His lordship, however,
found that it was quite one thing to buy and another
to sell, for when the auctioneer's hammer ended his
regime^ his expensive purchase is said to have realised
no more than 1000 gs., while some hunting historians
indeed declare that the amount paid for them was only
490 gs., when the pack went north to hunt Mr. Robert-
son's country in Northumberland, afterwards that of
Lord Wemyss, but for the last forty years known as
the Percy country. When Mr. Hodgson left Leicester-

222 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

shire Lord Ducie, of the Vale of White Horse, be-
came the owner of his bitch pack for looo gs., and
Mr. Greene, of Rolleston, paid 200 gs. for ten couples
of dog hounds. The retiring master, however, bought
some in himself, and in the end fifty-seven couples of
working hounds, fifteen couples of unentered hounds,
and six brood bitches realised the total sum of 2201 gs.
At another sale in the same country, caused by the
death of that fine sportsman Sir Richard Sutton, in
1855, the Quorn hounds realised the sum of 1806 gs.,
Mr. Morrell giving 210 gs. for five couples, and Mr. R.
Sutton 300 gs. for five couples and 260 gs. for another
five.

Three years later, on April 14, Mr. Morrell sold his
Old Berkshire hounds at the Tubney kennels, near
Abingdon, through the agency of Messrs. Tattersall,
and those who knew the pack were of opinion that
while the bitches were all that could be desired, many
of the dogs were heavy, and a little inclined to be
throaty and coarse, though taken all round they formed
a very useful lot and found no lack of purchasers. The
then Duke of Beaufort bid for some of the best, and
eighty-one couples realised 2481 gs., which gives an
average of a little over 30 gs. a couple. In the June
of 1859 occurred the death of Sir Robert Williams
Vaughan, of Rhug, a calamity which necessitated the
breaking up of his hunting establishment. For nearly
forty years Sir Robert had kept hounds, commencing
his career, as so many masters of foxhounds have done,
with harriers, but on the death of his father he suc-
ceeded to the command of the foxhounds in the year
1843. It is said of him that he was a fine old English
gentleman of the best type, who kept a pack of fox-
hounds for the amusement of his wealthier neighbours,

THE VALUE OF FOXHOUNDS 223

whilst for the poor he provided constant employ-
ment by purchasing everything in his own imme-
diate vicinity, by having every article used in his large
establishment made, as far as possible, in the adjacent
towns and villages, by maintaining a large retinue of ser-
vants and a stud of hunters with means and appliances
to boot, by distributing alms where alms were needed,
and by occupying his leisure hours in the pursuits of
agriculture. At this sale the lots were not very well
sorted, hounds of every description forming part of the
old-fashioned kennel, so buyers desirous of possessing
a particular couple had perforce to make a bid for a
lot and leave it to further consideration whether the
"undesirables" should be destroyed or parted with.
The black and tan hounds were reported to be capital
in the pursuit of a mountain fox, and it seemed to be a
strain from an original cross between the ancient dew-
lapped southern hound and the blue mottled harrier,
looking capable of hunting anything from "an ele-
phant to an earwig," but the thirty-eight and a half
couples only realised the insignificant sum of ^^44 is.

In the June of this same year the hounds which for
two seasons had been hunting the Vine country and the
Herefordshire respectively were parted with for £66 14s. ,
the pack consisting of twenty couples, one and a half
couples of unentered hounds, and six puppies, so 1859
can hardly be reckoned an auspicious year for hound
sales.

Another sale worthy of note was that which took
place on 2 April, 1861, when Mr. W. Fielder Croome,
on giving up the mastership of the Vale of White
Horse, dispersed his hunters and hounds at the Ciren-
cester kennels, six lots realising 1179 gs., three brood
bitches 23 gs., and two couples of unentered hounds

224 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

7 gs. The thoughts of the hunting world were soon,
however, turned to more important considerations, for
before this same month of April had run its course all
the horses and hounds belonging to the Raby Hunt
were sold by Messrs. Tattersall at the Corner. The
event was brought about by the Duke of Cleveland
giving up the country, and a famous company were
present at the sale, including the Dukes of Cleveland
and Rutland, Lords Chesterfield, Dacre, Doneraile,
Middleton, Stamford, Curzon, and H. Bentinck,
Messrs. G. Payne, White, Whieldon, Montague,
Baker, Duffield, Giles, Henley Greaves, Marriott,
Treadcroft, Villebois, Petre, Rigden, Causton, and J.
Payne, Colonel Berkeley, Major Fletcher, and Captain
Hankey, while of course many huntsmen and whip-
pers-in of note also attended. The retiring master sat
in the auctioneer's box and made a note every time
a lot exchanged hands, the best price being given for
the first lot of five couples, viz. loo gs., the eleven lots
(fifty-seven and a half couples) fetching the sum of
614 gs.

Apropos Mr. Osbaldeston, who bought Lord Mon-
son's handsome pack for 800 gs., it may be mentioned
that the Squire never sold all his hounds till he
gave up the Pytchley, when his pack was transferred
under some arrangement to Mr. Harvey Coombe. In
1840 the pack was advertised for sale, and Lord
Cardigan, who was desirous of buying the whole lot,
gave his agent carle blanche, but was surprised to find
that the first lot of five couples realised 720 gs. and the
second lot 1020 gs., the total sum realised by these ten
couples being, in the opinion of good judges, in excess
of the value of the whole pack. The total nominal
result was 6300 gs., but a dispute led to only three lots

THE VALUE OF FOXHOUNDS 225

being actually disposed of. There appears to have
been some mystery connected with this sale, and it may
be noted here that in 1841 an action between Mr.
Osbaldeston and Mr. Harvey Coombe was heard in
the Court of Exchequer. It then appeared that some
years previously Mr. Coombe had advanced £^1000 on
the pack, a memorandum drawn up at the time setting
forth that the hounds had been purchased by the last-
named gentleman, but that if Mr. Osbaldeston should
by March ist, 1837, repay the loan, he was to have
them back. As a matter of fact he obtained a further
advance of ^500 on the understanding that Mr.
Coombe was to consider the hounds as his property,
while if they were sold for anything over ^^"1500 the
Squire was to have the surplus. The defence was that
a sale was arranged with the intention of getting rid of
the rubbish and buying in the best, to be kept until a
favourable opportunity presented itself for selling the
pick of the pack at a remunerative price, the Squire
treating the sale, on the other hand, as a bona fide
transaction and suing for the difference between the
;^i5oo and 6300 gs. In the end, -however, the jury
found for the defendant a verdict which showed this was
not a bona fide sale, consequently the prices counted as
nothing. It should be added that at the sale the first
four lots fell to the bid of a Mr. Allen, who was not a
master of hounds, and that gentleman was all through
the sale remarkable for his assiduous biddings, subse-
quent events arousing the idea that he had bought in
the dog hounds.

In the April of 1862 the Messrs. Tattersall were

called upon to sell Mr. Drake's well-known pack, when

fifty-six couples were dispersed at Stratton Audley, the

average being 47 gs. per couple, while the majority of

»5

226 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

the lots consisted of four couples each. Amongst the
purchasers, it may be mentioned that Mr. Morgan
Jones, Lord Eglinton, and Lord Euston became the
possessors of the first three lots at 120 gs. each ; Lord
Middleton took two at 285 gs., Captain Peyton four at
720 gs., Mr. Tailby two at 405 gs., Lord Eglinton two
more at 480 gs., and Mr. Musters one at 225 gs., the
total amount realised (including the unentered hounds)
being 2871 gs. In the same week, at Hyde Park Corner,
the Old Berkeley, then Lord Lonsdale's hounds, were
sold, with the exception of one lot, to Sir David Baird,
to take into the Lothians, but that gentleman obtained
thirty-nine couples of working hounds at an average
of something under 8 gs. per couple, the total,
together with three unentered hounds, amounting to
319 gs. Before the expiration of this same month Mr.
Selby Lowndes, who had a short time previously pur-
chased the pack from Lord Southampton, sent twenty-
three couples of dog hounds to the hammer with a not
very satisfactory result, though the celebrated hunts-
man, George Beers, said of one lot that "with twelve
couples like them he would kill a fox against any other
pack in Europe." The top price, 185 gs., was paid for
four couples by Lord Eglinton, and altogether 675 gs.
were realised. In the succeeding May the North
Warwickshire were sold on the death of Mr. Baker,
when once more moderate prices ruled, 855 gs. being
paid for sixty-nine couples. Lord Curzon leading the
way with 180 gs. for six couples.

About this time several crack packs were for one
reason or another brought to the hammer, and in the
month of April, 1863, after one year of joint master-
ship. Sir Algernon Peyton and Mr. Richardson put
up the Bicester hounds for sale at Stratton Audley.

THE VALUE OF FOXHOUNDS 227

The great majority of the lots consisted of four couples
each, and the total sum realised was 1013 gs., Mr,
Selby Lowndes paying the top prices, viz. 160 gs. and
150 gs. In the succeeding May a very fine pack was
sold at the Corner, when Lord Doneraile sent up his
foxhounds, which had been bred entirely from the
kennels of the Duke of Rutland, Lord Yarborough,
Lord Henry Bentinck, and Mr. Foljambe. Fourteen
couples of unentered hounds realised the sum of
458 gs., fifty-three couples of entered hounds realis-
ing 876 gs., or a total of 1334 gs., and the best price
(140 gs.) was paid by Mr. Buckley for four couples of
old hounds.

At the end of the following season Mr. Villebois
commissioned Messrs. Tattersall to sell the West Nor-
folk, and thirty-nine couples of entered hounds changed
hands for 550 gs., fourteen couples of unentered hounds
for 140 gs., and seven brood bitches for 122 gs., giving
a grand total of 812 gs., Mr. Hammond paying the
top price of 135 gs. for four couples of entered
hounds. Another Quorn sale took place at the kennels
in the April of 1866, when Mr. Clowes gave up, and
twenty-one lots made up of fifty-seven couples realised
1401 gs. The Marquis of Hastings was the highest
bidder, paying 155 gs. for one lot.

April was a favourite month for holding a sale of
hounds, and in 1867 Captain Jarrett, who had pur-
chased the South Wilts from Mr. Pain, his prede-
cessor, for ;!{J^iooo, now sold them for ^^1500, twenty-five
couples and seven brood bitches going to other estab-
lishments. At this sale the best price was 340 gs., bid
by Mr. A. W. Hall, then master of the Heythrop, for
four couples, and the pack possessed plenty of good
blood from the Belvoir, the Duke of Beaufort's, Lord

228 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

Poltimore's, the Puckeridge, Lord Portsmouth's, and
the Cheshire, while it may be added that Mr. Pain had
bought largely at the above-mentioned sale of Sir
Robert Vaughan's hounds. A few days afterwards
Messrs. Tattersall were again in request, this time in
the Crawley and Horsham country, where Mr. Stan-
ford was giving up, but the bad weather no doubt
affected the sale, for only three actual purchasers put
in an appearance, and only forty-three and a half
couples were parted with for 430 gs.

When Lord Feversham was the Hon. E. Dun-
combe he had been master of the Bedale, which pack
he had formed with purchases from Lord Panmure's
Forfarshire country, the Quorn, Mr. Drake's, Mr.
Henley Greaves', the Burton, Bramham Moor, Holder-
ness, and York and Ainsty, but here again low prices
ruled, 580 gs. being the amount realised by forty-four
couples, the highest bid being 125 gs. for four couples.
The year 1868 saw another Quorn sale recorded, and
old Tom Day, who was one of the company on this
occasion, stated that he had been present at seven
previous auctions where packs which had hunted this
country were sold. On this occasion the dispersal was
brought about by the resignation of the Marquis of
Hastings, the sale taking place in the paddock adjoin-
ing the stables, and at the extremity of the railed-off
space a building fashioned in the shape of a little
Chinese pagoda had been built. On the day. in ques-
tion thirty lots realised 1057 gs., Lord Rendlesham
paying 155 gs. for four couples.

In the May of 1869 two packs were sold which may
be said to have gone cheaply. In the first instance
Mr. Richard Marriot parted with the East Essex at
Abbott's Hall, Braintree, when twenty-nine and a half

THE VALUE OF FOXHOUNDS 229

couples went for 194 gs., the top price being 30 gs.
for four couples. Then a few days previously Messrs.
Tattersall had sold Mr. Radclyffe's dogs and bitches at
Dorchester in five lots of four couples each, together
with three couples of unentered hounds, purchasers
being few and far between. Mr. Lywood paid 94 gs.
for four couples, Mr. Hall of the Heythrop 80 gs. for
another lot, and the three others were bought in at
80 gs., 77 gs., and 70 gs., but the puppies found no
bidder. On the 31st of May the North Staffordshire
were brought to the hammer at Trentham, owing to
the death of Mr. William Davenport, when thirty-six
couples of entered and eight couples of unentered
hounds realised 821 gs., Colonel Duller being the
largest purchaser for the York and Ainsty.

On April 13, 1870, an historic sale took place, when
Lord Poltimore disposed of the establishment which he
had started in 1858 with drafts drawn from the Vale of
White Horse, Craven, and Vine, the remainder of the
packs being taken by Mr. Luxton, of Brushford, who,
however, very shortly afterwards sent on his portion
to Lord Poltimore, so that the Portsmouth and Polti-
more kennels had a common origin. Both packs were
of first-rate excellence, and yet within twelve years they
had assumed characteristics essentially distinct. The
principal strains of blood in the first instance came
from the Duke of Rutland, Lord Yarborough, Lord
Fitzwilliam, Lord Portsmouth, Mr. Assheton Smith,
Mr. Foljambe, Mr. Meynell Ingram, the Craven, and
the Vine ; but the great success of the kennel was
through the Belvoir Comus, who came in an unentered
draft from the Duke's establishment to Eggesford.
In 1859 Lord Poltimore had purchased eighteen couples
of the Atherstone bitches from Mr. Selby Lowndes for

230 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

700 gs., Lord Curzon taking the dog pack with the
larger bitches. At the 1870 sale, which took place at the
kennels, it need hardly be said that the bidding was
keen, the chief buyers being the Duke of Grafton, Sir
Algernon Peyton, the Hon. Mark Rolle, and Major
Browne, twenty-one and a half couples of old hounds
realising 3170 gs., or an average of nearly 148 gs. a
couple, while the young hounds sold for 195 gs., or
nearly 22 gs. a couple. Sir A. Peyton purchased three
and a half couples for 600 gs., a similar sum being paid
by Major Browne for three couples. Within the same
week the Atherstone came to the hammer, owing to
Lord Curzon giving up, but here fifty-eight and a half
couples of old hounds only realised 565 gs., or rather
under 10 gs. a couple, and fourteen and a half couples
of young ones 140 gs., making a grand total of 705 gs..
Sir A. Peyton paying the best price, viz. 100 gs. for
five couples. Though the pack in shape and make were
not in those days quite up to the standard of what is con-
sidered a first-class kennel, it certainly was not expected
that many lots would go at draft price, or little over it.
On the 26th April, 1870, another great hound sale
took place, when for the second time in four years the
Bicester kennel was broken up. Better fortune attended
the venture, however, for fifty-one and a half couples of
entered hounds, six brood bitches, and twenty-eight
couples of unentered hounds, realised 1400 gs., or an ,
average of about 17 gs. a couple, the best price being
paid by Major Browne, who bid 150 gs. for five couples
of entered hounds. The last sale of this season took
place on May 6, when Lord Rendlesham's pack was
sold at Ipswich. Owing to the unsatisfactory arrange-
ments of the various lots, however, poor prices ruled,
for then six, seven, and eight year old hounds were

THE VALUE OF FOXHOUNDS 231

sold together with young ones, so as to leave some lots
with an undue proportion of worn-out veterans ; buyers
could not be expected to run into high figures. Twenty-
one couples of entered, fourteen and a half couples of
unentered, and two couples of brood bitches were sold
for 730 gs., 130 gs. being the highest bid, for which
price Mr. Burton became the owner of three couples.

On April 18, 1871, Lord Hastings' horses and
hounds were sold, but the fine pack did not fetch the
prices anticipated, for twenty-five couples of entered
hounds, and two brood bitches, bred from the foremost
kennels of the day, and sixteen couples of unentered
hounds only realised 348 gs., 80 gs. being bid by
Major Barlow, for Sir Edward Kerrison, for four and a
half couples. Better luck attended the sale of Lord
Wemyss' establishment in the same month, some of
the well-bred hounds selling very well. For instance,
Mr. Askew gave 415 gs. for five couples of bitches;
six couples of dog hounds made 250 gs., two other lots
of six couples each, bitches from the large pack, fetched
150 gs. each, and the two kennels sold altogether for
about 1200 gs., but higher prices might have been
realised if the lots had been better put together.

Prices were not high during this year and the next,
when the Rufford were sold at the Gonalston kennels,
on which occasion the attendance was limited and the
bidding languid ; fifteen and a half couples of dog
hounds, fifteen couples of bitches, six couples of un-
entered dog hounds, and seven couples of unentered
bitches only realised 795 gs.. Lord Lonsdale making the
bid of the day (150 gs.) for three couples of bitches. A
very different story, however, was told when, in this
same month of April, Mr. Tailby sold his dog hounds
at Skeffington Hall, for both masters and huntsmen

232 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

came thither from all parts of the country and bid keenly
for the various lots put up for auction. Twenty-four
couples of entered hounds realised 1625 gs. (67I gs. a
couple), and eight and a half couples of unentered
hounds 335 gs. (39I gs. a couple). Lord Lonsdale
bought three lots of three couples each at 380 gs.,
350 gs., and 300 gs. respectively, besides giving
170 gs. and 100 gs. for two lots of three couples of
unentered hounds. Then on October 24 Mr. Brun-
skill's foxhounds were sold at Totnes, when twenty-six
and a half couples and eight couples of puppies, selected
from Lord Coventry's, the Blackmore Vale, Heythrop,
and Worcestershire kennels, realised 236 gs.

Up to the middle of May in the next season no hound
sale was held, but on the 17th of that month, on a very
unpleasant day. Sir Edward Kerrison's establishment
was dispersed, when forty-three and a half couples
changed hands for 755 gs., or a little under 17 gs. a
couple. Sir D. Roche paying 120 gs. for three couples
of dog hounds. When Mr. J. H. Arkwright resigned
the North Herefordshire the hounds were brought to
the hammer at the White Cross kennels on May 20,
1874, on which occasion thirty-four couples realised
700 gs., and Mr. Rigden bid 105 gs. for three couples.

On 14 April, 1875, Mr. Humphreys sold at the Horse
Repository, Cheltenham, draft hounds belonging to
Lord Fitzhardinge and Captain A. H. Sumner of the
Cotswold, the former sending twenty-seven couples of
unentered hounds, for which 307 gs. were bid, Mr.
Corbet paying 27 gs. for one couple and 14 gs. for two
couples of working hounds. Captain Sumner obtained
48I gs. for eleven and a half couples, and 12 gs. for four
couples of working hounds, Mr. Roote giving 12 gs. for
one couple of unentered hounds. In the following May

THE VALUE OF FOXHOUNDS 233

the dog pack belonging to Mr. Mark Rolle were
sold at Lillie Bridge, when twenty couples of dog
hounds and three and a half couples of bitches, consti-
tuting fourteen lots, realised 745 gs., two couples of dog
hounds being purchased by Lord Fitzwilliam for 105 gs.

Owing to the death of Mr. Talbot the Glamorgan-
shire hounds were sold at the kennels on August 8,
1876, the pack consisting of thirty-six couples of old
hounds, fifteen couples of unentered hounds, and four
lots of puppies, three and a half couples of old hounds
passing into the possession of the Marquis of Worcester
for 155 gs. Altogether 1695 gs. were realised, the old
hounds averaging 28gs. a couple and the unentered 38 gs.

The year 1877 witnessed the dispersal of the Craven
and the resignation of Mr. Harcourt Capper, when forty-
six couples of old hounds, twelve and a half couples of
unentered hounds, sixteen and a half couples of puppies,
and one and a half couples of brood bitches realised
1 175 gs., Mr. Boughey giving 200 gs. for four couples of
old hounds, and it may be mentioned that the forty-six
couples alluded to above realised 861 gs. Shortly after-
wards Major Browne sold his Northumberland pack at
the kennels near Lesbury House, when eighteen couples
of working and two and a half couples of unentered
hounds realised 590 gs., the old hounds averaging a
little over £\6 a head. On this occasion Mr. Cookson
paid no gs. for one and a half couples of working
hounds, which was the best price of the day. On
I May, 1877, the North Herefordshire were sold at
the kennels, owing to Mr. Piatt giving up. The bitch
pack consisted of twenty-seven couples, and the auc-
tioneer said that, much to the honour of Mr. Piatt, he
was anxious that the country should have them, and on
the part of the county 600 gs. had been bid, so if there

234 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

was no advance he would, in accordance with Mr.
Piatt's wishes, knock them down at that price, which was
done. Twenty-three couples of dog hounds were then
put up, eleven couples of the younger hounds fetching
i8i gs., Mr. Merrick giving 95 gs. for three couples.

To-day the Rugby Hound Sales, which are held
every year by Messrs. Tattersall, have become a feature
in the hunting world, but of course everything must
have a beginning, and in the Field of April 30, 1881,
the following paragraph appeared : —

Many masters of hounds having found it almost impos-
sible to get rid of their drafts privately asked Messrs.
Tattersall to hold a sale at Rugby. We cannot speak too
highly of the accommodation and arrangements, and both
masters and huntsmen agreed that they never saw so good
a place for a hound sale. There were 120 couples of fox-
hounds from many good packs in the catalogue, and . . .
hopes were entertained that a few foreigners would put in
an appearance. Mr. Pain began business before a small
audience, and there were very few buyers even at the low
prices. It is something to say, however, that every lot of
the foxhounds was sold, much to the relief of the masters
present, and the huntsmen who were with them. . . . Messrs.
Tattersall should continue this sale, as when times improve
and it gets known abroad, it is sure to be a great con-
venience to both buyers and sellers of hounds.

In May, 1884, Messrs. Tattersall sold the East Sussex
at Rugby for 830 gs., while twenty couples of the
Pytchley realised over 550 gs., but in the following
September some remarkably low prices were recorded.
On this occasion Messrs. Walton and Lee sold the
Haydon hounds at Grove Park, Kingsbury, owing to
the retirement of the late Mr. Nicholas Maughan. In
the dim twilight twenty-one couples of hounds were
brought out, and it was said '*on looking round the
now scanty ring of spectators there was only one
gentleman who had any more use for a hound than for

THE VALUE OF FOXHOUNDS 235

an elephant, and that was Mr. George Nurse. Truth
compels us to say that the hounds were hardly as good
as the horses. This, however, may be accounted for
by the fact that Mr. Maughan had had bad luck with
his hounds, and had to depend to a great extent on
drafts. They were not particularly level, while some
were deficient in bone and other qualities. Still, there
were some nice hounds among them, as the Bramham,
Badminton, Lord Yarborough's, Milton, Quorn, Bel-
voir, Warwickshire, and Eggesford blood was repre-
sented. For these twenty-one couples there was but one
bid — 15 gs. — by Mr, Nurse, and for that sum he became
possessor of the pack — a bargain, when we call to mind
that ere now five couples have brought 720 gs."

On April 25, 1885, owing to Mr. Arthur Longman
giving up, the Old Berkeley East were brought to the
hammer and seventy-eight hounds with puppies fetched
;^ii6i, or an average of ;^i5 12s. 6d., Sir R. Sutton
giving 220 gs. for two couples of unentered bitches,
while it should be added that a few seasons before Mr.
Mackenzie had bought the dog hounds to hunt the
western portion of the country with. In March, 1886,
Mr. Deacon sold twenty-eight couples of foxhounds
from the kennels of Mr. C. A. R. Hoare at the V.W.H.
Repository, Swindon, when Mr. Van Notten Pole, of
Watermor, Cirencester, bought the five lots for ^^15 ids.
At the following Rugby Hound Sale nineteen and a half
couples of the East Sussex were sold for 293 gs., 52 gs.
being given for three couples, while a draft from the
South Dorset, consisting of three and a half couples,
realised 47 gs., the best price of the day.

The sale of the year, however, was recorded when the
Cattistock, which the Earl of Guildford had purchased
a few years previously from Mr. Froude Bellew, were

236 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

brought to the hammer, the total amount realised being
1400 gs., 130 gs. being given for two and a half couples
of entered hounds.

In the May of 1887 the Blankney, Cranbourne, and
Chiddingfold tried their luck at Rugby, but high prices
were not in the ascendant, though the first-named pack
fetched 1014 gs. for twenty-five couples, an average of
a little over 40 gs. a couple, 125 gs. being paid by Mr.
Austin Mackenzie for one and a half couples. In July,
1889, on the retirement of Mr. Harding Cox, the Old
Berkeley were put up for sale, the pack having been got
together at great trouble and expense almost entirely
from the Blankney and Curraghmore. They conse-
quently inherited the Old Burton blood, secured when
Mr. Chaplin became possessed of Lord Henry Bentinck's
famous pack. At the sale thirty-six couples were sold,
the lots averaging one and a half couples each, and the
total sum realised was 1003 gs. Mr. Chandos Pole gave
100 gs. for two couples, and Mr. Selby took two couples
more at the same price.

In the April of 1890 it was said that Lord Portsmouth
had sold his hounds privately through the medium of
Messrs. Tattersall to the then Marquis of Worcester
and Sir Watkin Wynn, the big pack going to Badmin-
ton and the small one to Wynnstay in equal portions,
for the sum, it was said, of 3000 gs.

By this time the Rugby Hound Sales had become
firmly established, and in May, 1893, Mr. Lort Phillips
sold his entire dog pack there, and other hounds as
well, in consequence of the Pembrokeshire country
being divided. The total amount realised was 316 gs.
for twenty-three and a half couples of working hounds,
or an average of about 13 gs. per couple, the top price
being 38 gs. for one couple. At the same time Lord

THE VALUE OF FOXHOUNDS 237

Radnor, who was reducing the number of his hunting
days, sold twenty-three and a half couples at an average
of 6 gs. per couple, one lot of two and a half couples
realising 60 gs. In 1898 the Suffolk sold at an average
of no more than 3 gs. a couple, while Mr. Gerald Hardy,
who at that time was master of the Atherstone, received
231 gs. for seventeenandahalf couples of entered hounds.
In the following July no little interest was aroused
over the sale of the Quorn horses, the property of
Lord Lonsdale, when her ladyship's Odipus, a chest-
nut gelding, by Oedipus, was bought by Mr. P.
Whitaker, of the Oakley, for 760 gs., Bay Prince
realising 660 gs. and Eggshell 630 gs., the average of
fifty-four hunters being ;^290 and the average of nine-
teen of Lord Lonsdale's stud being ;i^38o. This, of
course, brought up a number of reminiscences, and it
was remembered that when Mr. Drake gave up the
Bicester country in 1862 he received 300 gs. for a
hunter (a very ordinary price in these days), while
Lord Lonsdale in the same year experienced what
may be termed the frowns of Fortune, in that out
of the Old Berkeley stud only about half a dozen were
sold, the prices ranging from 35 gs. to 80 gs., and
when Mr. Baker gave up the North Warwickshire
the majority of his stud ran to no more than 20 gs.
or 30 gs., while only two exceeded 100 gs. Prices
ruled better, however, in 1863, when Lord Stamford
sold seventy-nine of the Quorn horses for the sum
of ;6^i 5,060, or an average of about £i(^o each, in-
dividual bids being 520 gs., 510 gs., and 460 gs.
Again, when Sir G. Heathcote's hunting stud was sold
at Tattersall's, one horse brought 360 gs., while three
others realised 310 gs. (2) and 300 gs., and three
more sums ranging from 200 gs. to 300 gs. Lord

238 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

Plymouth would give 700 gs. for a hunter, and in the
sixties Mr. Chaplin's hunters brought such long
prices as 400 gs., 350 gs., and 300 gs., while
fourteen others realised over 100 gs. each. When Lord
Henry Bentinck gave up the Burton in 1862 his
hunters brought £12,^^61, the sale taking place on the
same day as that appointed for the first horse show
held at the Agricultural Hall, at Islington, under the
late Mr. Sidney's management, and in the course of
the afternoon that gentleman entered the arena to
announce that the first three horses sold by Lord
Henry had passed into the hands of Mr. Chaplin
for ;^iooo, and he urged his hearers to note the fact
by way of bearing in mind what could be made out
of hunter breeding. It may be added that at Mr.
James Hall's Holderness sale the sum of 400 gs. was
given for a hunter.

At the beginning of the year 1899, to return to
the hound sale proper, no little excitement was roused
at the news that Mr. Austin Mackenzie, who was then
giving up the Woodland Pytchley, had sold his
pack of about fifty couples for ;^5000, the Marquis of
Worcester taking the dog hounds at ;^2000, and Mr.
Wroughton the bitches at ;^30oo. In the November
of 1900, when the North Cornwall hounds were sold
at Aldridge's, sixteen couples realised from 8 gs. to
2| gs. a couple, while in the June of the following
year Mr. Bathurst on giving up the Eggesford country
parted with thirty-one and a half couples of entered
hounds for 660 gs., twelve brood bitches and puppies
for 370 gs., and eleven and a half couples of unentered
hounds for 155 gs., making a total of 1185 gs., Mr.
Dun Waters giving 150 gs. for one and a half couples
and bitches.

THE VALUE OF FOXHOUNDS 239

At the Rugby Hound Sale of May 19, 1902, Mr. R.
Carnaby Forster sold the Ledbury dog pack at the
kennels owing to his hunting fewer days a week, and
so confining himself to hunting with the bitch pack.
He, however, did not have a very good sale at Rugby,
as only nineteen couples out of thirty-six entered and
unentered hounds were disposed of, fifteen couples of
entered hounds realising 174 gs., or an average of
iii gs., Mr. Compton, of the New Forest, giving
51 gs. for two and a half couples. In the December of
this same year Mr. Poole sold the Teme Valley fox-
hounds at Knighton to Mr. Peter Ormrod, the price
being,! 10 gs.

In the following February, when Mr. J. C. Munro
resigned the mastership of the Atherstone, certain gentle-
men connected with the country purchased the pack for
3500 gs. through Messrs. Tattersall, and at Rugby,
during the annual sales, twenty-seven and a half couples
of the Percy sold for 515 gs., or an average of about £18
a couple, Mr. Bell giving 96 gs. for two couples, and
ninety-eight lots, including nearly two hundred couples,
amounting to a grand total for the whole sale of 2 1 78 gs. ,
this including ten couples of entered hounds and a
stallion hound of the North Herefordshire, which
changed hands for 376 gs. At the first Rugby Hound
Sale for 1904, presided over by Mr. Rawlence, so well
known on these occasions to hunting men, seventy-one
lots, made up of one hundred and sixty-six and a
half couples, realised .^521 17s., the Pytchley — four-
teen couples of entered and twenty-five and a half
couples of unentered hounds — realising 105 gs., while
in the May sale seventy-two lots realised ^^915 12s.
The Galtee were sold for 322 gs., 25 gs. being given
for two couples of unentered bitches, but it should

240 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

be remembered that in the ranks of the lots offered all
through the catalogue were some four or six season
hunters, hounds who would probably never have
secured a bid had it not been for, say, a couple of
youngsters judiciously thrown in. All things con-
sidered, therefore, the total amount realised, as men-
tioned above, shows that even in cast-offs, and second
and third choices, there is a certain amount of business
to be done in hounds.

In 1905 the Dulverton, including twenty-three couples
of entered hounds, five couples of unentered hounds,
and some odd lots, made 247I gs., the proceeds being
divided between the Hunt Servants' Benefit Society
and the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Society, Lord
De Clifford paying 31 gs. for two couples. The Hun-
dred of Hoo pack, consisting of nineteen and a half
couples, made 58 gs., and in 1906 Lady Craven's
hounds realised 1004 gs., the Duke of Beaufort giving
70 gs. for a couple of dog hounds.

In the Field of September i, 1906, the following
letter appeared, which brings the story of the hound
sales down to that year : —

In 1901 Mr. Charles McNeill purchased a mixed pack (dogs
and bitches) from Captain Stacey, who had been hunting the
North Cotswold country up to that period and for five years
previously. Mr. C. McNeill sold the dog hounds, about six-
teen couples, to Lord Portman, and, on giving up the
country in May last, sold his bitches (forty-six couples), prac-
tically, therefore, two packs, for ^^3000, to Sir John Hume
Campbell, who also bought some fifteen or sixteen couples of
unentered hounds. Almost every hound, old and young, were
got by Belvoir sires. The price seems high, but on looking
into the hound list and noticing that every hound is a bitch,
and these of exceptional lineage, besides their being two
packs, capable of hunting four days a week, then one realises

THE VALUE OF FOXHOUNDS 241

that it is nothings like the price given by Mr. W. M. Wrough-
ton for Mr. Austin Mackenzie's pack. Mr. McNeill's bitches
had also earned a g^reat reputation for tongfue and also for
catching- their foxes. Hunting ninety-two days last season
they killed ninety-seven foxes, a grand record in so difficult a
country.

A private sale of importance took place in connec-
tion with the Morpeth hounds, when Mr. Clayton
Swan gave up the country in 1902. The elected
master, Mr. A. B. Cresswell, who had been in com-
mand of the adjoining Percy country for six seasons,
gave 3000 gs. for the pack. As it happened, Mr.
Cresswell never took up his mastership, but the pack
was transferred to Mr. F. B. Atkinson, the present
master, at, it was said, a discount of ^300. In 1907 the
South Cheshire bitch pack were sold at Rugby for
£"1700, and in June of the present year (1908) Mr.
Wroughton's Woodland Pytchley pack were disposed
of at the same place, for a total of 4321 gs. To go
a little into detail, seven and a half couples of un-
entered dog hounds made 227 gs., seven couples of
entered dogs 572 gs., four stallion hounds 360 gs.,
eight couples of unentered bitches 751 gs., twelve and
a half couples of entered bitches 2035 gs., and
brood bitches and whelps 376 gs. And just as
this volume goes to press another very big private
sale has taken place. Lord Leconfield buying fifteen
couples of the Atherstone for 2000 gs. Of these ten
couples were entered and five couples unentered hounds,
and the average works out at a little over 132 gs. a
couple. In the case of unentered hounds, truly a very
high price, but Lord Leconfield had the right to
choose from the whole pack, including several recent
Peterborough winners.
16

CHAPTER IX
HORSES AND STABLES

IN connection with hunting there is no more im-
portant question than that of horses. To be well
carried during a run with hounds enhances the
enjoyment one hundred fold, and to be badly carried
means converting what in a natural way should be a
pleasure into a most uncomfortable task. There is
a period of one's life when ability to gallop and jump
is the only thing looked for in a hunter, when bad
manners are lightly thought of, and even vice is looked
upon with a lenient eye. There are, too, some men,
and not a few women, who can make themselves at
home and be thoroughly happy on what the average
hunting man would call a rotten bad horse, and there
is another and a smaller group of individuals who can
succeed in getting to the front on horses which, in
ordinary hands, would be hopelessly tailed off before
hounds had been running ten minutes.

But to the majority of men and women it is essential
that their hunters should be, at least, useful animals ;
that they should have a fair amount of endurance, be
able to gallop at a steady pace, and to jump smoothly
without rushing their fences, while — most important of
all — they should be free from vice, and have manners
which are reasonably good. It is well enough for
those whose business it is to make hunters to come out
on raw, half-broken horses, who have all their educa-

242

HORSES AND STABLES 243

tion before them, but such horses only suit men who
are professional or semi-professional horse makers or
breakers. For a beginner a horse which is absolutely
quiet is almost a necessity, but for the rank and file of
hunting people first-rate condition is the great deside-
ratum, for all who have secured a certain amount of
experience will surely ride the horses which suit them,
and will discard those horses which have confirmed bad
habits, or any real vice.

In this connection it is a somewhat curious fact that
many people — especially, perhaps, the owners of small
studs — will, after they have once bought a horse,
struggle on with him for months when he does not suit
them rather than dispose of him at once. It is, of
course, most annoying to buy a horse which appeared
to be temperate when tried and then to find that he
rushes his fences, or that he pulls all day long ; but this
is a thing which constantly happens, and it is better,
supposing the horse cannot be returned, to cut one's
loss at once rather than keep a brute which does not give
satisfaction.

Quite lately we noticed a quiet-riding, middle-aged
man begin a season with two new horses, which were
taking the place of two veterans which had carried
their owner some ten seasons apiece. The new horses
were young, good-looking, and apparently well
behaved, and during the month of October their
owner was much pleased with them. But as the season
advanced one began to pull very hard, while the other
was found to be a confirmed rusher, who would go
blindly at any place forty miles an hour, and who,
though a big jumper, was terribly rash. Their owner
was advised to hand both horses over to a rough-rider
for awhile, but though a quiet, most unassuming man,

244 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

he was also gifted with great determination, and had
been in his younger days a bold horseman. He did
not like to be beaten either, so he struggled on with the
pair, and it became quite a usual thing for him to be
seen galloping round and round a big enclosure when
hounds were going away, because he could not hold
his horse. By Christmas-time he had brought both
horses to a slightly better frame of mind, but hunting
was stopped by frost, and after two or three weeks of
inactivity the horses were worse than ever.

The puller, having been continually ridden by a man
who could not hold him, had become a confirmed run-
away, and the rusher not only rushed more, but now
chanced his fences, and had also taken to pulling hard
between the jumps. The owner tried all sorts of bits,
gave his horses double exercise, and put them on a
short allowance of corn. He also had their rough edge
taken off by a strong, early gallop on hunting morn-
ings, but it was all of little use, and although he
continued to hunt them to the end of the seasons, the
horses always had the best of it, and their rider's season
was completely spoilt.

A really good horseman can of course succeed with
ninety-nine awkward horses out of a hundred, but the
average rider should always get rid of any horse which
has a bad fault ; and perhaps the greatest fault which a
hunter can have is to be a runaway. Kicking is bad
enough, but people will avoid a kicker when he carries
the danger signal in the shape of a red ribbon in his
tail, whereas a horse which bolts will often, when he
has taken complete charge of his rider, make straight
for the thick of the crowd, and set half a dozen other
horses off their balance.

And apropos of kicking and the red ribbon, we have

HORSES AND STABLES 245

a strong opinion that in these days no one is justified
in taking any incorrigible kicker out hunting. Many
years ago, when fields were much smaller than they
are now, when the dangers of unmarked wire were un-
known, and when in the average hunting field every
one not only knew every one else, but knew all about
their horses as well, it was often customary for the
man who rode a kicker to wear on the back buttons
of his coat a bit of white cardboard, with the single
word "Kicks" inscribed thereon in big black letters.
On a scarlet or on a black coat this notice was most
conspicuous, and the kicker was duly avoided, but in
an unfortunate moment some one hit upon the idea of a
red ribbon in a horse's tail, and that was quickly taken
up, and now a dozen or more red ribbons can be seen
in any hunting field of fair dimensions, and two or
three even where the numbers are quite small.

But the wearing of the red ribbon is not always
legitimate, for certain people have taken advantage of
the custom, and have adopted it, not because their
horses are kickers, but in order that they may not be
crowded, and may find more elbow-room at gaps,
gates, and in narrow places, such as the rides of a
covert. This is one way in which the wearing of the
danger signal is abused, but there is another and more
important side to the question, this being the hard fact
that many people who ride confirmed kickers think that
when they have once announced the fact to all and
sundry by placing a ribbon in their horse's tail
they have done all that is required of them, and that
afterwards they are not to blame if anything happens.
And having once sported the signal, these irresponsible
men and women will push and shove into the crowd
where it is thickest, will hustle for their turn at an

246 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

awkward hunting wicket, and will, in point of fact, act
exactly as if they were riding a horse which has not a
kick in it.

Our experience is that certain horses will always
kick at other horses which come too close to them, and
during the last few weeks of the season many mares,
which are steady enough at other times, are not to be
trusted. But it is unquestionably the duty of the rider
of a kicker to keep him wide of the crowd, so wide
indeed that he can do no harm. The man who is on
a confirmed kicker has no right to take his place at a
crowded gate; he is bound in all fairness to find another
road for himself, and if he loses a run, he must accept
the loss as the penalty entailed by hunting a kicker.
How much damage is done by these kickers there are
no statistics to show, but we have twice seen a man's
leg broken by another horse in the hunting field, and
scores of hounds are killed or badly hurt every season.

Curiously enough there are horses which do not kick
at other horses but will invariably kick a hound, and
when this vice is discovered the greatest care should
be taken to keep such horses well away from the pack.
As for the horses which cannot be cured of the habit of
kicking at other horses, they are not fit to be hunted,
and should at once be relegated to some of the lower
walks of horse enterprise. I n these days ' ' fields " are too
large for kickers, and owing to the presence of so much
wire in the country there is more danger than there
used to be, because it is so often necessary for every
one to rush to some particular unwired place — possibly
an invitation jump — or to a gate. Crowding, then,
must be of very frequent occurrence, and the kicker
much more out of place than he was a generation ago,
and this fact cannot be too generally recognised. There

HORSES AND STABLES 247

is an odd man, of course, who, being aware that he is
on a horse which is not to be trusted, will give every-
one a wide berth all day long, but the rank and file are
not only too fond of the red ribbon, but when anything
happens will loudly urge that they cannot possibly be
to blame because of their having worn the danger
signal. Such a defence is, however, grossly unfair,
most unsportsmanlike, and unsound as an argument,
for in the excitement of a run people cannot be con-
tinually looking for red ribbons, especially when they
know that scores of horses so adorned have never been
known to kick.

There are very many, perhaps indeed a majority, of
hunting folk who are able to gauge their own riding
capacity. Some of these know that they can show a
bold front if only they are well mounted ; others are
fully aware that they can get along comfortably in a
fair place, but feel that they are not exactly fitted to cut
out the work ; while a third section are perfectly content
to follow on to the best of their ability, seldom near the
front, except by accident, but enjoying themselves
quite as much as those who are leading the van a field
or two ahead.

But on the other hand there are individuals who seem
to be of opinion that what one man can do another can
also achieve, and thus *' A," an ordinary hunting man,
but not exactly accustomed to go in the first flight,
sees " B," an exceptional horseman, doing great things
on a young horse which he wishes to sell. "A" is
much taken with the performance, and a deal is quickly
effected. But to "A's" surprise he finds that the
horse when he is riding it is quite a different animal,
and as he will not realise that "B" is ten times as
good a horseman as he is, he is in a quandary. He

248 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

cannot exactly blame the horse, because he has seen
it do big things for another man ; he will not blame
himself, because that would be admitting that his
horsemanship was inferior to that of " B." So he makes
excuses for the nag, and parts with him as quickly as
possible.

It is an undoubted fact that there are a few men in
every large hunt, and an odd one in every small hunt,
who can go in front on any and every sort of horse,
and can keep them there as long as condition of their
horses will allow of it. Not only are such men fine
horsemen, but they are gifted with some indescribable
knack of getting along. They have falls, of course,
but no more than their neighbours when their style of
riding is taken into consideration, and what they
really excel in is that they are able to make horses
gallop and jump in a way which is an impossibility to
other men. It is not the honest, willing horse that
they are seen to so much advantage on, but the raw,
ignorant horse, or very often the animal which is in
ordinary hands a shocking bad hunter.

A rather heavy man once bought a big, fairly good-
looking horse which had been working in a road coach,
the horse having a previous character to the effect that
he was a good hunter. His new owner could not make
him jump, and found that he could not gallop fast
enough to keep up with what Miss Somerville calls
" the flotsam and jetsam of the field." He was on the
point of being sent up for sale by auction, when some
one suggested that the crack rider of the hunt should

have a day on him. As it happened Lord 's

hounds were in their best country on the following
day ; the coach horse was sent on, his owner went to
see what occurred, and to his surprise the horse which

HORSES AND STABLES 249

would not go a yard for him was in the van all day,
and fairly *' brought down the house" by a marvellous
exhibition of gate jumping.

The average hunting man or woman must be content,
then, to take his or her proper place in the field, and to
buy horses which are suited to his or her capacity. It
is hardly within our province to inflict a horse-dealing
lecture on our readers, nor have we the space for any-
thing like a full review of this absorbing question, but
a few general hints may not be out of place, and, firstly,
it cannot be too strongly impressed upon those who
hunt that breeding is the greatest essential in a hunter.
The better bred a horse is the better hunter he is likely
to be, and any horse which is very short of breeding
should be avoided at all costs. And when we write of
breeding we refer solely and entirely to the blood (more
or less of which is to be found in almost every light
horse) which comes from the thoroughbred. The
thoroughbred is the original source of the modern
hunter, and though horses which are of absolutely
pure blood — entered in the General Stud Book — are
few and far between in the hunting field, a huge
majority of the present-day hunters, including all the
best of them, have a considerable amount of pure blood
in their veins. A common-bred horse may, on the
other hand, be both good-looking and clever, and yet
by no means a good hunter. His good looks may find
him a purchaser at a fair price, and in some hands he
may get through his work with credit. But this is
dependent upon two things, either that his owner has
found out all his weak points, or that he is bought by
some one who does not care to go fast, but who just
potters on well behind the crowd when hounds are
running.

250 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

If the owner of one of these common but yet good-
looking horses is clever enough to arrive at a true
estimate of his nag's capabilities, he will take good
care that the weak points are not allowed to show
themselves. He will be prominent enough when
hounds are creeping after a fox, feeling for the line all
the way, and if he be a bold man he will occasionally
indulge in a gallery jump. But under no circum-
stances will he let his underbred horse gallop itself to
a standstill, and if he (the owner) has to be content with
a bad place when hounds run hard, he will very likely
make up for this by passing the horse on at a profit to
some one who has been struck by the good looks and
jumping capacity.

In the other case, that is to say, when the owner is a
man who cares little for galloping, a common horse
may do well enough, and may work in satisfactory
fashion through half a dozen seasons. It is fast
galloping which finds out the weak spot in an under-
bred horse, and if such a one is urged beyond his
speed, or has to unduly exert himself, he quickly
collapses. When this happens he falls all in a heap
when he attempts to jump, or not infrequently crosses
his legs and comes down in the centre of a field. The
horse which is short of breeding will not stand being
pushed as will the well-bred horse, and has not the
same power of recovery ; in fact, when a common
horse gets into the hands of a man or woman whose
pluck is in advance of his or her knowledge of horses
and riding, collapse and perhaps a heavy fall are sure
to come sooner or later.

Breeding is the first thing to be looked for in a
hunter, and as a matter of fact this is far more neces-
sary than good looks. It has at times been said that

HORSES AND STABLES 251

a very good-looking, hunter-like horse must be well
bred, merely because he is good-looking, but this is
not always the case, for many so-called weight carriers
of grand appearance have been bred from a cart mare
and a thoroughbred sire, and have entirely favoured
the sire in appearance. On the other hand the union
of a thoroughbred with a pony or cob-mare has often
resulted in the breeding of a good hunter, of fair size
and up to a deal of weight, but there is no golden rule
in the matter, and it is impossible to get at the real
capabilities of any horse until he is fairly tried. The
underbred horse may give great satisfaction when
hacked and cub-hunted, and he may be the most com-
fortable hunter on days of quiet sport, but if hounds
run hard, and the going is heavy, he will soon be spun
out, and he will, in addition, take much longer to
recover than the well-bred nag.

Still, common horses are to be found in every hunt-
ing field, and many of them give great satisfaction to
their riders. This is accounted for by the fact that a
considerable section of the hunting community either
do not know how to, or do not care to gallop. When
hounds go fast they are content with an unassuming
position in the rear of the hunt, having at the start
allowed all the pushing ones to pass them. They go
along so quietly that they are practically saving their
mounts all day long, and when men hunt after this
fashion a lack of breeding in their horses is of little
consequence. There are hunting folk, too, who will
seldom hesitate to jump a big place, and yet who never
gallop at top speed. Some of them do not like it,
others seem to be without the knack, or are not bold
enough to let their horses stretch out at their best pace,
and thus one occasionally has seen a man who on an

252 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

ordinary day may appear to be an almost brilliant per-
former, but who is never by any chance in the van if
the pace is really fast.

Again, the horse which lacks breeding has very often
a heavy and straight shoulder and, as a natural conse-
quence of this formation, rough, uneasy action. Possi-
bly he lifts his legs too high in trotting and strikes the
ground too hard in his gallop. He will, moreover, very
often pull hard in the early part of a run, and want kicking
along after the first ten minutes. He is, in fact, quite
out of place in the hunting field, but for all that he is
very much in evidence, because in these days, when so
many people hunt, a fair number of them must be
without much knowledge of horses, and therefore likely
to be imposed upon.

A hunter with a very big head should always be
avoided, as should a horse with a straight shoulder. A
long back generally indicates weakness in a gelding,
but not always in a mare, and a curly tail or curly hair
about the fetlocks shows that plebeian blood is not far
removed. Then a horse who shows the white of his
eye is often dangerous, and nearly always sulky tem-
pered,'while a horse which is low in the withers and
short in the neck is generally uncomfortable to ride.
Obvious defects need hardly be pointed out, but a
horse which is back at his knees will seldom stand
much work, while a horse which is a little over at the
knees may go on for several seasons. A horse to avoid
is the animal which carries his hocks too far behind
him or has them too close together or too far apart,
and horses which are very light of bone cannot carry
weight, and seldom last long.

On the other hand, the perfect hunter as regards
work is to be found in many shapes and forms, and is

HORSES AND STABLES 253

by no means of the accepted show-ring type. It is true
that hundreds, probably thousands, of really high-class
hunters have received notice at the shows, but a great
deal more than make and shape, manners, and an apti-
tude for galloping round a show-ring are wanted in the
outfit of a perfect hunter, and some of the necessary
qualifications cannot be discovered by looking at a
horse or trying his paces. Constitution, for example,
must be forthcoming in every horse which is required
to come out once a week or oftener, and though a good
guess at what a horse's constitution is likely to be can
be made when he is carefully examined, this cannot be
really determined until the horse is doing hard and
regular work.

Horse shows no doubt suggest the type which breed-
ers of hunters should aim at, but the horse who wins in
a show-yard is not necessarily a good hunter ; and this
reminds one of a certain master of hounds who was
asked to support the hunter classes at a local show.
He was by no means keen on exhibiting, but so much
pressure was brought to bear on him that he sent two
or three entries. In an open heavy-weight class he
showed his best horse — a magnificent hunter of great
constitution, a horse who could gallop fast all day
long, who could jump five feet of timber from a trot,
who could fly a big brook or creep through a tangled
fence — a perfect hunter, in fact, who was used by his
owner when hunting hounds in his best country. He
also, on the suggestion of his stud groom, showed a
six-year-old gelding which he had bred himself, but
which was at the moment one of the bad tickets of the
stable. This horse had good looks, but nothing would
induce him to jump, though he had been fairly forced
through fences by a rough rider. Neither could he

254 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

gallop more than a field or two, and he was always
ailing. But he took first prize, while his stable com-
panion was never looked at ; and the judges were right
enough from their point of view, because the bad horse
was handsome of outline and a pretty mover in the
ring, while the really valuable, tried hunter was slightly
hog-backed and not by any means a handsome horse.

It is not necessary to offer much advice as regards
buying horses, because so much depends on the
knowledge and judgment of the buyer, and so much
more on the length of his purse. The man to whom
the price is of little account almost invariably puts him-
self in the hands of a big dealer, and the dealer soon
gets to know the sort of horse his customer requires,
and probably four out of five which he may send
will give satisfaction. But the hunting man of less
ambition, who hunts two or three days a week in a
provincial country, and who does not care to give
more than £']o or ^80, is not so easily suited. He of
course must be very careful that he does not buy a
misfit, for he probably cannot afford to keep a horse
which does not serve his turn, or to lose money by
buying a "wrong un." If he has the knack of pick-
ing out a good horse, the buying of a new one is
sometimes a source of pleasure, but if he knows little
about horses his task is a hard one, and he is very
likely to be done. One man who hunts regularly
can gauge all the young horses bred by the farmers
in his district to a nicety, while his neighbour, hunt-
ing just as often, will be "stuck" by all the gay
deceivers of the country-side. Some men are so
conceited that they do not realise their own ignor-
ance or gullibility in the matter of horseflesh, but
trust to their own judgment, and are generally badly

HORSES AND STABLES 255

mounted. One can think of men who are fair horse-
men, plucky riders, and most anxious to go in the
front rank, but who are invariably handicapped
because their steeds are quite unable to rise to
their masters' ambition. One can also think of the
man who is over-horsed, the light-weight who comes
out on an eighteen-stone horse, and looks like a tom-
tit on a round of beef, who is too small and weak to
hold his nag together, and not strong enough to pull
him up in a few strides.

During the famous joint mastership of the Old
Berks by the late Earl of Craven and the late Mr.
Thomas Duffield there was a wealthy undergraduate
located at Oxford who rode about eight stone and
a half all told. He commissioned a big dealer to
send him half a dozen horses, and as nothing was said
about price he received a consignment of great weight-
carrying nags, all over sixteen hands high, big boned,
heavily built, and strong enough to carry a Daniel
Lambert. Their owner was not wanting in pluck —
indeed, he charged an iron gate in Middleton Park
when hunting with the Bicester, and got over with
a rattle — but he was weak of wrist, and these big
horses almost invariably took charge, and under such
circumstances it was perhaps injudicious of him to
tempt Providence by going to the "Old Berks"; but
he liked the country, and did not seem to mind the
abuse he came in for, and for several weeks caused
great amusement. Then there came a day when one
of the big horses ran away with him, as he was coming
on to join hounds. They had just found a fox but had
not got away with it when the big horse arrived in the
field. He had been pulling hard before, but now he
took the bit in his teeth, charged down on the crowd,

256 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

got through it somehow, but fell in trying to jump
a gate immediately afterwards, and so injured his
little owner that all hunting was out of the question
for months to come.

But the under-horsed man is more frequently seen
than the man who rides horses a good deal above his
weight, and, as a rule, the rider has been persuaded
that he and his horse are a fit, whereas they are quite
the reverse. "What you want is breeding, not size,"
we once heard a dealer exclaim, who was trying to
palm off a lightly-made, fifteen-hands weed on a four-
teen-stone man, and the would-be buyer must have
been taken in by the remark, as he appeared at the
covert-side a day or two later on the same horse, but he
knocked it up in a month.

There is no golden rule as to what weight horses
will carry, and often a horse which is light in appear-
ance will go through many seasons carrying a man
who, at a glance, is far too heavy for him. A short-
backed horse who is well ribbed up and well bred to
boot will often look a thirteen-stone horse, and yet can
carry fifteen stone with ease, and a big, loosely made
horse who looks up to a lot of weight will not be equal
to within two or three stone of what his appearance
suggests. In a really provincial country a strong cob
or a weight-carrying polo pony will give far more
satisfaction than a low-priced "hunter," and ought
probably to be much cheaper to buy. Many powerful
polo ponies are a little too short of pace to be valuable
for the game, and scores of these are in the market
at the end of the polo season, many of which make
capital light or medium weight hunters for an ordinary
country.

If a man intends to hunt in the Shires or in the best

HORSES AND STABLES 257

of the provincials, he must, of course, have breeding
and pace, but where the country is hilly, where there
is more arable land than grass, and where there is a
good deal of scrambling about in rough and deep wood-
lands, then a clever, big pony is, as a rule, a capital
conveyance, and it is perhaps within the mark to sug-
gest that many of this class of animal carry far more
weight, in proportion, than big horses. Look at the
ponies one sees really heavy men riding at polo, and
look at some of the ponies which come into the ring
in the saddle classes at Islington every March. Some
of these classes are full of weight carriers, and hunt-
ing men who are content to ride a pony should bear
in mind that at the expense of a little trouble many
really good ones are to be picked up late in the
year.

What perhaps is most against hunting a pony is that
many of the species do not spread themselves when
they jump, but go up and down, rising to a consider-
able height, but not covering a distance of ground.
Such ponies are of little use in a flying country, where
there is a ditch on one or both sides of the fence and
several feet in length to be covered at nearly every
jump, but in a stone-wall country or where there is a
good deal of timber they do wonderfully well, and of
course some of them can extend themselves as well as
go high. This high jumping, too, is often a feature
of the common-bred horse, and one such we knew
took a host of jumping prizes at the summer shows,
but was never sent to compete where there was a water
jump. At high jumping, at an in-and-out, even at a
bank he was an extraordinary performer, but in vain
his owner tried to get him to land clear over the water.
He would go at it and jump as far as he could, but
17

258 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

could never achieve within two or three feet of the
proper distance, and doubtless it was his want of quality
which was accountable for his failure.

So much has been written elsewhere concerning
stables, so many plans have been published in various
books, and so much advice has been given that the
subject is rather worn. Wealthy hunting folk can
have stables on a most elaborate scale, and can spend
big sums of money on outward adornment, but it is
greatly open to doubt whether their horses are any
better for it, while one feels quite certain that in many
cases some horses suffer from too much artificial heat-
ing, and coddling generally.

Still one likes to see a stable that is pretty without,
and clean, tidy, and roomy within, and as in nearly
every other question of life the happy medium is what
should be aimed at. On the whole boxes are more
suitable for hunters than stalls, for a horse can move
about in a box, whereas in a stall he must stand all
day with his head tied up. But about half a dozen boxes
inside a big stable are best, for horses like to live in
company. The size of the stable must of course depend
upon the strength of the stud, and yet the plan of having
a very great number of boxes or stalls under one roof
is not altogether satisfactory, because of the chance of
fire breaking out. We have no statistics on the sub-
ject from the fire offices, but we incline to the opinion
that fires in stables are fairly common, and certainly
many such have been known in the training stables.
The fact is that straw is about the most inflammable
material that there is, and if it becomes ignited the
blaze follows so quickly that there is often the greatest
difficulty in rescuing the inmates — and horses go
almost mad with fear when fire is in their immediate

HORSES AND STABLES 259

vicinity. Fires, too, have occurred in stables where
there was artificial heating, and this, we think, should
never be used under any circumstances. It is often
stated with some show of authority that the tempera-
ture of a stable should be about sixty-two degrees, but
in a hot summer it is difficult to keep either a stable
or a box as cool as this, even with all the windows and
the door open, while in winter the temperature must
at times be very much lower, unless indeed the stable
is small, close, and stuffy.

Roof room should be made a strong point, for it is
only when there is plenty of open space at the top of
the box or stall that the proper degree of coolness can
be obtained. If horses are kept in too hot an atmo-
sphere they become delicate, susceptible to cold, and
at times bad feeders. Too much heat does far more
harm to hunters than cold air about them, provided
that there are no draughts. In a state of nature the
horse can stand the hardest winter out of doors, as is
proved by the fact that the half-wild ponies on Exmoor,
in the New Forest, and further north, as in the Shet-
land Isles and Norway, flourish out of doors all the
year round, no matter what the weather may be.
Horses which have been regularly worked, too, are
constantly turned out for the winter, and such horses,
when once their winter coat has grown, seem to be
none the worse for living in the open air. The horse
which is kept stabled, groomed, fed on specially-chosen
food, and worked regularly, may not be so hardy
when he is living under these conditions of confine-
ment, but he is protected by rugs in the stable, and
where stables are kept really cool, an extra rug in times
of frost and snow will meet the case far better than any
artificial heating.

26o THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

To go to personal experience for proof that a very
cool atmosphere will suit hunters well, we once had
some old farm-house stabling for two seasons which
was in a shocking state of repair. The stable was a
long one, and at one end of it there were holes in the
roof of two or three feet in circumference. There was
no ceiling, the stable being open up to the rafters, and
this allowed of plenty of air circulating. We placed
three horses at the dry end of the stable in early
autumn, and there they remained throughout the
winter, and during that time not one of the three was
sick or sorry, all keeping as hard as nails, and
retaining their condition right up to the end of the
season.

Yet the stable was always cold, and there was more
than one vigorous visitation of frost and snow. When
this occurred each horse had a third rug, and some few
of the holes were stopped up with straw, but no attempt
to repair the defective roof was ever made, and as far
as the comfort of the horses was concerned there
seemed to be no reason why the roof should be mended.
In another case we knew of a hunter who was famous
in his own neighbourhood. He carried a huntsman-
master for ten seasons, and lived throughout that
period in an old wooden box of the most tumbledown
description. At times he was changed into a brand-
new box, built on the most modern principles, but he
was inclined to fret when stabled anywhere but in his
regular quarters, and, most extraordinary of all, he
used constantly to kick out certain boards near the
bottom of his box. Times out of number these boards
were replaced, but he always kicked them down again,
as if he knew that he must have air at any price. This
horse always carried a lot of flesh, and great condition

HORSES AND STABLES 261

in the hunting season, and when sixteen years old, and
sti'l as sound as a foal, he reached the end of an
honourable career in the hunting field.

A master of hounds with a stud of about twenty
hunters tried all sorts of experiments in the matter of
stabling. He built stone boxes, stalls, wooden boxes,
and brick boxes, and after considerable experience he
came to the conclusion that his horses thrived best in
the wooden boxes. These were about fifteen feet by
twelve, some eighteen feet in height, had flat, cemented
floors and a tiled roof, with enough ventilation holes
placed low down and rather high up to allow of the
fresh air coming in and the stale air going out at the
top. Either in a stable or a box the floor should be
nearly level, for if it slopes considerably downwards to
allow of drainage, the horse has constantly to stand on
an uneven surface, and this should be avoided at all
costs. A fall of not more than four inches will allow
the water to run off when the box is washed out, and will
not hurt the horse. But, as every one who has experi-
ence with horses will gradually find out, much depends
on the constitution of each particular horse. One horse
will thrive in a tumbledown hovel, so low that he can
hardly stretch his head to its full height, while another
must have light and air, and be well looked after and
attended to.

We are not going to write a treatise on stables, and
shall only repeat that light and air must be considered
essentials, and that a hot stable is apt to make hunters
delicate. We can think of a hunting stable which at
one time contained some eighteen or twenty hunters
all through the season. The stud groom was a
coddler in every sense of the word, and the upshot
was as soon as the hunting season was fairly under

262 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

way an epidemic of coughing invariably set in, and
this would go right through the stable.

"Coughing," which in horses seems to be very like
influenza in human beings, of course varies a great
deal in its severity, but with some grooms horses may
be coughing badly one day, and will be hunting again
in less than three weeks. On the other hand, where
there is a groom who coddles, six weeks will elapse
before the horse is at work again, and if the cough
happens to come in the middle of the season there
must be a great deal of inconvenience.

It stands to reason that a horse which has to face all
sorts of severe winter weather, clipped and un-
sheeted ; who has to be taken slowly to covert when
the thermometer is close to freezing point ; who may
be from eight to ten hours in pouring rain ; and who is
in the habit of travelling long distances home at a slow
pace, when it is cold, dark, and often wet, must be hardy
if he has to retain his health. It is on account of what
he has to go through that a horse of delicate constitu-
tion often fails as a hunter. As long as the sun is on
his back, and the work is not too severe, such a horse
will get along all right ; but when autumn has given
way to winter and the temperature is low, the delicate
horse very easily takes cold.

A horse which is rather delicate in his younger days
can often be gradually hardened, and we have known
hunters which were always ailing in their first season,
and which afterwards became quite normal in this
respect. Irish horses are often very hardy in their
young days, but many young horses, between the time
they leave the breeder and the time they pass into the
possession of the hunting man, go through an interreg-
num which is spent in a dealer's stable. It goes without

HORSES AND STABLES 263

saying that in the best dealers' stables the horses are
not unduly coddled, and are as well cared for as they
are likely to be in after life. But there are dealers and
dealers, and undoubtedly some horses when in the
dealer's hands are fattened up on soft food, and are in
consequence very difficult to manage for a time —
unless, indeed, they are of the hardy sort to which
nothing comes amiss. And if horses which have — like
prize cattle — been fattened for the market happen to
fall into the hands of a coddling groom, it is fair odds
that they do no good afterwards. The change of food
probably puts them wrong to begin with, and then if
they seem at all dull and listless, the coddling begins,
and they are kept in far too hot a stable and treated as
if they were really delicate, whereas they would prob-
ably come right if left more alone.

" If a horse goes wrong put him in a box, give orders
that he has to have plenty of hay and water and very
little corn, and forget him for a month," was the advice
once given by a man who was famous for his good
hunters, and there is a fair substratum of truth in the
dictum. All our experience is to the effect that horses
which are kept in hot stables are far more likely to take
cold than nags which can always breathe pure air, and
we can add to this that hundreds and hundreds of
hunters suffer because they do not get enough work.
The average matured horse in hard condition is equal
to a full day's hunting about every fifth day. Young
horses should not be out more than once a week, and at
first half-days or short days are enough for them, but
the hunter of nine or ten years old who is hardy and
healthy is all the better for more work, and this the
owners of small studs prove day after day.

Then, again, the horse who is doing a lot of work is

264 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

a more reasonable animal to ride than the horse which
comes out one half-day a week. The former has his
back down and is not stupid, whereas the latter is often
a mad horse for a couple of hours in the forenoon, and
quickly dead beat if he gets a gallop which is longer
than usual.

The question of summering hunters is one for which
there are various solutions, and our experience is that
horses of quiet temperament are all the better for being
turned out in May and June, but three things they must
have, or else they are better indoors. These are shade,
water, and a certain amount of corn. There should be
a stream or a trough in every pasture field in which
valuable hunters are run out, and there should be the
shade of big trees, so that they may escape the rays of
the sun during the hottest part of the day. If the
horse-owner has a field which is without shade and
water, but which is suitable in other ways, he must
keep his horses in during the day-time and turn them
out at night after the sun has gone down. A good
pasture is nearly always damp at night-time in May
and June, and there will be plenty of moisture, but
even then it is well to place a stone trough in the field (if
there is no other supply) and see that it is always filled
with water. Horses drink a great deal when they are
running out.

That hunters should not be kept in the fields too late
in the summer is another matter of importance, but in
the north of England the grass is always two or three
weeks later than it is in the south, and therefore the
bringing them in again can be delayed. Much in this
connection depends on the weather. If it is abnormally
hot, and the hunters are being much troubled by flies,
they (the hunters) should be brought in during the day.

HORSES AND STABLES 265

Again, if the pasture becomes baked and hard and the
grass dried up, horses should be taken elsewhere, for
they will not thrive unless they have plenty of food.
Late-summer pasturing of hunters is a great mistake ;
firstly, because all, or nearly all, the good has gone
out of the grasses ; and secondly, because horses
which are to be used at the beginning of the season
should be put into work not later than towards the end
of July.

Some horses become very fat during six or eight
weeks of grass food, but although they acquire fat,
they do not lose their muscle in so short a period of
time, and the fat gradually disappears when the horse
is put into regular work. As a rule, however, nine
hunters out of ten do very little work until they are
taken out cub-hunting, for it is not every groom who is
conscientious enough to give his charges long spells of
trotting and walking under an August sun. This
question of work is one which is very difficult to
manage, because so many hunting men are from home
in August and September, and so much must therefore
be left to grooms. Where it is possible the hunting
man who looks after everything himself should have a
horse out every morning at this time of year, and
should indeed be in the saddle not later than seven
o'clock. An early-morning ride in late summer or
early autumn is only to be tried to be appreciated, and
the man who has a horse or two fairly fit to go by the
beginning of October has a great pull over the man
whose horses have been a month later in beginning
their work.

Horses which are of excitable temperament should
not be turned out at all, for they are quite likely to
injure themselves. Veterans are always better for a

266 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

run in the fields, and as a rule the veteran can stand
a longer run than the young horse without taking hurt.
Horses which are given to jumping fences when out of
doors should be kept in the stable also, for one of these
in a field has been known to infect all his companions
with the jumping fault. We have known two such
horses, and one of them was at times found miles away
from his own home ; the other never went further than
the nearest clover — for which he had a wonderful nose.

CHAPTER X
HARRIERS AND BEAGLES

THAT harehunting is far older than foxhunting
need hardly be said, nor that very many of
the existing packs of foxhounds began life as
harrier packs ; and although foxhounds have during the
last hundred years been the most numerous, and far
the most important of all the various breeds of hounds
in the United Kingdom, harriers and beagles have
fully maintained their popularity, and are still followed
by a host of enthusiasts in all parts of the country. As
a rule neither harriers nor beagles have what is known
as a ''country" of their own, a big majority of the
packs being located where there are foxhounds as well,
but this does not hold good everywhere, as many
harrier packs hunt where there are no foxhounds, on
land which is often unsuitable for foxhunting, or in a
district which has been given up by the nearest fox-
hound pack, on account of excessive building, too
much wire, or even because of its inaccessibility. To
give an example or two, in Lancashire and in parts of
the West Riding of Yorkshire there are at least a
dozen old-established harrier packs whose operations
are confined to wild, hilly districts which have known
no foxhounds for many a long year, and in many
places where there never was any established pack of
the latter. The Penistone Hunt in South-Western
Yorkshire may be quoted as one of those packs which

267

268 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

have a country of their own : this particular hunt dates
back to 1260, and quite lately its history has been pub-
lished in book form. Another West Yorkshire pack
hunting where no foxhounds are is the Craven, and in
Lancashire such ancient establishments as the Bury,
the Holcombe, the Vale of Lune, the Rossendale, and
the Pendle Forest may be quoted. Some of these
packs hunt over moorland country, and others — the
Bury to wit — over high-lying agricultural land, which
though still suited for harehunting is far too thickly
populated and too devoid of coverts for foxes. Another
famous pack with a rough but rideable country is the
High Peak in Derbyshire. Here there is some vale
land and a good deal of stony moorland, but it is fine
harehunting ground, and at the moment the pack is
undoubtedly the finest in the kingdom, proof of which
is afforded by the numerous successes which it has
achieved at recent Peterborough shows. Then, again,
the Wirral Harriers in Cheshire have a country of
their own, the Cheshire hounds having long since
ceased to draw any coverts in the Wirral peninsula.
This particular district embraces all the country which
lies between Chester and Birkenhead, and is for the
most part a grass country of dairy farms. It has, how-
ever, been greatly built over in recent years, and parts
of it are full of wire. Still, it is fair harehunting
ground, and the hunt a very popular one with the local
people. Then in Somerset there are at least two packs
of harriers hunting where there are no foxhounds, viz.
the Wells Subscription and the Weston. The first-
named have their country on the Mendip Hills, and
the Weston nearer the sea coast, and both districts are
outside the area of any foxhound pack. Another hunt
of whose district the greater part is free from foxhounds

HARRIERS AND BEAGLES 269

is the pack once again known as the Thanet and Heme,
whose country lies between Heme and Whitstable in
Kent, and which was previously known as the Thanet.
Thanet and Heme is, however, the original name, and
the pack has had an uninterrupted existence of almost
a hundred and forty years.

Perhaps Devonshire can claim more packs of harriers
than any other county, no fewer than thirteen of the
packs tabulated in the last hound list issued by the
Field being entirely located in or doing a considerable
portion of their hunting in that country. The packs
in question were the Ashburton, the Axe Vale (who
hunt in Dorsetshire as well). Sir John Amory's, the
Cotley (also hunting in Somerset and Dorsetshire),
the Dart Vale, the Furlong, the Haldon, the Modbury,
the Quarme, the Silverton, the South Molton, the
South Pool, and Mr. Sherling's. This is a goodly
list for a single county, especially when it is noted
that beagle packs are not included ; but Devonshire is
one of the greatest sporting counties of the kingdom,
and staghounds, foxhounds, harriers, and beagles hunt
every corner of its area.

Whereas foxhunting has changed little in fifty years
or more as to the manner in which it is carried on in
the field, harehunting has witnessed one most radical
change, viz. the discontinuance of the practice of
dragging up to the hare on her seat or form. Two
generations ago, or perhaps a little earlier, it was
everywhere the custom for harriers to meet at an early
hour, and to try for the morning drag. This would be
found in any and every field where hares were plentiful,
but hounds were as a rule taken to where the hares
were known to feed, and of course it often happened
that the drag was worked heelway at first. Hounds,

270 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

however, would as a rule quickly discover their mis-
take, and would puzzle out all the daybreak turns and
twists made by an animal that had been feeding, and
was not being pursued. Sooner or later puss would be
located, and then, as often as not, she was pushed
from her form by some one who carried a pole, there
being always a danger that she might be chopped if
hounds were allowed to work right up to her form.
Hounds almost invariably got a view as the result of
this procedure, and then began a hunt, which lasted
minutes or hours (more frequently the latter) according
to the quality of the scent and the speed of the pack.
All this sort of thing has long been voted slow, and
now hounds meet at any hour of the forenoon, and in
the case of foot beagles even later, and draw for their
hares, amongst root crops and over fallows if it is an
arable country, and in rough grass if it is a country of
pasture. Whether the old plan or the modern one is
the best is of little consequence, but this is an age of
hurry, and many of the crack packs of the present
day run and kill four, five, and even half a dozen hares
in a shorter time than the old packs would have taken
in bringing a single hare to hand.

But the greatest change of all has taken place with
regard to hounds. Not more than a generation ago
harriers were of all shapes and sizes, and of a whole
host of colours which are rarely seen now. Some
few packs — generally very old establishments — have
stuck to their guns both as regards make, shape, and
colour, but many more have become of the dwarf fox-
hound sort, and broadly speaking, the modern harrier
may be said to be of this type. Moreover, new packs
of harriers are constantly being formed, while scores of
packs have only a brief existence. And every new

HARRIERS AND BEAGLES 271

pack goes for the foxhound-harrier, not only because
they are more easily procured, but because of their
greater speed. When the field is mounted a quick
gallop with a good deal of jumping is thought to be
better fun than a long, slow hunt, which includes a
great deal of hound work, and thus it happens that two-
thirds, or perhaps even more, of the harrier packs are
now purely of foxhound blood.

''a personal narrative"

Perhaps we can give some idea of the change which
has occurred by drawing upon our memory for hare-
hunting reminiscences, and we can claim over forty
years' experience in this direction. Beginning then in
the early sixties, the first pack we saw were the beagles
which were then kept by the members of Durham Uni-
versity. These were what would now be called a very
scratch lot, as they varied in height from fourteen to
eighteen inches or more. They were mostly followed on
foot, and the huntsman generally ran with them, though
he was occasionally mounted, as were, at times, some
of the field. As a boy at Durham School we had the
chance of seeing these little hounds twice a week — on
the two half-holidays in fact — and rarely missed an
opportunity of hunting, though at times meets were
too far away. On Sundays we often visited the
kennels, which were within a mile of the school,
and thus early in life became conversant with hounds
on the flags. The feeder, "old Peter" we used to
call him, was an enthusiast, who would discourse
for hours on the merits of his favourites. And in
the winter vacation, when members of the University

272 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

were "down," we used to borrow the pack, and locate
them at Broadwood or Woodlands, a dozen miles west
of Durham, and have them out sometimes on three
consecutive days. Old Peter used to come with them,
and between us we managed to kill a hare or two, but
there was no Ground Game Act in those days, and
hares were far too numerous for sport.

A year or two later, in the winter of '67-8, owing to
an accident at school, we spent the best part of a year
at Woodlands mentioned above, and with a couple of
ponies succeeded in securing an average of four days a
week with foxhounds or harriers. And of the latter
the now defunct Wolsingham pack were most fre-
quently in our neighbourhood. These were harriers
of a very old-fashioned type, high on the leg — probably
twenty-two inches — very light of bone, slack-loined,
flat-sided, and light in colour, but they could hunt a
hare, having wonderful nose and a great deal of pace.
The pack only numbered seven or eight couples, and
their huntsman, one Vasey, was a regular Jonathan
Jobling, being probably twenty stone in weight. He
rode a strongly built '* Dales" pony, and his language
— unshackled Doric with a Northern twang — would
have been quite unintelligible to a Southern. He
would take his hounds off the road into a moor edge
allotment, and begin in stentorian accents, *'How
shift her ! How shift her. Comely woman ! How shift
her off the ling !" and he would in this fashion talk on
to himself all day long, but he seldom addressed a
word to any of his small field, and in all our life we
have never seen a man who was more thoroughly
engrossed in his occupation, or apparently more sullen
over his hunting. But he was an enthusiast from the
button of his hunting cap to the soles of his hob-nailed

HARRIERS AND BEAGLES 273

boots, and in a quiet, unpretentious fashion he showed
wonderful sport. He never spoke to us except when
he wanted '' leave " which he thought we might get for
him, but when we were stranded with a lame pony one
night near his house, he sent us home in his trap, after
having done the honours of his house amid almost
perfect silence.

The other harrier pack which came our way were the
Newcastle and Gateshead Harriers, of which the late
Colonel Hawks and the late Mr. F. H. Lamb were then
joint masters. Their kennels were twenty miles away,
but hounds were brought to a farm named High
Woodside two or three times in the season, at that
period, and used to attract all the riff-raff, mounted and
on foot, of the country-side. This pack was also rather
of the scratch order. There was no uniformity as in
the Wolsingham, the masters being open to receive
gifts of undersized foxhounds. The consequence was
that there was a difference of six or seven inches
between the biggest and the smallest hounds, and
when they were running a hare the tail would be half a
mile long. The huntsman was one Siddle Dixon —
father of the better-known Siddle Dixon so long hunts-
man of the late Colonel Cowen's foxhounds — ^and like
Vasey he was a welter-weight, but he knew all about
harehunting, and if his pack had been a little more
even he would doubtless have shown better sport. As
it was he helped to make the pack very popular, and
his name was for long enough a household word in the
north of England.

After leaving school we were with an easy-going

tutor at Malvern, and when not hunting with the

Ledbury, Lord Coventry's (now the Croome), or

the Worcestershire, used to put in a considerable

18

274 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

amount of time with harriers. These were a small
pack kept by a Mr. Clarke (we think), and their opera-
tions were chiefly confined to the Ledbury side of the
country, the foxhounds of that name only hunting
twice a week in those days. Mr. Clarke's pack were
big in size and small as regards numbers, but their
owner knew how a hare should be hunted, and was
very successful. Of the hounds we can remember little,
except that they had all the faults to look at which are
possible in a hound.

A year or two later, about 1875 or 1876, the late Mr.
John Greenwell, of Broomshields, in the county of
Durham, got a pack together, and soon began to
show excellent sport. A born huntsman was Mr.
Greenwell, and to his natural gifts in that direction
was added an extraordinary amount of knowledge as
to everything connected with the hare. Like ourselves
he had served a boy apprenticeship to hunting, and
before he had harriers of his own he had been in the
habit of inviting every pack which was within reach of
the place to Broomshields. And he had, too, a won-
derful harehunting country at hand, wide-spreading
pastures of rough grass, separated with stone walls,
with few woodlands, and practically no population.
The meets were not advertised, cards being merely
sent to those who would appreciate the sport. Drafts
formed the pack at first, but some of these were not
big enough for the higher walls, and were quickly
passed on. About eleven to thirteen or fourteen
couples were the working pack, and uniformity in
height was aimed at, but large — or what was then
thought large — hounds were preferred, as Mr. Green-
well used at times to go long distances from home,
and the bigger hounds travelled home better than

HARRIERS AND BEAGLES 275

small ones. Writing from memory, we would say that
about twenty inches was the average, and very quickly
the pack became wonderfully even.

Their owner would draft a hound that went too
fast for the others, and would not keep one which
lagged behind on a good scenting day, and in point
of fact he drafted everything which was not up to
the mark. Just at first he was obliged to put on
hounds he did not like on account of making up his
number, but it happened that just then the market
was flooded with harriers, and as Mr. Greenwell made
several tours of inspection to other countries he was
not long in finding what he wanted. The result of
all this was that after a few months he was showing the
very best sport we ever saw with harriers, though he
killed nothing like so great a number of hares as
some packs we have since seen. Why he did not kill
four, five, or six hares a day, as do some of the present-
day packs, is easily explained. In the first place, hares
were scarce in much of his country ; in the second
place, nine out of ten of those he hunted were moor-
edge hares of extraordinary stoutness ; and in the third
place, he never lifted his hounds to a holloa whilst
they had a vestige of the line. When one adds to
this that he had a strong objection to killing more
than two hares a day, that he would stop his hounds
if he knew they were running a leveret, or what he
took to be a doe in the spring of the year, it will be
readily understood that his number of kills was insig-
nificant compared with the scores of some other packs.
On no account would he allow a hare to be mobbed
either, but in his home country there was no chance of
such a thing occurring, as the field was always small,
there was no local force of pedestrians, and his sup-

276 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

porters knew the master far too well to interfere in
any way.

But we recollect one experience of mobbing, and of
fighting as well with this pack. By request of the
late Mr. Anthony Maynard, then master of the North
Durham foxhounds, Mr. Greenwell had taken his
hounds to Newton Hall, near Durham, and as Mr.
Maynard then had six hundred acres of land in hand
it was thought that there would be little chance of
getting on to the ground of a neighbour who was
known to be unfriendly. The first hare, however,
took hounds straight to the forbidden ground, and the
first that we, who were comparative strangers, knew of
the ill-feeling was finding ourselves confronted by half a
dozen labourers armed with pitchforks. Hounds were
running hard, and it was not difficult to dodge the
opposing forces by jumping a fence, but almost imme-
diately the hare began to circle back, and was seen to
lie up in the hedge near which the labourers, headed
by their master, were standing. Hounds checked
at the fence, and one or two were knocked about
before Mr. Greenwell could get them away, while, to
make matters worse, a lot of ladies who were following
the hunt on foot had now reached the scene of action
and were being soundly abused by the farmer.

For a moment matters looked very awkward, but
the situation was saved by the arrival of a well-known
wine merchant who was also a hunting man. He,
it appeared, was the wrathful farmer's purveyor of
whiskey, and coming on the scene when the dispute
was most violent, he shouted out at the top of his voice,

"Mr. , if you don't beg these ladies' pardon at

once, I shall physic the whiskey you ordered yesterday."
Now the speaker and the farmer were firm friends, and

HARRIERS AND BEAGLES 277

the laugh which the remark raised caused a cessation
of the threats, and in two minutes the wine merchant
had restored peace. The hare was then pushed out of
the hedge and the hunt resumed, but shortly afterwards
she or another hare took hounds through a small
plantation, beyond which was a colliery. Scores of
men and boys were on the ''pit heap," and all left
their work and threw themselves in the hunt. The
hare, of course, sought the shelter of the little covert
again, but they were all round the place in a moment,
and as hounds caught the hare a dozen of them were
to be seen struggling for her carcase, while the hounds
slunk away, frightened at the shouting and noise.

For three seasons or three and a half Mr. Green-
well's hounds showed wonderful sport, and then their
owner, who was now in poor health, parted with them
to the late Lord Lonsdale, who placed them at Penrith
for the use of his tenants. But after his own pack had
gone there was no falling off in the number of harrier
packs which came to Broomshields. Harriers owned by
the late Mr. Nicholas Bowser, of Bishop Auckland, were
there frequently, and so too were the Durham Beagles,
of which Mr. Crichton Forster was then master. But
the pack which came oftenest in the early eighties were
the Darlington Foot Harriers, a seventeen-inch pack
of which Mr. Thomas Watson was master and hunts-
man. This pack was established in 1874, and as far
as work was concerned it was almost impossible to
find fault with it. Mr. Greenwell had decided that
hounds less than twenty inches were not big enough for
the tallest of the stone walls, but Mr. Watson thought
otherwise, and it is a fact that his hounds could climb
a wall which was too high for them to jump on to the
top of in foxhound fashion. Mr. Watson hunted his

278 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

hounds on foot, whereas Mr. Greenwell rode, and this
doubtless made it of less consequence whether hounds
were delayed a minute or two. The Darlington, even
then, before the days of the Harrier Stud Book, were
an even and a smart pack, and one hound named
Crowner was the best road hunter we ever saw. Many
of them were somewhat light in colour, but they had
wonderful nose, great drive, and were very free with
their tongues when running a hare. On more than
one occasion they killed five hares in a day on the
Broomshields estate, but they began early and left off
late, and there were more hares on the ground than
there had been in Mr. Greenwell's time.

And whilst the Darlington were still coming to Broom-
shields, something like once a month, Mr. J. E. Roger-
son, who has been master of the North Durham
foxhounds since 1888, took over the Durham Beagles,
and paid frequent visits to the place. About this
time, too, the Shotley Bridge Beagles came into
existence, and for three or four seasons were monthly
visitors to the Broomshields estate. These were the
smallest pack (in height) which we ever saw in a big-
stone-wall country, but they got along somehow,
though at times there was some delay. The Shotley
Bridge pack, of which Mr. J. A. K. Falconer was
master, were pure beagles of from fifteen to sixteen
inches, and the field was on foot. The hounds were
immensely popular with the farmers, and whereas
Mr. Greenwell's harriers ten or twelve years before
used to attract half a dozen mounted men, the whole
country-side, including scores of ladies, would be
present on foot when the Shotley Beagles were hunting
over the same ground. This we attribute very largely
to the fact that in the late eighties beagling was

HARRIERS AND BEAGLES 279

quickly becoming a popular pastime, and also to
the fact that the meets were well known all over the
country at least a week before they took place. Mr.
Greenwell, on the other hand, only sent some half-
dozen cards of his fixtures to those whom he thought
likely to come, and in his time the country was full of
foxhunters who had the chance of as much hunting as
they could manage with foxhounds.

Now it can safely be said that not one of the packs
we have mentioned, and which we hunted with con-
stantly during a period of over twenty years, were
really even, and what was most noticeable was not so
much the difference in height as the great variety of
type. In the Durham University pack, for example,
there were sixteen-inch hounds as lightly built as a
modern fox terrier, while others standing exactly the
same height were of double the weight, being heavily-
built, big-boned hounds, low for their size, and with a
massive throat, a big head, and a bass voice almost as
sonorous as that of a bloodhound. They were of all
colours, and certainly were well off for nose, but they
were slow and inclined to dwell on the line, and if the
hare they hunted was a strong one, they could only
wear her down by working up to where she had
squatted every now and then. This irregularity had
to a great extent disappeared when the Shotley Bridge
Beagles came on the scene, and Mr. Falconer suc-
ceeded in breeding a very pretty pack, which will be
found among the entries in the earliest volume of the
Stud Book, but even the beagles of the late eighties
would compare badly with what are now seen at Peter-
borough every year, and probably straightness is in a
marked degree quite a modern thing in beagles, and to
a great extent in harriers also.

28o THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

Before leaving this part of the subject, it may be
mentioned that the Broomshields estate was an ideal
harehunting ground. The estate consists of large
enclosures of pasture land, which are never mown, and
which, therefore, are covered with long grass. As
scenting ground it takes very high rank, and there are
no large coverts, merely a few larch plantations which
have an undergrowth of grass, and which hounds can run
through without slowing down. The only drawback
is the height of some but not all of the walls, but
these give the hare an advantage, which is all for the
best. The stock of hares was, as a rule, just what was
required for harriers, and the hares themselves as
strong as any we ever saw. Then, too, the district is
very thinly populated, and it was not until the period
of the Shotley Bridge Beagles that there was any
crowd. But these hounds, which were kennelled ten
miles away, used to be brought over on the preceding
day, and their regular field arrived on wheels, or
from the nearest railway station on the morning of
hunting.

Some twenty years ago, or rather more, a very smart
pack was owned by a Colonel Anderson, who lived at
Ryton Woodside, not many miles distant from New-
castle-on-Tyne. With these hounds at times we wit-
nessed capital sport, especially in the neighbourhood
of Ponteland, where the country is well adapted to
harehunting. It was when hunting with this pack that
we saw a hare travel along a country lane for half
a mile, whilst hounds ran her at top speed, but re-
mained all the time on the other side of the fence,
which was parallel to the lane. Scent was really breast-
high on this occasion, and as the ground sloped one
could see both hare and hounds, and observe exactly

HARRIERS AND BEAGLES 281

what was taking place. It was not until the hare
turned abruptly and went through the fence on the far
side of the lane that hounds ever attempted to go
through the first fence.

The trouble with these little hounds was that their
owner, who suffered greatly from gout, used often to
come out in a dog-cart, and at times he would attempt
to hunt them from this position. He had a quick eye
to a hare, and would bustle his cob along a by-road
and often get in front of hounds. If he happened to
view the hare over the road, out would come his horn
— he dearly loved a blow — and hounds' heads would
be taken from their noses. Hares were often lost when
their enthusiastic owner cut off his pack, but it made
no matter, as the field was seldom more than half a
dozen strong, and the little hunt was quite private
and unobtrusive. A tall, elderly, and angular Scotch-
man named Graham was kennel huntsman, and the
queerest old hound-van ever seen was frequently used,
and when it rained we have known hounds, huntsman,
and the entire field to return inside this van — which
at such times developed an extraordinary atmo-
sphere.

Another quaint hunt, as regarded some of its
customs, was that maintained for some years in the
Isle of Anglesey by Henry, the fourth marquis of the
line. Always a bit of a dandy, this particular Lord
Anglesey was a keen sportsman, who hunted, raced,
coursed, and last of all kept a pack of beagles. These
were just as good as could be got in the eighties,
and the sport they showed was first-rate, the country
being open and well adapted for harehunting. But
there was a comic side to the hunt, which was chiefly
supplied by the noble owner. As far as costume was

282 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

concerned he was the beagler to the life, wearing a
smart green jacket with a scarlet collar, knicker-
bockers, and a black velvet cap, specially made, and
less than half the weight of an ordinary hunting cap.
That he wore white kid gloves, with two or three rings
over them, will be no surprise to those who were
acquainted with his lordship, but the comic element
was forthcoming in a couple of scarlet-jacketed per-
sonal attendants, who each carried a neat and very
light ladder of about four feet in height. The fact is
that the country abounds in high stone walls, and Lord
Anglesey was not very young. He therefore used
these ladders whenever a big wall came in the line.
One attendant would scramble over and place his
ladder for the descent, while the other with his ladder
helped Lord Anglesey on the near side. Still, as we
have stated, the sport was good, and the arrangement
for getting about a simple and sensible one, no matter
how comic it appeared.

In more recent years we have had the opportunity of
seeing many other packs of harriers and beagles,
especially two very smart packs of beagles, viz. the
Surbiton and the Worcester Park, and these little
hounds, which are kept as nearly as possible to a
uniform height of 15I inches, are not only very good
in their work, but hold their own on the show bench
as well. Moreover, they kill a fair proportion of the
hares they hunt, and each pack is followed by a most
enthusiastic field. And as a matter of fact, packs of
beagles are ousting harriers in what may be called the
metropolitan districts. Previous to 1886 the Morden
Harriers hunted a large district of Northern Surrey,
but when Mr. Charles Blake had completed a twenty-
one years' mastership of the pack it was given up, and

HARRIERS AND BEAGLES 283

the Worcester Park Beagles took its place. The Sur-
biton had then been in existence for three or four
seasons, and though the kennels of either pack are
within a few miles of the other, there is no clashing,
each having its own particular parts of the country.
Another pack within reach of Town are the Stoke
Place, whose kennels are not far from Slough, and
these hounds are a little smaller than the Surbiton or
Worcester Park, and are also well known at the shows.
This pack has been some fifteen or sixteen years in
existence, but a much newer pack which has achieved
great celebrity, both on the show bench and in the
field, is the Halstead Place, whose operations are con-
fined to a district of North Kent, and of which Mr.
James Russel is the master. There are, too, a pack at
Buckland Court, near Betchworth, but this pack, the
Stoke Place (of which Mr. H. H. Howard Vyse is
master), and the Halstead Place are all private packs,
whereas the Surbiton and the Worcester Park are
subscription packs.

It has been stated that harriers of the dwarf fox-
hound type have in recent years become more fashion-
able than the old sorts, and this is to some extent an
outcome of the establishing of the Harrier and Beagle
Stud Book. Previously there had been a growing ten-
dency towards foxhound blood, and in some countries
nothing had been used for many years except under-
sized foxhounds. The Peterborough Show has also
had much to do with setting the fashion, for in these
days no harrier has a chance of recognition from the
judges unless he is a foxhound in miniature. He must
not only have the make and shape of a foxhound, and
the bone, but he must be perfectly straight, and clean
about his neck and shoulder. Now it is quite certain

284 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

that the harriers of an early period were light of bone,
anything but straight, and, as a rule, exceedingly
throaty. Then comes the question of whether hare-
hunting is better, or not so good as it was, and this is
a question about which the older generation of harrier
men will argue for ever and a day. Personally we
incline very strongly to the present fashion, deeming it
to be in every way more satisfactory to hunt with a
pack of hounds which are level, all of one type, and
as good-looking as possible. It is generally admitted
amongst connoisseurs of dogs generally that a perfect
foxhound is the most perfect dog in the world, the most
symmetrical and the freest from fault. The remark in
these days applies equally to the best harriers, which
are, in point of fact, foxhounds in miniature. There
are hound men present at Peterborough every summer
who are heard to say that, judged as individuals, the
pick of the winners in the larger harrier classes are
superior to the pick of the winners in the foxhound
classes. Into this we need not enter, but it can be
stated with confidence that the harriers from some of
the crack packs are just about as near perfection as
they well can be. Indeed, one is sometimes inclined to
think that to breed a perfect hound of twenty-one inches
is not quite such a difficult task as to breed one of three
inches higher, though it may be stated that it is no
easy matter to secure the exact height which is
aimed at.

As regards the merits of the older sorts and the
modern hound few will dispute the fact that the old-
fashioned pure harrier, who had no foxhound blood in
him, had a better nose than the average so-called
harrier of the present day. He could own a stale line
or hunt a hare which had been gone half an hour or

HARRIERS AND BEAGLES 285

more in a patient fashion which is seldom seen in
these days, but he dwelt terribly on a cold scent, and
would at times quarter his ground in setter-like fashion,
speaking occasionally, but getting forward so slowly
that no real progress was made. There was, in fact, a
total absence of drive about many of the old harriers,
and we can remember one pack which hunt in the
West of England, and where an old-fashioned type of
hound is still used, in which this want of drive was very
pronounced. We shall not mention the name of the
pack, but may say that we saw them hunting less than
a dozen years ago, and this is what happened.

A hare was put up in a big pasture, hounds caught a
view and started at their best pace, but the hare was
soon half a mile ahead, going gradually towards the
summit of a hill, which was studded for several acres
with gorse bushes and bracken. Hounds soon slowed
down, and from a gallop one dropped to a gentle
canter and then to a trot. Still scent appeared to be
fair, and in about a quarter of an hour the hill was
reached, the pack still working the line with consider-
able bustle. The field walked or led their horses to the
top of the hill, then dismounted and lit their pipes,
and when we asked one of them to explain what the
apparent slackness meant he replied that it generally
took hounds half an hour to drive a hare from that
particular gorse, as no one ever interfered with them,
and no hare ever went straight through. The non-
interference one could appreciate, but with such persis-
tent line hunters a thick growth of cover must always
mean a long delay, and this would hardly occur with a
pack which had even a small amount of drive.

It struck us, then, that old-fashioned harriers should
do best in a very open country, where hares can be

286 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

found which will never go near a covert, and where
there is bad scenting ground, which would bring
powers of nose into play. On the other hand, nine
hares out of ten are overmatched on a day of good
scent when hunted by pure foxhounds, or by very big
harriers which are so well bred that they can go as
fast as foxhounds. And much depends upon the coun-
try and the hares. In some of the corn countries the
hares are big, fat, and incapable of standing up before
hounds as do the hares on the moorlands, the marshes,
or the down countries. It is greatly a question of
training. It is said that unless it is hunted, or fright-
ened off its usual ground, a hare will spend its life
within half a mile of the place of its birth, provided, of
course, that there is a sufficient supply of food within
the area. But in a very open country where little or no
corn is grown, where, in fact, there is practically no
tillage land, a hare must travel for its food, and when
hares have to do this they are in far better condition to
be hunted than those who feed night after night in the
same field, and perhaps have their form in the adjacent
hedgerow while they are resting. Some years ago,
when the country was undergoing a long snowstorm,
there were no stubbles, and only one "seed" field in
the parish where we were living. After a few days one
noticed that the hares were feeding regularly on these
seeds, and after a fresh fall of snow the experiment was
made of tracking some of these hares to their forms,
when it was found that some had come two or three
miles to the seeds.

As to how greatly the strength and stamina of
English hares varies the harrier man would probably
learn something from the coursing man, who goes the
round of the more important coursing meetings, and

HARRIERS AND BEAGLES 287

who, if he exercises his powers of observation, must
know where hares are very strong, and where they are
the reverse. Many harrier men spend much of their
hunting lives in one country, and possibly do not see
many distinct packs of hounds at work. When this
happens the stoutness of hares will be gauged locally,
and a man who is accustomed to hunt hares on high-
lying ground at no great distance from the moors will,
in all probability, have a higher opinion as to the stout-
ness of the average hare found than the man who hunts
in an ordinary enclosed country where there is plenty
of food everywhere. Coursing men set great store by
the hares found on the cultivated marshy land of East
Lancashire, those coursed on the Clifton estate, near
Lytham, being especially famous. The hares found on
the Wiltshire Downs, in such districts as Amesbury and
Everleigh, have also a big reputation ; but no matter
where one goes the quality of hares varies in some
degree, and thus from one beat at a coursing meeting
all the hares will run like stags, while from the next
beat half a dozen weak hares will come forward in
succession. It is the case, too, that hares are greatly
affected by weather, many of them being weak and
feeble when the land is very wet.

Those who hunt with harriers will have noticed that
one hare stands up for an hour or more, and covers a
great deal of country during that time, while perhaps
the next one hunted seems incapable of a big effort,
and is quickly accounted for. This variation in power
is most frequently found amongst the hares of a flat
enclosed country, and least frequently amongst moor-
edge hares, and possibly it is accounted for by the fact
that a hare which has its home on a hillside can always
find dry lying. On the whole we are inclined to think

288 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

that the strongest hares, which took most killing of all
we have seen hunted, were found at from seven hundred
to one thousand feet above sea level, and where the
supply was very small. Moor-edge hares we have
called them, because their ground was near to but at a
lower level than the moors. As every one knows, the
fringe of a moorland district is almost invariably rough
pasture land, and it is the hares which this sort of
ground produces that we have most respect for. They
are seldom numerous, no matter how well preserved
the land may be, because they live well outside any
grain-bearing country, but their stamina is extra-
ordinary, and the percentage of good to bad ones most
remarkable. Such hares are to be found all along the
backbone of England, and are hunted chiefly by the
Lancashire, West Yorkshire, and Derbyshire packs,
while several packs whose operations are usually con-
fined to an enclosed country are occasional visitors to
some of the hilly countries where these strong hares
exist.

INDEX

Abbott's Hall, Braintree, 228

Abingdon, 222

Agricultural Hall, Islington, 238

Albrighton hunt, 23, 200

Aldershot, 175

Aldridge's, 238

Allen, Mr., 225

Alnmouth, 197

Alnwick, 197

Althorp, Lord, 221

Amersham, 172

Amesbury, 2S7

Amory, Sir John, harrier pack, 269

Anderson, Colonel, 280-1

Anglesey, Henry, 4th Marquis of,

281-2
Annaly, Lord, 15
Annan, 198

Arkwright, Mr. J. H., 232
Arrian, i
Ascot, 175

Ashburton harriers, 269
Ashdown Forest, 182
Askew, Mr., 231
Assheton-Smith, Mr., 24
Atherstone hunt, the, 16, 162, 166,

167, 168, 237 ; subscription, 107 ;

pack sales, 229, 230, 239, 241
Atkinson, Mr. F. B., 241
Axe Vale harriers, 269
Aylesbury, 170
Aylesbury, Vale of, 172

Badminton hounds, 12-14, 169, 204,

207, 235, 236
Badminton Library^ 201
Badminton Park, 169
Badswortli hunt, the, 21, 189
Baily s Hunting Directory, cited,

3, 6, 17, 107, 153
Baird, Sir David, 226
Baker, Mr., 224, 226; stud sale,

237

Baker, T., publisher, of Southamp-
ton, 201

Barbed wire question, the, 51-7

Barlow, Major, 231

19 289

Barnard Castle, 195

Baronet, hound, 205, 206

Barrow-on-Soar, 163

Bath, 169

Bath road, the, 175

Bathurst, Earl (V. \V. H.), 168

Bathurst, Mr., 238

Bay Prince, sale of, 237

Beagles, 199, 201, 267, 269, 270,

282-3
Beaufort, Duke of (17S6), 13 ;

present Duke, 14, 240; (1858)

222 ; Duke of Beaufort's hunt,

107, 169, 204, 227
Beaufort Justice, hound, 204
Beckford, cited, 201-2
Bedale country, the, 21-2, 192-4,

196, 228
Bedford, 188
Beers, George, 226
Bell Hotel, Leicester, 162
Bell, Mr., 239
Bellagio estate, 183
Bellew, Mr. Froude, 235
Belvoir hunt, the, History, 12, 13,

14; the pack, 20, 152, 161, 204;

subscription, 107 ; the country,

153, 188 ; the blood, 207, 227,

235.. 240
Benedict, hound, 205
Bentinck, Lord Henry, 224 ; his

pack, 227, 236 ; stud sale, 238
Berkeley Castle, i8
Berkeley, Colonel (afterwards Lord

Segrave), 17, 224
Berkeley, Earl of, 17
Berkeley, Grantley, Reminiscences

of a Hnntsnian, quoted, 17-18
Berkeley hunt, the, 17-18, 23, 168
Berks (South) hunt, the, 175, 176
Berwickshire pack, the, 198
Betchworth, 177, 283
Bethel, Mr. William, 21
Beverley, 191
Bicester hunt, the, 16, 107, 170,

255 ; hound sales, 226, 230.
Billingsgate, hound, 206

290

THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

Bilsdale hunt, the, 5, 8-9, 21, 192
Birmingham, 168
Bishop's Stortford, 173
Black Country, the, 200
Blackmore Vale hunt, the, 5, 10,

23. 107. 154. 185, 232
Blake, Mr. Charles, 282
Bland, Major, 23
Blankney hunt, the, 13, 15, 20, 188,

189, 236
Bletchley, 170
Boileau, Mr., 179
Boothby, Thomas, 7-8
Border hunt, the, 23
Borough Bridge, 21
Boughey, Mr., 233
Bowser, Mr. Nicholas, 277
Bracken as a covert, 70-1
Brad well Grove country, 170
Braes of Derwent hunt, the, 22, 196
Braintree, 228

Bramham Moor pack, the, 21, 189,

190, 228, 23s

Bridge House, Catterick, 193

Bridgnorth, 200

Bridles, remarks concerning, 124

Bright, Mr., of Badsworth, 21

Brighton, 184

Bristol, 18

Broadway, 170

Broadwood, 272

Brockenhurst, 185

Brocklesby pack, the 12-13, 20-1,

189, 204, 207
Brocklesby and Southwold, the, 189
Bromyard, 168
Brooksby, cited, 152, 165-6
Broomhead Hall, 3
Broomshields, 274-80
Browne, Major, 230, 233
Broxbourne, 172
Brunskill, Mr., 232
Buccleugh, Duke of, his pack,

197-8
Buckingham, 170
Buckingham, Duke of, 8-9
Buckingham Stone, 9
Buckland Court, 283
Buckley, Mr., 227
BuUer, Colonel, 229
Burford country, 170
Burstow hunt, the, 19, 107, 177,

179, 180, 181, 182, 183
Burton hunt, the, 13, 20-1, 189,

228, 238
Burton, Mr., 231
Bury pack, the, 268

Caging of foxes, 40-4

Calcraft, Mr., 204

Calne, 169

Cambridge, 188

Cambridgeshire hunt, the, 20, 173-

4, 188
Campbell, Sir John Hume, 240
Capper, Mr. Harcourt, 233
Capping system, the, 104-7
Cardigan, Lord, 224
Carlisle, 198
Catterick, 192, 193
Catterick Bridge, 192
Catterick racecourse, the, 193
Cattistock hunt, the, 5, 23, 24, 154,

185, 235
Causton, Mr., 224
Cecil, cited, 221

Chalon, H. B., painter, 205, 206
Chaplin, Mr., 236; his hunters, 238
Charles I, 9, 10
Charlton hunt, the. See Goodwood

hunt
Charlton, village of, 7
Chelmsford, 173
Cheltenham, 168

Cheltenham Horse Repository, 232
Chertsey, 175, 176
Cheshire, 198
Cheshire hounds, the, 23, 198-200,

227, 268
Cheshire (South) hunt, the, 15
Cheshunt, 20
Chester, 199
Chesterfield, Lord, 224
Chichester, 7, 184
Chiddingfold kennels, 176 ; sales,

236
Chippenham, 169
Chipping Sodbury, 169
Chobham Ridges, 175
Chopwell Wood, 71
Christmas and New Year meets,

1 16-18
Church Stretton, 200
Cirencester, 169
Cirencester hunt, the, 17
Cirencester kennels, 223
Clarke, Mr., 274
Cleasby, 195
Cleveland, Duke of, 224
Cleveland hunt, the, 22
Clifford, Lord de, 240
Clifton, hares of, 287
Clonmel, Ireland, 207
Clowes, Mr., 227
Cobham, 177
Cockermouth, 198

INDEX

291

Combe, Mr., 17-18

Compton, Mr., 239

Comus, the Belvoir, 229

Coniscliffe, 195

Cooke, Sir William, g, 21 ; his
country, 8, 191

Cookson, Mr., 233

Coombe, Mr. Harvey, 224-5

Cope, Sir John, ig

Coquetdale, 197

Coquetdale hunt, the, 23

Corbet, Mr., 15

Cornwall (North) pack, the, 238

Cornwall, packs of, 24

Cotley harriers, 269

Cotswold hunt, the, 23, 16S

Cotswold (North) hunt, the, 23,
168, 170, 213, 240

Cottesmore hunt, the, 14, 15, 152,
153, 161-2, 164-6, 188; subscrip-
tion, 107

"Countries," formation of, 12;
subscriptions, 14 ; grass coun-
tries, 153-5; plough countries,

173-4
Coventry, 168

Coventry, Lord, 23 ; pack, 232, 273
Coverts, good and bad places, 68-

79 ; riverside, 74 ; Tynedale, u i ;

rents, i 12-13
Cowarne Gorse, 76
Cowden, 183
Cowen, Colonel, 273
Cox, Mr. Harding, 236
Craftsman, hound, 205
Cranborne Chase hunt, the, 5, 10-

II, 23-4 ; sales, 236
Cranford kennel, 18
Craven, 4th Lord (1739), 18; Earl

of, 255
Craven harriers, the, 268
Craven hunt, the, 18, 176, 221, 22g,

233

Craven, Lady, pack, 240

Crawley, iSo, 1S3

Crawley hunt, the, 6, 184, 228

Cresswell, Mr. A. B., 241

Crewe, igg, 200

Cricklade country hunt, the, 17

Croft Spa, ig3-s

Croome hunt, the, 23, i68-g, 273

Croome, Mr. W. Fielder, 223

Crops, hunting, remarks concern-
ing, 134-6

Crowner, hound, 278

Croxton Park country, the, 161

Croydon, 179

Croydon Hill, 187

Cub-hunting, 40-2, 70, 132
Cubs, mange among, 50
Cuddington, 199
Cumberland hunt, the, 23, ig8
Cumberland (West) hunt, the, 198
Curraghmore sale, the, 236
Curzon, Lord, 224, 226, 229, 230
Cutandly Wood, 182

Dacre, Lord, 224

Damage and poultry expenses,

1 10-13
Darlington, ig3-S
Darlington, Earl of, 21-2, ig2 ;

the " Earl of Darlington and his

Foxhounds," by Marshall, 205-6
Darlington foot harriers, the, 277-

8
Dart Vale harriers, 26g
Davenport, Mr. William, 229
Day, Tom, 228
Deacon, Mr. 235
Dee river, 198
Delamere Forest, 199
Dent, Mr. Edward, 197
Derwent. See Braes of Derwent
Derwent river, Yorkshire, 191
Devon and Somerset staghounds,

108, 186
Devon, Mid and East, the, 186
Devon (South) and Dartmoor, the,

186
Devonshire country, the, 185-6
Devonshire, foxhound packs of,

24 ; harrier packs of, 269
Dixon, Siddle, huntsman, 273
Dixon, W. Scarth, Foxhounds of

Great Britain and Ireland, cited,

9-10
Doncaster, 189
Doneraile, Lord, 224, 227
Dorchester, 185, 229
Dorking, 177, 178
Dorset (South) hunt, the, 5, 24,

235
Drake, Mr. W. Tyrwhitt, present

master of Old Berkshire, 16 ;

sale of the Drake pack in 1862,

225-6, 237
Draper, Mr. William, master, 1726,

21
Driffield district, igi
Drove House, 6
Ducie, Lord, 222
Duffield, Mr. Thomas, 255
Dulverton, 186, 187
Dulverton pack, sale of, 240
Dumfries, 198

292

THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

Dumfriesshire pack, the, 19S
Duncombe, Hon. E. See Fever-
sham, Lord
Dunster, 186
Durham, 196

Durham beagles, the, 277, 278
Durham (North) foxhounds, the,

22, 45, 196, 276, 278
Durham School, 271
Durham (South) hounds, 194, 196
Durham University harriers, the,
271-2, 279

Eastbourne, 184

Eastbourne hunt, the, ig

Eaton Hall, Chester, 199

Edenbridgfe, 179

Edward HI, royal buckhounds

of. 3-4
Egg-esford pack, the, 229, 235,

238
Eggshell, sale of, 237
Eglinton, Lord, 226 ; hunt, 198
Egremont, Lord, hunt, 6
Encyclopcedia of Sport, cited, lo-ii
Epsom, 178
Eridge hunt, the, ig
Esher, 177

Eskdale pack, the, 198
Essex and Suffolk pack, the, 173,

174
Essex (East) hunt, the, 19, 173,

228
Essex hunt, the, 19, 107, 171-4
Essex Union hunt, the, 19, 171,

173
Euston, Lord, 226
Everleigh, 287
Evesham, 170
Exeter, 186
Exford, 186

Exmoor pack, the, 186, 187
Exmoor ponies, 259

Falconer, Mr. J. A. K., 278-9

Faringdon, 170

Farnham, 175

Farquharson, Mr., 24

Fell hounds, the, 202

Fernie, Mr., Mr. Fernie's pack, 14,
107, 152, 153, 161-2, 164-6

Feversham, Lord (Hon. E. Dun-
combe), 228

Field master, question of a,
83-90

Field, the, cited, 7, g5-6, 234,
240-1, 269

Field, the — Christmas and New
Year meets, 116-18. Equipment
— saddlery, 123-7 > ^he horse,
127-8; toilet of the rider, 128-
34; crops, 134-6. General ex-
penses, 108-16. Horsemanship,
necessity for good, 118-23;
Rider, the, his conduct in the
field, 136-46. Subscriptions,
amount of, 98-101 ; payment by
lady members, 101-3 ; when
hunting with more than one
pack, 103-4; the short-time
subscription, 104 ; the capping
system, 104-7; average rate
of, 107-8

Fife hunt, the, 198

Filey, 9

Findon kennels, 6

Fires in stables, 258-60

Fitzhardinge, Lord, 17, 23, 168 ;
sale of hounds, 232

Fitzwilliam country, the (Mr,
George Fitzwilliam's), 166, 1S8

Fitzwilliam, Lord, Fitzwilliam
packs, 20, 189, 203, 204, 229,

233
Fletcher, Major, 224
Foley, Lady Emily, 76
Foljambe family, the, 20
Foljambe, Mr., 221, 227, 229
Forester, Lord (1830-57), 13
Forfarshire, country, the (Lord

Panmure's), 228
Forster, Mr. Crichton, 277
Forster, Mr. R. Carnaby, 238
Fownes, Mr. Thomas, 10-11, 24
Fox, Lane, family, 21
Foxes — Bagged, 26-30. Degenera-
tion of, 216-18. Importation of,
48-51. Mange among, 44-51
Foxhound Kennel Stud Book, cited,

203, 204
Foxhound Stud Book, Vol. I, 207
Foxhounds — Origin of the fox-
hound, 201-5; question of
" bone," 205-6, 208-9 ; pedigree,
206-7 ; hound shows, see also
Peterborough, 207-8 ; straight-
ness, 209-10; quality, 210;
types, 210-12 ; breeding, 212-14 ;
after the kill, 214-15; question
of scenting, 215-ig; over-riding
of, 2i8-ig; important sales of,
220-41
Foxho7inds of Great Britahi and
Ireland, cited, 151-2

INDEX

293

Foxhunting — Earliest, 1-4. Modern
conditions — use of the bag-man,
25-30 ; tampering: with wild
foxes, 30-1; the shooting
tenant, 32-7 ; common tricks
of gamekeepers, 37-44 ; the
mange scourge, 44-51 ; necessity
for restocking, 4S-51 ; barbed
wire question, 51-7

Funds, poultry and damage, iio-

Furlong harriers, the, 269

Galtee pack, sale, 239
Galway country, the, 154
Galway (East) country, the, 154
Galway, Lord, master 1876- 1907,

20
Gamekeepers, common tricks of,

37-44

Game preservation, evils of exces-
sive, 26-41, 46, 48, 50

Garth hunt, the, 19, 107, 175-6

Garth, Mr., 19

Gatwick racecourse, 183

Gerard's Cross kennel, 18

Germany, foxes imported from,

49-50
Giles, Mr., 224
Gillingham pack, the, 21
Glamorganshire hounds, the, 233
Glendale country, the, 23, 197
Goathland hunt, the, 8-9
Gonalston kennels, 231
Goodwood pack, the, 5-8, 183
Goodwood racecourse, 7
Governess, hound, 205
Grafton, Dukes of, 16, 230
Grafton hunt, the, 16, 170, 213
Graham, huntsman, 281
Graham, Sir Bellingham, 15
Grantham, 188, 189
Graphic, the, 160
Grass countries, the, 153-5
Great Central Railway, 172
Greaves, Mr. Henley, 224 ; his

pack, 228
Greenall, Sir Gilbert, 13
Greene, Mr., 222

Greenwell, Mr. John, of Broom-
shields, harriers, 274-80
Grey, Earl (1609), 5
Grinstead (East), 181, 182, 184
Grove hunt, the (Lord Fitzwilliam's

and Lord Galway's), 20, 189
Grove Park, Kingsburj', 234
Guildford, 177, 178
Guildford, Earl of, 235

Haldon harriers, the, 269

Hale, South, 182

Hall, Mr. A. W., 227, 229

Hall, Mr. James, stud sale, 238

Halstead Place beagles, 283

Hambledon hunt, the, 6, 19, 185

Hammerwood, 183

Hammond, Mr., 227

Hampshire hunt, the, 18-19, I75.

176, 185
Hamsterley Hall, 71
Hanbury, Mr. Sampson, 20
Handley Cross, 71
Hankey, Captain, 224
Hankey, Mr. J. Barnard, 178
Hardy, Mr. Gerald, 237
Hare hunting, 4, 267, 269-70 ;

reminiscences, 271-88 ; habits of

the hare, 286-8
Harrier and Beagle Stud Book,

283
Harrier Stud Book, cited, 278, 279
Harriers, packs, 198-9, 267-9 ?

types, 270-1, 284-5
Harrington, Lord, 188
Harrogate, 190-1
Hartford Bridge district, 175
Hassocks, 184
Hastings, 184
Hastings, Marquis of, 227, 228 ;

sale of horses and hounds, 231
Hatfield hounds, the, 20
Hawkcombe Head, 187
Hawks, Colonel, 273
Hawthorn Hill, 175
Haydon hounds, the, 22 ; pack

sale, 234
Heathcote, Sir G. , stud sale, 237
Hedge-cutting competitions, 55
Henley-on-Thames, 18, 175, 176
Hereford (North) country, the, 76,

168 ; pack sales, 232, 233, 239
Hereford (South) country, the, 76
Hereford (West) country, the, 200
Herefordshire hunts, the, 23
Heme, 269
Heron, Mr., 203
Hertford, 172
Hertfordshire hunt, the, 19-20,

171-3
Heythrop House, 16
Heythrop hunt, the, 16, 141, 170,

232
Heythrop (Southern) country, the,

170
High Peak pack, the, 268
High Woodside Farm, 273
Hoare, Mr. C. A. R., 235

294

THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

Hoare, Mr. Gerard, 182, 183, 184

Hodgson, Mr., 221

Holcombe pack, the, 268

Holderness hunt, the, 21, 190, 191,
228

Holme Lacey, 76

Home counties, hunting- localities
in, 171-87

Hopeful, hound, 204

Horley, 180, 182

Horlock, Mr., 221

Horncastle, 189

Home, 182

Horse shows, 253

Horsemanship, advice concerning,
118-23

Horsham, 177

Horsham hunt, the, 6, 183, 184

Hounds — Antiquity of packs, 3-1 1 ;
family packs, 12-15, i6> '8> 99!
subscription packs, 14, 16, 18, 99;
foot packs, 23; "Shire" packs,
152-3 ; the southern hound, 201 ;
Welsh hounds, 202, 209 ; hound
shows, 207-8, see also Peter-
borough

Humble, Mr., 22

Humphreys, Mr., 232

Hundred of Hoo pack, the, 240

Hunt Servants' Benefit Society,
160, 240

Hunters — Importation of foreign
breeds, 2 ; appearance in the
field, 127-8 ; pullers and rushers,
242-4 ; kickers, 244-7 > knack
of horsemanship, 247-9 ; breed-
ing essential, 249-54 ; advice as
to buying, 254-5 ; question of
weight, 255-7 ; jumping, 257-8;
coddling of, 260-4 5 summering
of, 264-6

Hunting — Authorities on, 1-2, 151-
2, 20I-2. Localities : Midland,
147-70 ; Home and Southern,
171-87; Northern, 188-200.
Modern conditions, 25-57

Huntingdon, 18S

Hunts, principal, dates of, 12-24

Huntsman, the, as deputy for the
master, 79-83

Hursley hunt, the, 19, 185

Hurworth hunt, the, 22, 190, 192, 194

Hyde Park Corner, sale of hounds,
226

Ilfracombe, 186

Ingram, Mr. Meynell, pack, 229

Invitation jumps, 53-4

Ipswich, 230

Ireland, countries in, 154

Jarrett, Captain, 227
Jasper, hound, 205
Jed Forest pack, the, 198
Jones, Mr. Morgan, 225-6
Jorrocks, 71, 164, 188, 202

Kelso, 198
Kennet Valley, 176
Kensington Gardens, 18
Kent (East) hunt, the, 19
Kent (West) hunt, the, 19, 1S3
Kerrison, Sir Edward, 231, 232
Kildare country, the, 154
Knatchbull, Sir Edward, ig
Knee-rolls, 125
Knighton, 239

Lady riders, subscriptions of, 101-3
Lake district, foot packs of the,

23 ; hill packs of the, 198
Lamb, Mr. F. H., 273
Lambton, Mr. Ralph, 22, 206,

221
Lanarkshire hunt, the, 198
Lancashire, harrier packs of, 268
Lancashire hunt, the, 23
Langston, master, 17
Lea river, 171
" Leadenhallers," 27-30
Leamington, 167, 168
Leatherhead, 177, 178
Leconfield, Lord, Lord Lecon-

field's hunt, 6-7, 184-5, 241
Ledbury House, 233
Ledbury hunt, the, 23, 75, 132,

168-9, 238, 273
Legard, Mr. Cecil, 207
Leicester as a hunting centre,

162-3
Leicestershire country, the, 158,

221-2
Leigh, 177
Leighton, 170
Leighton Buzzard, 170
Lewes, 184
Lillie Bridge, 232
Lincoln, 188-9

Lincolnshire packs, the, 20-1
Lingfield, 182
Liverpool, 199
Localities, hunting. See under

Hunting
Lockerbie, 198
London, hunting centres close to,

171 et seq.

INDEX

295

Longman, Mr. Arthur, 235
Lonsdale, Lord, 15; the Lonsdale

pack, 204, 226, 231-3, 277 ;

stud sale, 237
Lonsdale - Shrewsbury driving

match, 180
Loughborough, 163-4
Louth, 1S9
Lowndes, Mr. Selby, 226, 227,

229
Lowther, Sir William (1788), 15;

(afterward Lord Lonsdale),

204
Ludlow hunt, the, 23, 200
Lumley family, the, 20
Luxton, Mr., 229
Lyndhurst, 185
Lynmouth, 186
Lynmouth pack, the, 186
Lynton, 186
Lywood, Mr., 229

Mackenzie, Mr., 235

Mackenzie, Mr. Austin, 236; pack,
238,^ 240

McNeill, Mr. Charles, 213, 240

Mahomet, hound, 205

Maiden Newton, 185

Maidenhead, 175

Maidenhead Thicket, 175

Malpas, 200

Malton, 191

Malvern, 168-9

Mange among foxes, 44-51

March, Lord. See Richmond,
Duke of

Market Harborough, 164

Market Rasen, 189

Marriott, Mr. Richard, 22S

Marshall, painter, picture by,
205-6

Mason, Mr,, 76

Master of hounds, the — dignity
of his position, 58-60 ; qualities
required in him, 60-6 ; dis-
cipline in the hunting field,
63-6, 68 ; classes of masters,
66-9 ; distribution of the hunt,
69-77 ; formation of a plan of
campaign, 77-80 ; delegation of
duties, 80-3; joint mastership,
82-3 ; question of a field mas-
ter, 83-90 ; his relations with
the over-rider, 91-7

Maughan, Mr. Nicholas, sale of
hounds, 234-5

Maughan, Mr. Nicholas, senior,
22

Maynard, hound, 205
Maynard, Mr. Anthony, 276
Meath country, the, 154
Melton Mowbray, 161-2, 167
Melville, Whyte, cited, 158
Mendip Hills, 268
Merrick, Mr., 234
Merryman, hound, 205
Mersey river, 198
Meynell hunt, the, 16, 107
Meynell, Mr. Hugo Charles, 8,

16
Middleham training stables, 193
Middlesborough, 195
Middleton, Lord, 21, 224, 226;

his pack, 190, 191, 192, 195,

207
Middleton Park, 255
Midhope, Sir Elias de, 3
Midhurst, 7
Midlands, the, hunting localities

in, 147-70, 188 et seq.
" Milton Blood," the, 20
Milton pack, 207, 235
Milton Park kennels, 20
Minehead, 186
Minehead harriers, the, 187
Modbury harriers, the, 269
Modish, hound, 205
Molton (South) harriers, the,

269
Monmouth, Duke of, 5
Monmouthshire Hunt Club, the,

23
Monson, Lord, 3rd Lord (1774),

20 ; pack, 204, 224
Montague, Mr., 224
Morden harriers, the, 282
Moreton-in-the-Marsh, 170
Morpeth hunt, the, 22, 154, 196-7,

241
Morrell, Mr. Charles, 75, 132,

222
Mortimer, Mr., master, 178
Mostyn, Sir Thomas, 204
Much Wenlock, 200
Mufti, hunting, 131-2
Munro, Mr. J. C, 239
Muskerry country, the, 154
Musters, Mr., 15, 221, 226

Nantwich, 200

Nettlebed, 176

Nettlebed kennel, 18

Neville, Mr., 75

New Chapel Green, 183

New Forest, 1S5

New Forest foxhounds, 24

296

THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

New Forest Hunt Club, 24
New Forest Justice, hound, 204
New Forest ponies, 259
Newari<, 1S8
Newbury, 176

Newcastle and Gateshead har-
riers, the, 273
Newcastle-on-Tyne, 195, 196
Newmarket and Thurlow pack,

173. 174

Newton Hall, Durham, 276

Nicholl, Mr., master, 178

Nidd river, 190

Noel family, the, 14-15

Noel, Mr., pack, 204

Noel, Thomas, Book of Houtids,
cited, 14

Norfolk (West) pack, 227

Northallerton, 192

Northumberland, 196-7

Northumberland (North) hunt,
the, 22-3, 197

Northumberland pack, the, 233

Northwich, 200

Norway, ponies of, 259

Notts, the South, Lord Harring-
ton's, 188

Nurse, Mr. George, 234-5

Oadby, 162

Oakham, 166, 167

Oakley hunt, the, 17, 188

Odiham, 175

Odipus, sale of, 237

Old Berkeley (East), the, 171, 172,

235
Old Berkeley pack, the, see also

Berkeley, 16, 17, 18 ; pack sale,

226, 236 ; stud sale, 237
Old Berkeley (West), the, 170, 171,

172
Old Berkshire hunt, the, 16, 170,

222, 255
Old Burton blood, 236
Old Surrey hounds, the, 19, 176,

178-80; Surtees' references,

178
Oldaker, Tom, 18
Ormrod, Mr. Peter, 239
Osbaldeston, Mr. George, 15,

174 ; pack, 204, 224-5
Otter hounds, 209
Oundle, 188
Over-riders, troubles caused by,

91-7
Oxenden, Sir H., 19
Oxford, 18, 170

Oxfordshire (South) hunt, the, 17,
18, 170, 176

Packs. See under Hounds

Pain, Mr., 227, 234

Panmure, Lord, 228

Payne, Mr. G., 224

Payne, Mr. J., 224

Peirson, Mr., 9

Pelham, Mr., master, 12

Pembrokeshire country, 236

Pendle Forest pack, the, 268

Penistone harriers, the, 3

Penistone hunt, the, 267

Percy country, the, 22, 197, 221,

241 ; pack sale, 239
Peterborough hound shows, 207-8,

210-11, 213, 241, 268, 283, 284
Petre, Mr., 224
Petworth kennels, 7
Peyton, Captain, 226
Peyton, Sir Algernon, 226, 230
Pheasants, preservation of, 26-7
Phillips, Mr. Lort, 236
Pickering, 191
Pickering, forest of, 8-9, 10
Pigg, James, 71
" Pinch me Near Forest," 71
Piatt, Mr., 233-4
Plough countries, 173-4
Plummer, Mr. Scott, pack, 198
Plymouth, Lord, 237
Pole, Mr. Chandos, 236
Pole, Mr. Van Notten, 235
Poltimore, Lord, pack, 227 ; sale,

229
Ponies, 257, 259
Ponteland, 280
Pool (South) harriers, 269
Poole, Mr., 239
Porlock, 186
Porlock Weir, 1S6, 187
Portcullis Hotel, Badminton Park,

169
Portman, Lord, 24, 240 ; Lord

Portman's hunt, 5
Portsmouth, 177, 185
Portsmouth, Lord, pack, 227, 229,

236
Poultry and damage expenses,

110-13
Prudhoe pack, the, 22
Puckeridge hunt, the, 19-20, 171-4,

227
Puttch pictures, 91
Puppy shows, no
Pytchley hunt, the — Masterships,

15-16; amount of subscription,

INDEX

297

107 ; the Pytchley country, 152,
153. 164, 165, 166, 174 ; pack
sales, 234, 239

Quarme harriers, the, 269

Quorn hunt, the — History, 5, 7-8 ;
masterships, 15 - 16, 60 - i ;
amount of subscription, 107 ;
" Shire " pack, 152 - 3 ; the
Quorn country, 161, 18S ; pack
sales, 221, 222, 227, 228, 235 ;
stud sales, 237

Raby pack, the, 21-2, 205, 206;

sales, 224
Radclyffe, Mr., 229
Radnor, Lord, 24, 236-7
Radnorshire hunt, the, 200
Rasher, Major, 75
Rawlence, Mr., 239
Rawnsley, Mr. Preston, Southwold

pack, 189
Reading, 175, 176
Redesdale, Lord, 17
Redhill, 179, 180
Reigate, 180-S1, 182, 207
Rendlesham, Lord, 228 ;sale, 230--1
Renfrewshire hunt, the, 198
Retford, 189
Richardson, Mr., 226
Richmond, Duke of, 5-6
Richmond, York, 195, 196
Rickmansworth, 172
Ridley, Sir Matthew White, 22
Rigden, Mr., 224, 232
Ripley, 176
Ripon, 192
Roper, master, 5
Robertson, Mr., 221
Robsons of Byrness, 23
Roche, Sir D. , 232
Rogerson, Mr. J. E., 278
Rolle, Hon. Mark, 230 ; sale of

hounds, 232
Roote, Mr., 232
Rossendale pack, the, 268
Rothschild, Lord, his staghounds,

170
Roxby and Cleveland hunt, the, 22
Royal Agricultural Benevolent In-
stitute, 55, i6o, 240
Royal buckhounds, the, 3, 207
Rufford pack, the, 188, 189, 221 ;

sale, 231
Rufforth, 189
Rugby, 15, 166
Rugby hound sales, 234, 235, 236,

238-9

Russel, Mr. James, 283

Rutland, Duke of, 224 ; pack, 13,

203, 204, 227, 229
Ryton Woodside, 280

Saddles, remarks concerning, 124-
7, 158-60

Saffron Walden, 174

St. Boswell's, 198

Salisbury family, the, 20

Salisbury, Marchioness of, 20

Sandiway kennels, the, 199

Scarborough, 191-2

Scotch packs, 197-8

Scott, Mr. Francis, 178

Scratch Wood, 18

Segrave, Lord, 17

Selby- Lowndes famil)', the, 16

Selby, Mr., 236

Serlby, 20

Serrell, Miss, Wifh Hoiuid and
Terrier in the Field, quoted, 10

Sherborne, 185

Sherling, Mr., harriers, 269

Shetland ponies, 259

Sheward, Dr., 76

Shire countries — The "Shire"
packs, 152 - 3 ; description of
country, 152-7 ; expenses, 158-
61

Shooting tenants, 30-1, 33-7

Shotley Bridge beagles, the, 278-
80

Shrewsbury, 200

Shropshire, 19S

Shropshire hunt, the, 23

Shropshire (North) pack, the, 200

Shropshire (South) pack, the, 200

Sidney, Mr., 238

Sileby, 163

Silh mid Scarlet, "The Druid"
quoted, 4

Silverton harriers, the, 269

Sinnington hunt, the, 5, 8-9, 21,
190-2

Skeffington Hall, 231

Sladeland kennels, the, 6

Smith, Mr. Assheton, 221, 229

Smith, Mr. "Tom," 15

Somerset, harrier packs in, 268

Somerville, Miss, quoted, 248

Sondes, Lord, 19

Sore backs, causes, 159-60

Southampton, 185

Southampton, Lord, 226

Southdown hunt, the, 19, 184

Southern counties, hunting locali-
ties in, 171-87

298

THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER

Southwold pack, the, 20-1, 189
Spencer, Lord (1750), 15
Sqiierries, 19
Stables, remarks concerning, 2158-

66
Stacey, Captain, 240
Staflford, 200
Staffordshire (North) hunt, the, 23,

200 ; sale, 229
Staffordshire (South) hunt, the, 23,

200
Staghunting-, 24, 1S6-7
Staines, 175
Stainton Dale hunt, the, 8, 9, 10,

192
Stamford, 166
Stamford, Lord, 163, 224 ; stud

sale, 237
Stamfordham, 196
Stanford, Mr., 228
Stephen, King, 8
Steyning, 184

Stirrup leathers and stirrups, re-
marks concerning, 120-2, 127
Stockton, 19s
Stockton Forest, 190
Stoke Edith, 76
Stoke Place beagles, 283
Stratton Audley, 225, 226
Stud sales, 237-8
Subscriptions. See under Field
Suffield, Lord, 221
Suffolk hunt, the, 19, 20, 173, 237
Sumner, Captain A. H., 232
Sunderland, 195
Sunderland Bridge, 22
Surbiton, 177

Surbiton beagles, the, 282-3
Surrey Union hunt, the, 19, 176-80
Surtees' works cited, 71, 75, i lo-ii,

151, 178-9, 204
Sussex Archcsological Collections

cited, 5
Sussex (East) hunt, the, 19, 1S4;

pack sale, 234, 235
Sussex (West) hunt, the, 6
Sutton, Sir Richard, 222, 235
Swan, Mr. Cla3'ton, 241
Swinley Forest, 175
Sykes family, the, 21
Symphony, hound, 205
Syston, 163

Tadworth, 177
Tailby, Mr., 226, 231-2
Takeley Forest, 173
Talbot, Mr., 233
Tar Wood, 141

Tarporley, 199

Tattersall sales, 221, 222, 224, 225,

227-9. 234. 236, 237-8, 239
Tedworth country, the, 24
Tees river, the, 193
Temc Valley pack, the, 200, 239
Tenbury, 200
Tetbury, 169

Thanet and Heme pack, the, 269
Thirsk, 192
Thomson, Colonel Anstruther, 15,

165; Reminiscences Qxi&di, 150
Thrapston, 188
Thurlow country, the, 174
Tickham country, the, 19
Tipperary country, the, 154
Tiverton, 24, 186, 187
Tiverton pack, the, 186
Tooley Park, Leicester, 7
Torquay, 186
Totnes, 186, 232
Treadcroft, Mr., 224
Trentham, 229
Tubney kennels, the, 222
Twici, Guillaume, 1-2
Tynedale Hunt Club, the, in,

"3
Tynedale hunt, the, 22, 154,

196-7
Tyrwhitt, master, 12

United hounds, the, 200
Uppingham, 166
Uxbridge, 171

Vale land, 177

Vale of Lunc pack, the, 268

V^ale of White Horse hunt, the —
Origin, 17; Earl Bathurst's, 168,
169; Cricklade, 169, 170; mas-
tership, 222, 223

Vale of White Horse Repository,
Swindon, 235

Vane family, the, 192

Vasey, huntsman, 272

Vaughan, Sir Robert Williams,
222-3, 228

Vernon, Lord, pack, 204

Villebois, Mr., 224, 227

Vine hunt, the, 18, 176, 229

Virginia Water, 175

X'^yner, Mr. Robert, master, 12,
16 ; quoted, 5, 203, 204, 207,
216-17

Vyse, Mr. H. H. Howard, 283

Walton and Lee, Messrs., 234
Walton-on-the-Heath, 177

INDEX

299

Walworth, 197

Warde, Mr. John, 15, 16, ig, 221

Warkworth, 197

Warwick, 167

Warwickshire hunt, the, 16, 107,

166-7, 170, 235
Warwickshire (North) luint, the,

16, 107, 166, 16S ; pack sale,

226 ; stud sale, 237
Warwickshire Vale, 170
"Waterloo" run of the Pytchley,

165
Waters, Mr. Dun, 238
Watson, Mr. Thomas, harriers,

277-8
Weatherby road, the, 189
Webb, Mr., master, 17
Weldon Bridge, 197
Wells subscription pack, the, 268
Welsh hounds, the, 202, 209
Wemyss, Lord, 22-3 ; country,

221 ; pack sale, 231
Wentworth, 20
Wentworth Woodhouse, 20
Westerham country, the, 19
Westminster, Duke of, 199
Westmorland, 198
Weston pack, 268
Weybridge, 177
Weymouth, 185
Whaddon Chase hunt, the, 16,

170
Whalton, 196-7
Wheatland hunt, the, 23, 200
Whieldon, Mr., 224
Whitaker, Mr. P., 237
Whitby, 9
Whitchurch, 200
White Cross kennels, the, 232
White, huntsman, 183
White, Mr., 224
Whitstable, 269
Wickets, hunting-, 54
Williams, Captain, 221
Willoughby family, the, 21
Willow Bridge, 195
Wilson, Mr.^ 3
Wilton hunt, the, 24
Wilts (South-West) hounds, the,

24, 169, 227
Winchester, 185

Windermere, 195

Windlesham, 176

Windsor, 175

Winslow, 170

Wirral harriers, the, Cheshire,
268

Wirral Peninsula, the, 198, 268

Woking, 177

Wokingham, 175

Wolsingham pack, the, 272, 273

Woodland P)'tchley hunt, the —
History, 15 ; amount of subscrip-
tion, 107 ; the Pytchley country,
153, 164, 166, 188 ; pack sales,
238

Woodlands, 272

Worcester, Marquis of, 233, 236,
238

Worcester Park, 176

Worcester Park beagles, the,
282-3

Worcestershire hunt, the, 168-69,
232, 273

Worksop, 189

Wormwood Scrubs, 18

Wrexham, 200

Wroughton, Mr. W. M., 15, 238,
240

Wyke, Hayburn, 10

Wyndham, Colonel George. See
Leconfield, Lord

Wyndham, Sir Henry, 6

Wynn, Sir Watkin, 23, 200, 236

Wynnstay pack, the, 236

Yarborough, Lord, 13; hounds,

203, 204, 227, 229, 235
Yeovil, 185
York, 189-92, 195
York and Ainsty hunt, the, 21, 22,

189-90, 192, 228, 229
York (East) and Ainsty Hunt, the,

190
Yorkshire— Hunts of North-East,

S ; foxhound packs, 21-2 ; harrier

packs, 267
Yorkshire country, the, 190, 195

Zetland, Lord, 22 ; Lord Zetland's
country, 190, 192, 193, 194, 195

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Cowley (Abraham). See Little Library.
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Crasbaw (Richard). See Little Library.
Crawford (F. Q.). See Danson (Mary C).
Crofts(T. R. N.), M. A., Modem Language
Master at Merchant Taylors' School. See
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Cunliffe (Sir F. H. E.), Fellow of All Souls'
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Cutts(ti. L.), D.D. See Leaders of Religion.
Daniell (G. W.), M.A. See Leaders of

Religion.
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Darley (George). See Little Library.
D'Arcy(R. F.), M.A. A NEW TRIGON-
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Davis (H. W. C), M.A., Fellow and Tutor
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Dawson (Mrs. Nelson). See Little Books ou
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Deane (A. C). See Little Library.

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Dearmer (Mabel). A CHILD'S LIFE OF
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Delbos (Leon). THE METRIC SYSTEM.
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Demosthenes. AGAINST CONON AND
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Dickinson (Emily). POEMS. Cr. Zvo.
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Dickinson (Q. L.), M.A., Fellow of King's
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Dilke(Lady), Bulley (Miss), and Whitley
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Dillon (Edward), M.A. See Connoisseur's
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Ditchfield (P. H.), M.A., F.S.A. THE
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Dixon (W. M.), M.A. A PRIMER OF
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Doney(May). SONGS OF THE REAL.

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Douglas (Hugh A.). VENICE ON FOOT.
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MY MEMOIRS. Translated by E. M.
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Duncan (David), D.Sc, LL.D. THE LIFE
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Earle(John), Bishop of Salisbury. MICRO-
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Edmonds(MajorJ. E.),R.E.;D.A.Q.-M.G.
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Edwards (Clement), M.P. RAILWAY
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Edwardes (Tickner). THE LORE OF

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Egan (Pierce). See I.P.L.

Egerton (H. E.), M.A. A HISTORY OF

BRITISH COLONIAL POLICY. A

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A Colonial Edition is also published.

ElIaby(C. a.). See Little Guides.

Ellerton (F. Q.). See Stone (S. J.),

Hpictetus. See Aurelius (Marcus).

Erasmus. A Book called in Latin EN-
CHIRIDION MILITIS CHRISTIANI,
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Knight. J'ca/'. Sz'O. 3J. 6d. net.

Ewald(Carl). TWO LEGS, AND OTHER
STORIES. Translated from the Danish
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Fairbrother(W. H.), M.A. THE PHILO-
SOPHY OF T. H. GREEN. Second
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Fea (Allan). SOME BEAUTIES OF THE
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THE FLIGHT OF THE KING. With
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SECRET CHAMBERS AND HIDING-
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Ferrier (Susan). See Little Library.

Fidler (T. Claxton), M.Inst. C.E. See
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Fielding (Henry). See Standard Library.

FinnlS. W.), M.A. See Junior Examination
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Firth (J. B.). See Little Guides.

Firth (C. H.), M.A., Regius Professor of
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monwealth, and the Protectorate. Cr. Zvo.
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Firth (Edith E.). See Beginner's Books.

FitzQerald (Edward). THE RUBAiYAT
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mentary by Mrs. Stephen Batson, and a
Biography of Omar by E. D. Ross. Cr.
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General Literature

9

FItzGerald (H. P.). A CONCISE HAND-
BOOK OF CLIMBERS, TWINERS,
AND WALL SHRUBS. Illustrated.
Fcap. %vo. 3^. 6d. net.

Fitzpatrick(S. A. O.). See Ancient Cities.

Flecker (W. H.), M.A.,D.C.L., Headmaster
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THE STUDENTS PRAYER BOOK.
The Text of Morning and Evening
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Fletcher (J. S.). A BOOK OF YORK-
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%vo. ys. ti. net.
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Flux (A. W.), M.A., William Dow Professor
of Political Economy in M'Gill Unlversitv,
Montreal. ECONOMIC PRINCIPLES.
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Foat (F. W. Q.), D.Litt., M.A., Assistant
Master at the City of London School.
LONDON: A READER FOR YOUNG
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tions. Cr. Zvo. IS. 6d.

Ford (H. Q.), M.A., Assistant Master at
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Forel (A.). THE SENSES OF INSECTS.
Translated byMACLEOD YearSley. With
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Fortescue (Mrs. Q.). See Little Books on
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Fraser (J. F.). ROUND THE WORLD
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French (W.), M..A. See Textbooks of Science.

Freudenreich (Ed. von). DAIRY BAC-
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Davis, M.A. Second Edition. Revised.
Cr. 8vo. 2s. 6d.

Fulford (H. W.), M.A. See Churchman's
Bible.

Fuller (W. P.), M.A. See Simplified French
Texts.

*Fvvie (John). TRAGEDY QUEENS OF
THE G ICORGIAN ERA. With 16 Illustra-
tions. Second Eli. DcmyZvo. ■12s.6d.net.

Qallaher (D.)and Stead (W. J.). THE

COMPLETE RUGBY FOOTBALLER,
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QallichanCW. M.). See Little Guides.

Qambado (Geoffrey, Esq.). See I.P.L.

Gaskell (Mrs.). See Little Library, Stan-
dard Library and Sixpenny Novels.

Qasquet, the Right Rev. Abbot, O.S.B. See
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THE DECLINE AND FALL OF THE
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Gibbs (Philip). THE ROMANCE OF
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Gor8t(Rt. Hon. Sir John). THE CHIL-
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lO

Messrs. Methuen's Catalogue

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ofScience.
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Scries.

12

Messrs. Methuen's Catalogue

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13

Lambert (F. A. H.)- See Little Guides.

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Le Braz (Anatole). THE LAND OF
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E. V. L. and C. L. G. ENGLAND D.\Y BY
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Lydon (Noel S.). See Junior School Books.

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MY DANISH SWEETHEART.

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MR. SPONGE'S SPORTING TOUR.
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