THE REV. JOHN RUSSELL. 273 



fresh but never sated, and with an untiring 

 consistency positively unparalleled. Mr. Charles 

 Palk CoUyns, of Dulverton, long looked upon 

 as the Nestor of the moor, hunted, he tells us, 

 "with the staghounds for forty-six years"; while 

 the experience of Mr. Boyse, of Withypoole, his 

 predecessor as a chronicler of that sport, does 

 not appear to have extended beyond forty years, 

 that is, from 1776 to 18 16, when Mr. Collyns 

 took up the running, and "regularly noted the 

 chases " down to i860. 



Russell, then, dating his entry from 1814, with 

 constant attendance, season after season, from 

 that day to 1882, a period of sixty-eight years, 

 had a far longer experience with that noble and 

 unique sport than either of those gentlemen. 



" Accordingly, down to that year, Russell, it 

 appears, followed the chase of the wild red 

 deer under at least a dozen different dynasties ; 

 the following being a recorded list of the 

 masters, and the dates of their succession, 

 during that period : — 



In 181 2 the late Lord Fortescue became 

 Master of the Staghounds for the second time ; 

 but resigned them again in 1818, during which 

 period of six years, as before stated, they killed 

 ninety deer — forty-two stags, and forty-eight 

 hinds. 



Mr. Stucley Lucas, of Baron's Down, next 

 took the command ; his tenure of office being 



T 



