EARLY DAYS 3 



Every kennel in the kingdom looked to Belvoir 

 blood for improvement to its own. It is, in fact, 

 as hard to get away from in foxhound breeding as 

 that of Waxy or Birdcatcher amongst race-horses ; 

 and there are few kennel men who will not admit 

 that a dip into it has been of great service to them. 

 Ancient history tells us that the kennel was estab- 

 lished in 1686 by the first Duke of Rutland, whose 

 life, from the invigorating influence of the chase, 

 was prolonged to the patriarchal age of eighty- 

 three. The kennel lists and pedigrees date from 

 the year 1750 ; and though the annals of the famous 

 Brocklesby hounds are a few years later, the Belvoir 

 can claim to be the most fashionable pack to- 

 day. The exchange of courtesies, as regards sires, 

 between these two celebrated kennels has been 

 almost continual, so that their blood must be 

 looked upon as nearly identical. Neither is there 

 much difference in the style of the hound bred, 

 though at Belvoir twenty -three inches is the 

 standard of height, whilst at Brocklesby twenty-four 

 inches is the limit. Another peculiarity of the 

 Duke of Rutland's kennel is that they have been 

 very particular with regard to colour, adhering to 

 a rich black, the purest white, and bright tan, so 

 that the latter colour has passed into a recognised 

 quality amongst foxhounds, known as " the Belvoir 

 tan." That there has been interbreeding, not in- 

 breeding, is beyond a doubt, as there are signs of 

 it in the fact that hounds from Belvoir improve all 

 other packs, but it is very rare that hounds from 

 other kennels improve Belvoir. The kennels that 



