THE BADMINTON HOUNDS 



to lay our finger upon it at a definite point in the 

 descent of the hound. They were large hounds, 

 powerful and with a great deal of bone. They had 

 fine noses, and already possessed much of the 

 hunting power the sixth Duke delighted in. The 

 eighth Duke noted their staunchness on the line of 

 their hunted fox, though it is true he attributes 

 this to Will Long's style of hunting. I am inclined, 

 however, to believe the Badminton blood must have 

 some of the credit. The original hounds were wiry 

 and rough in their coats, and rather inclined to be 

 throaty. On this point our grandfathers were not 

 so particular as we are. The stamina, tongue, and 

 hunt of the pack made the blood eagerly sought 

 after. The prevailing colour was badger or hare pie. 

 That they had not altogether forgotten their predi- 

 lection for stag, we gather from the fact that Philip 

 Payne, on his arrival at Badminton in 1803, found 

 the hounds being exercised in the park in couples. 



Philip, as I have noted elsewhere, brought in a 

 change of blood from Cheshire. He found that the 

 hounds did not come up to the Meynellian standard. 

 Many had loaded shoulders, and such hounds soon 

 tire. The blood introduced from Mr. Heron's pack 

 established the connection between Badminton and 

 the Meynell and Osbaldeston blood. This also 

 accounts for the fact that the Badminton and 

 Belvoir strains have ever united well. In the 

 Belvoir kennels is the strongest representation of 

 the old Meynell strains to be found to-day. 



77 F 



