1 68 THE ESSEX FOXHOUNDS. 



faction, and he was, moreover, quite a "farmer's hunts- 

 man," being extremely punctiHous in consulting their 

 rights and interests, and showing by his every act how he 

 acknowledged the very large share they had in the hunting 

 of the country. 



Dobson's successor was James Bailey, by whom the 

 Essex Hounds have been hunted from that time to the 

 present, and we can express our wish for the pack's welfare 

 in no better terms than by hoping that he may continue to 

 hunt the hounds for many seasons to come. Bailey, who 

 is now in his 45th year, was born in Hampshire, within 

 earshot of the Hampshire Hunt kennels. His father 

 kept the Anchor Inn, one of the Hampshire Hunt 

 fixtures, and found the horses for the hunt. Young 

 Bailey's first mount was an exceedingly clever donkey, 

 upon which he went almost anywhere, without saddle or 

 bridle. In time he out-grew the donkey, and became 

 covert lad to Mr. W. Ward Tailby, who hunted what 

 was known as the Billesdon, or South Ouorn, country, 

 but the hounds were always known as Mr. Tailby's. 



No beginner could have entered a better school. Mr. 

 Tailby was a rare sportsman, and during the time that 

 Frank Goodall (afterwards huntsman to the Queen's Stag- 

 hounds) was his huntsman, no pack in England showed 



