INTRODUCTION 13 



and gins," and a terrier is defined as "a kind of mongrel 

 greyhound." It would seem that fox-hunting at the 

 beginning of the century was almost exclusively con- 

 fined to the squires, yeomen, and tenant-farmers, and 

 that regular Hunts with regular packs were few and far 

 between. The general custom was, when a fox was 

 discovered to be afoot, to decide to have a fox-hunt, 

 then the squire and the neighbouring farmers brought 

 what dogs they might possess to the meeting-place, 

 which had been agreed upon, and this canine collection of 

 all breeds and sizes constituted the pack of foxhounds 

 for the day. There were no hunt servants, but each 

 man cheered on his own dog. The sport began early 

 in the morning, when the fox was tired after his 

 nocturnal ramblings, otherwise he could never have 

 been caught by such a motley pack. The sportsmen 

 returned home about two o'clock in the afternoon, and 

 the rest of the day was usually devoted to a deep 

 carousal. Eeaders of " Handley Cross " will remember the 

 indignation of the immortal Jorrocks, when he became 

 the master of a pack, hardly superior to the one we 

 have described ; and the first edition of " Handley Cross " 

 was not published till 1843. Besides Jorrocks arrived 

 at Handley Cross by train, so that the system must have 

 prevailed till the commencement of the present reign. 

 Up till within the last twenty years, it was the custom 

 for every member of the Hunt Committee of the 

 Wheatland Hounds to carry a horn and blow it. 



But not only was fox-hunting not pursued in a 

 scientific manner as a sport, but the fox was not regarded 

 as a sacred animal and chartered thief. If no hunt 

 could be organised after the discovery of a fox, a meet- 

 ing of the country yokels was summoned, generally by 

 the ringing of the church bell. They then attempted 



