THE RADNOR 



lish top-cross been used, as that has been found unsuccessful, the light 

 American bitches not mating well with the heavy English dog-hounds. 

 During the last year of Mr. Valentine's Mastership he imported a Welsh 

 hound with the idea of breeding him to the half-bred bitches, and in this 

 way still further improving their stamina ; also v«th the idea of having the 

 Welsh blood stiffen their coats. The few puppies entered this year bid fair 

 to fulfil his expectations without in any way impairing the two great essen- 

 tials, viz: nose and voice. 



One of the authors, who was lucky enough to enjoy a most excellent 

 day's sport with the Radnor during Mr. Valentine's Mastership, gives his 

 recollections as follows, quoted from a letter to a friend at the time : 



"Philadelphia, February 10th, 1904. 



"Dear C. — I went out with the Radnor yesterday; queerest day for hunt- 

 ing I ever saw, would not have taken hounds out of kennels at home; quite 

 cold and, although the sun had thawed the top of the ground, it was as 

 greasy as could be. Went out in the early morning train vsath V — M — , 

 who very kindly offered me a mount, — to Bryn Mawr station some half 

 hour or so from town, and drove from there to the kennels about three 

 miles away. I said to V — ' Do you mean to say they will hunt today ? ' 

 ' Yes,' he said, ' Why not ? ' I remarked that it was his horse and that 

 if he'd risk its legs I'd gladly risk my neck. At the clubhouse, near which 

 are the kennels and stables, we found our horses, — a beautiful little Irish 

 mare for me and a big clean-bred colt for him, — and as hounds were to 

 meet some three miles away, we promptly jogged on. 



"The meet was in a little country village and there was a good Field out, 

 perhaps forty, fully half of them farmers; most of the latter mounted on 

 businesslike looking cocktails ; wath a good many of the members riding 

 clean-breds. Hounds came up promptly at eleven, and a most workmanhke 

 looking lot they are too, not much to look at, though 1 must say I like them 

 better than most Americans I've seen. The Hunt staff were beautifully 

 turned out, all on chestnuts, as Valentine has a leaning that way. You know 

 they wear brown here instead of scarlet ; I don't know why exactly, — 

 some local prejudice, I believe, — but they all looked smart and ready for busi- 



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