•ff^uao /ll>c\?nell 61 



Raven, the huntsman, came by with the hounds. Lord 

 Sefton asked him the question. " Concord, my lord," 

 was the reply. 



' Mr Meynell's eye to a hound was not less quick than 

 his ear. It has been asserted that on seeing a pack of 

 strange hounds drawn to feed, he could call almost all 

 of them afterwards by their names.' 



Mr R. C. Vyner in his admirable work Notitia 

 Venatica gives an exhaustive analysis of what he calls 

 the Meynellian Science, or Fox-lninting upon System, from 

 which I will make the following extracts : — 



' It was at the commencement of the career of the 

 " great Meynell," that the dawn of science began to cast 

 its rays upon that system, out of which has grown the 

 modern style of fox-hunting ; he was, without doubt, 

 the most successful Master of Hounds in his time, 

 producing the steadiest, wisest, best, and handsomest 

 pack of foxhounds in the kingdom. His object in 

 breeding hounds was to combine strength with beauty, 

 and steadiness with high mettle. His idea of perfection 

 of shape was short backs, open bosoms, straight legs, 

 compact feet, as the greatest and first consideration in 

 form ; the first qualities he considered were fine noses 

 and stout runners. In the spring of the year, he broke 

 in his hounds at hare, to find out their propensities, 

 which, when at all flagrant, they early discovered, and 

 he drafted them according to their defects ; after hare- 

 hunting they were, during the remaining part of the 

 summer, walked daily amongst riot. When the hunting 

 season commenced, his hounds were hunted in the wood- 

 lands, amidst abundance of foxes, for two months. 

 In the month of November the pack were carefully 

 divided into the Old and Young Pack. The Old Pack 



