96 IRinos of tbc 1[3untina=jficlb 



minutes walk from the house, and close to the Home 

 Farm. They were originally built by Mr Smith on 

 rising ground above the stables ; but, owing to the 

 hounds constantly suffering from kennel lameness, 

 although every precaution of draining, ventilation, and 

 paving was resorted to, the situation or subsoil (chalk 

 upon strong clay) was deemed unhealthy, and condemned. 

 Mr Smith had remarked that the lame hounds, when 

 removed below the hill to his Home Farm, and turned 

 into the calf-pens there, soon recovered. This induced 

 him to fix on that spot, well-sheltered by trees and 

 buildings from the north and north-east, for the site 

 of the new kennels. He drew the design for them on 

 half a sheet of paper, which was afterwards put to a 

 scale, and carried out exactly according to the plan by 

 his own carpenter and bricklayer. 



Passing up the shrubbery and skirting the edge of 

 the farmyard, you came at once on a slope of undulating 

 green sward, and here, under the eye of one of the 

 whippers-in, scores of loose hounds might be seen 

 taking their exercise. On the top of the hill, open 

 towards the south-west, ranged the kennels, four in 

 number, and as snug in their accommodation as the 

 greatest lover of hounds could desire. Mr Smith at 

 first had the flooring of his kennels paved with flint- 

 stones ; but on one occasion, when his hounds were 

 suffering from shoulder lameness, he found it necessary 

 to remove them so quickly that a roomy cart-shed was 

 provided for them. The flooring of this shed was of 

 chalk well rammed down, on the principle of the old 

 Roman barn-floors mentioned in Virgil's Georgics, 

 cretd solidanda tenaci. Here the hounds soon recovered, 

 and upon the flint-stones of the kennel being removed. 



