Blood Sires. 189 



foaled, like Eclipse and Marske, in the paddocks of 

 the Duke of Cumberland, who used to throw mains 

 with Lord Sandwich when the hounds checked, " on 

 every green hill and under every green tree," and 

 whose name was as great in connexion with blood 

 stock as that of the Duke of Montague, in Charles 

 II.'s reign. Woodpecker and Highflyer represent the 

 two great branches of King Herod's line ; and the 

 descendants of the former have been as renowned for 

 their speed as those of the latter for their staying 

 qualities. That wonderful trio of brothers by Buzzard 

 (a fair sized chestnut with one eye), out of an Alexan- 

 der mare, to wit, Selim, Reubens, and Castrel, were 

 but two degrees from Woodpecker ; and while Castrel 

 was represented by his son Pantaloon, and by Hobbie 

 Noble, Selim may be traced through Langar to 

 Pyrrhus the First, and through Sultan to Beiram and 

 Bay Middleton. Prunella, on the other hand, was the 

 queen of the Highflyer mares, and Sir Peter Teazle 

 or Sir Peter as he was popularly styled the most dis- 

 tinguished of his male descendants ; and through his 

 grandson Partisan, who was by Walton, out of Para- 

 sol, a daughter of Prunella, we have had Venison 

 and Gladiator. The Partisan blood has thus a strong 

 double stain of Highflyer in it : and although the 

 effects of this rather close breeding brought no soft- 

 ness into the Venisons, it may have had its effect on 

 the Sweetmeats ; and the failure of the Actseon stock 

 may also be accounted for by the fact that both his 

 dam and grandam were by Highflyer. Agonistes, 

 Haphazard, Sir Solomon, and Sir Paul were all very 

 noted " four-mile " sons of Sir Peter, and Sir Paul 

 transmitted his stoutness, through Paulowitz and Cain, 

 to the stock of Ion, who was never a great favourite 

 in England, and was consigned to the foreigners before 

 Wild Dayrell was added to his Poodle and Pelion list 

 of winners. 

 The Godolphin Barb blood courses through Cade 



