146 The Hunting Field With Horse and Hound 



ter, a great-grandson of Gambler, a celebrated hound, whom 

 Gillard considered the most perfect hound that he had ever 

 bred. Dexter's sons are numerous and his daughters are excel- 

 lent in every way in the field and on the flags. 



"Gambler came so near the ideal, in every respect," says 

 Cuthbert Bradley, "that his skeleton has been set up as a model 

 of symmetry and proportion, to illustrate a perfect hound." 

 Besides the painting and drawings of this wonderful hound, 

 the good he did will keep his memory green for a hundred 

 years to come. The illustration herewith of Belvoir Dexter is 

 from a painting by Mr. Cuthbert Bradley, which that artist 

 did for "Land and Water," by whose kind permission it is here 

 reproduced. 



"Next to an old Greek statue," adds Bradley, quoting 

 from Canon Kingsley's description of a modern foxhound, 

 "there are few such combinations of strength as in a fine fox- 

 hound. Majesty is the only word. It is a joy to see such 

 perfection alive." 



Let us return to Belvoir Dexter, who has probably pro- 

 duced more high class sons and daughters and granddaughters 

 than any hound that ever lived. It has been the poHcy of the 

 Belvoir hunt for the last hundred years seldom to go outside 

 of their own kennels for new blood. This accounts for the 

 strong family likeness in the Belvoir hounds, and their uni- 

 formity as to colour and markings. The Belvoir tan is recog- 

 nised throughout Great Britain, and few kennels are without 

 it. A perfect system of books, with extended tabulated pedi- 

 gree of every hound in the pack since 1859, is kept by ]Mr. W. 

 Bainbridge, private secretary and agent to Sir Gilbert 

 Greenall. 



The writer does not pretend to be an expert judge of 

 hounds, or attempt to say where the Enghsh breeders are 

 wrong. His own favourite hound at Belvoir is Vagabond, 

 1899. 



