152 WHIPS 



and that of to-day. The thickened grip of the 

 typical whip is clumsier than the neatly graduated 

 grip put upon our modern whips, but otherwise 

 there is little to choose between the old and the 

 new. 



Modern whips are wonderfully light and well- 

 balanced ; the best " stocks " are made of " rabbit- 

 bitten " holly. In frosty weather, when rabbits 

 cannot get much to eat, they gnaw the bark of 

 hollies, and the places which they bite get frozen. 

 After a good holly-stick has thus been ill-treated 

 by conies, it is cut and sold to a whip-maker, and 

 the ungnawed bark is taken off, but the "rabbit- 

 bitten " is left on. It forms an admirable grip for 

 the hand. The best hollies are grown in Kent, 

 but Sussex and the New Forest also supply fine 

 stocks. 



A good instance of history repeating itself is 

 furnished by "dog-knee" stocks. They were 

 used seventy years ago by four-in-hand coachmen 

 and afterwards went out of fashion, and have only 

 recently come in again. Most whip stocks are 

 straight; the best are made from holly, but several 

 other woods answer the purpose admirably, as 

 blackthorn with the bark left on. Yew has a 

 better "natural play" than any other, and lance- 

 wood is extremely popular ; it is dressed in all 

 kinds of patterns, and shaped to any size. 

 Varnished green lance-wood stocks are quite the 

 rage, and so also are " built " cane. The latter 

 are constructed as follows : a steel rod forms 

 the centre, and six pieces of cane, in hexagonal 

 shape, are built round it, overlapped at intervals 



