216 THE HUNTING FIELD 



to accept a servant from many of them, even though 

 they would pay him his wages. 



But to the hunting field. 



Modern custom has caused an amazing consump- 

 tion of scarlet cloth in the hunting field. We are old 

 enough to remember the time when the scarlet coat 

 was looked upon quite as the distinguishing mark of 

 the man of independent means, just as the gold 

 epaulette is still looked upon as the badge of the 

 military or naval professions. Few men in trade or 

 business thought of riding in scarlet, except the 

 merchant princes of London, perhaps, in the palmy 

 days of the old Berkeley. In the country, where 

 things are on a much smaller scale, and people more 

 narrowly watched, it was rarely seen. Much as we 

 desire to uphold hunting, and anxious as we are to 

 draw all real sportsmen within the scope of its 

 enjoyments, we confess we are not advocates for 

 indiscriminate scarlet-coating. It imposes on no one, 

 but draws forth ill-natured remarks from many. The 

 man who puts on a scarlet coat advertises to the 

 world that he is going a hunting — nay more, he 

 advertises that he goes so often that it is necessary to 

 have a coat expressly for the purpose. Then come 

 the usual amiable observations that it would be better 

 if he was looking after his business, wondering who 

 attends to things when he is away, and so on. Now 

 the man who goes out in a black coat may be going 

 anywhere, especially if he carries his whipthong in his 

 pocket j at all events he carries no convicting 

 evidence on his back that he is going to hunt. 



People instead of saying to him, "Well, you are 

 going a hunting, are you ? " in a tone that as much as 

 says, " What business have you in a red coat," merely 

 inquire " If he is going to see the hounds ? " and it 

 rests with him to admit he is, or say, like Peter 

 Pigskin, that he is going to buy barley for malting, or 

 any other article that comes into his head. 



