ISAAC AND THATCHER. 187 



timely intervention of Mrs, Fernie, who, I am given to 

 understand, restored this interesting survival of the past. 



I may here mention that the photograph which appears 

 upon the cover of the ' Annals ' is from a painting of two 

 of Mr. Fernie's favourite bitches : * Nancy ' and ' Needless.' 



Mr. Fernie has also been good enough to send me the 

 following short account of the career ot Thomas Isaac. 



Thomas Isaac 

 Thomas Isaac, commonly known as ' Charles,' was born in 

 Cornwall, where his father hunted a pack of harriers for a 

 local squire. At an early age he went into Devonshire, and 

 when very young was employed by a horse dealer there, and 

 rode in a steeple-chase at the age of fourteen. He was after- 

 w^ards engaged at the Rufford kennels, where he rode a second 

 horse, and then went to the Pytchley as second whipper-in, 

 then became first whipper-in, and after thirteen years m that 

 country came to me as huntsman in 1888, and retired in 1907, 

 having been about thirty-three years with hounds. 



In the " Leicester Advertiser " a few weeks ago, I 

 observed a rather scathing reference was made by 

 ' Ubique,' to a writer who had presumed to give what 

 purported to be a biography of Thatcher, but who, in doing 

 so, had had the misfortune to fall into several mistakes ; 

 the reader may however rest assured that the following 

 brief sketch of this fine huntsman's career is free from any 

 ' terminological inexactitude,' when I add that it is also 

 from the pen of Mr. Fernie. 



Arthur Thatcher. 



The son of Alfred Thatcher, who was huntsman to the 

 Brocklesby and the North Shropshire, and in the latter country 

 Arthur rode his father's second horse for three years. He then 

 went to Lord Middleton as second whipper-in, and after two 

 years there, came to me in the same capacity in 1890. After 

 five years as second whipper-in, he became first in 1895, and 

 in 1898 went as huntsman to the Essex Union, where he 

 remained two years, going in 1900 to the Cottesmore as 

 huntsman, and coming back to me as huntsman, on Isaac's 

 retirement, in 1907. 



