164 RECORDS OF TBGE CHASE 



Honourable Henry Moreton, succeeded, which brings us 

 to the year 1880, and it was during the latter pari; of 

 the time his lordship hunted it that I had several op- 

 portunities of meeting the hounds from Cheltenham. 

 Lord Ducie engaged in an arduous undertaking — that 

 of forming a pack from drafts. He had, however, an 

 able assistant in Jem Hills as first whipper-in, till the 

 establishment of the Heythrop hounds, when he left 

 the Vale of White Horse, to become huntsman to the 

 former pack. Thomson and John Grant were then en- 

 gaged to turn the hounds to his lordship's horn. 



The first kennel which these hounds occupied was at 

 Farringdon; but subsequently they were removed to 

 new ones built at the entrance to Oakley Park, about 

 a mile from Cirencester, and they have been occupied 

 ever since. Lord Ducie commenced principally with 

 drafts from the Duke of Beaufort, Mr. Osbaldeston, 

 and Mr. Thomas Assheton Smith. The blood of Mr. 

 Osbaldeston 's kennel was in great favour, and of late 

 years much of Mr. Horlock's was introduced. His lord- 

 ship's taste was for large, slashing hounds, and he 

 appeared to adopt as the model the largest of Mr. 

 Osbaldeston 's and the most symmetrical of Mr. 

 Horlock's. They were more distinguishable for useful- 

 ness than beauty. 



Many masters of hounds, especially young beginners, 

 fall into great error by drafting too much for appear- 

 ances. It is much easier to breed, or to form a pack 

 from drafts that shall be unexceptionable to the eye, 

 than it is to get together such as are intrinsically good. 

 To effect all the combinations of suj>eriority requires 

 time, money, and experience. Any man accustomed 

 to hounds may go into a strange kennel and select 

 those which are the handsomest, but it is impossible 

 for him to choose the best workers and such as are 

 most useful in killing foxes without seeing them in the 

 field and knowing something of their blood; even then 

 unless he possess considerable judgment, he will not be 

 able to form a correct opinion. 



