136 THE MEYNELL HOUNDS. [ISSG 



chair in his parlour. He thought there was no better foxhound, for he was as 

 hard as nails, would draw the thickest gorse, or run hard to head, but he was 

 the most quaiTclsorae liound he had ever had anything to do with. He lent him 

 to Mr. Corbet once, and that gentleman sent him back with a note to say that he 

 had so many hounds that he could not accommodate Linkboy with a kennel to 

 himself. There is no end of Linkboy's blood in the Meynell now, as I will 

 presently show. Baronet was another hound that good judges used to perpetuate 

 Mr. Meynell's old sort. He goes back to Nightshade, the common ancestress of 

 him and Linkboy, and she, of course, to Bachelor and Wilful. Another one tliat 

 Jack Morgan used, before the time of Linkboy and Baronet, was Fairplay by 

 Alfred — Fancy, and his pedigree takes him right down in just the same way to 

 tlie old sorts, touching a lot of the finest Belvoir blood on the way. 



I had long wished to see the Meynell as a fine old pedigree pack, and, to tell 

 the truth, if it had not been for circumstances for which I was prepared, I should 

 have been rather disappointed, as there is a ragged, uneven look about the dog 

 hounds that does not bring them to the eye altogether. This is easily to be 

 accounted for by the fact that it was necessary to put on a most moderate entry 

 last year, owing to a serious loss of better ones. Charles Leedham was priding 

 himself last January twelve months, that his earliest puppies, then coming in 

 from walk, were an exceptionally good lot, and ten couples of dog hounds and a 

 couple of bitches had come in. Suddenly one showed fatal signs of the most 

 dreaded of all maladies, and as he had been with all the other ones two nights, it 

 was deemed prudent to put the whole lot underground. Leedham's care and 

 promptitude probably saved the pack, as, though a sharp look-out was kept, no 

 sign for alarm was ever seen afterwards, and it was doubtless an isolated case 

 with regard to the puppy. However, losing twenty-two of the best puppies was, 

 of course, a considerable drawback to the pack, and a moderate entry will always 

 make a pack look shabby for a time, though, with such material as the Meynell 

 possess, that can easily be righted in a season or two. Such an untoward 

 circumstance as I have mentioned is a drawback in another way also, as the 

 good feeling that exists among hound owners invariably deters favours being 

 asked with regard to the loan of stud hounds, or taking bitches to other kennels, 

 when anything suspicious has occurred, and therefore the Meynell last year kept 

 entirely to its own sires. This may be a slight detriment to this season's entry ; 

 but Leedham thinks he has some nice puppies, and three or four couples that I 

 saw have very promising looks about them. Last year's dog entry, such as it 

 was, I looked over, the first drawn being Chanter, a black and white hound, ot 

 no great pretensions as to looks, but very good in his work, and by the Quorn 

 Gamester — always such a favourite with Tom Firr; the next, Drummer, by 

 Denmark, is a little below the standard ; a better one by far being Fireman, the 

 cup puppy, and boasting capital legs and feet, and he is by General, a hound no 

 longer in orders, but a very fine bred one. Gilbert, by the South Notts. Somer- 

 set, is a good-coloured, good-shaped liound ; and Glancer, a light, flat-sided little 

 hound, is another that does credit to the Quorn Gamester for work, but he is not 

 very handsome, Pluto and Pedlar, being nearer twenty-four inches than twenty- 

 three and a half, are over standard, but a useful couple of hounds, and their 

 growth may be due to the capital quarters a noble lord gave them. Stainless, 

 by the Belvoir Stainless, is not much to 'look at, but Leedham says he is an 

 extraordinary good one in his work ; and here is another instance to cite, in 

 addition to the many I have given, that the get of the Belvoir Stainless are 

 workmen. Leediiam says he likes them better than the Belvoir Proctors, as they 

 liave more fire. 



