26 A HUNTING CATECHISM 



the wearing of a tall hat with a scarlet coat, so 

 ill-adapted for its purpose as a head-covering. 

 It is an absolute nuisance in a high wind, making 

 it impossible to keep the head erect, besides being 

 most difficult to keep on, and is most unsuitable 

 amongst the branches and twigs of trees and 

 hedges ; whilst the velvet hunting-cap — such an 

 ideal headgear — is at present restricted to the 

 M.F.H. and his staff. It was not always so, and 

 at the time the writer began hunting many of 

 the field used to wear hunting-caps, but when 

 the fatal accident occurred to Henry Marquis 

 of Waterford, the conclusion was jumped to that 

 it was in consequence of his wearing a cap at 

 the time ; and the hatters promptly seized the 

 opportunity of pushing a head-dress that must 

 be constantly damaged and continually require 

 renewing. If hunting-caps are dangerous, surely 

 even fashion would not require huntsmen and 

 whippers-in to wear them exclusively, and yet it 

 is seldom that a hunt-servant meets with a broken 

 neck. 



Many men suffer much from cold feet when 

 hunting, and often this is caused by having their 

 breeches too tightly buttoned below the knee ; or 

 the tops, or feet, of the boots too closely fitting. 

 The circulation of the blood is then impeded, and 

 cold feet are the result. The tops of the boots 

 should be just loose enough to pull on without 

 using boot-hooks, but yet be tight enough to 

 prevent rain running down inside the boots. 



It is a mistake to have sharp rowels to spurs, 

 and many a man gets kicked off by a fresh horse, 

 which has begun to frisk in play but, being 

 pricked unconsciously by the efforts of the rider 

 to keep his seat, starts kicking and bucking in 



