THE FIELD 99 



Many of the old family packs have become subscrip- 

 tion packs, and nearly everywhere the list of subscribers 

 has been increased numerically, so that even where the 

 actual amount subscribed is no bigger than it was for- 

 merly, the number of subscribers of small amounts is 

 far in excess of what it used to be. And when there is 

 a large subscription to a pack of hounds there is gene- 

 rally a hunt committee, though where the subscription 

 is small all matters relating to finance are often still 

 left to the master and his secretary. And nowadays 

 the matter of subscription is a most important one, 

 because so many men make a point of hunting with 

 more than one pack, while others like to change their 

 quarters two or three times in a season. 



In many hunts hard-and-fast rules with regard to 

 subscription have been made. In some hunts there are 

 minimum subscriptions, and these range from ^5 to 

 ;^40, the lower sum being, in a moderate country where 

 expenses are small, comparatively as high a sum as the 

 £^0 is in a crack hunt. Then, again, another plan is for 

 subscribers to pay at the rate of £"10 per horse, or at 

 £10 per day, for each day of the week on which they 

 hunt. Such plans as these work pretty well in many 

 countries, but where the minimum subscription is 

 large, local hunting folk of small means should always 

 be allowed to contribute, according to their means, to 

 the poultry or damage fund, and their subscription to 

 one of these funds should be considered as conferring 

 upon them as free a right to hunt as if they paid the 

 minimum of £2>^ or £<^o. 



There is always some tendency in these days to make 

 every sort of field sport available for the rich only. In 

 foxhunting there is, perhaps, less of this tendency than 

 with regard to certain other sports, and it should always 



