I30 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER 



change, and even the slightest change is of no use 

 until its usefulness or comfort has been approved 

 by some unquestioned authority. If the new beginner 

 is going to hunt in the Shires he must go to the best 

 (and most expensive) men in the trade for everything, 

 and if he does this he can safely leave himself in the 

 tailor's hands. If he is in a big way of life he will of 

 course have a valet who can clean leathers and top- 

 boots as they should be cleaned ; but the average be- 

 ginner is about to hunt in the average country, and the 

 best London tailors and bootmakers are as far out of 

 his reach as the Shires are. He it is who should 

 study the matter carefully, or fix upon a good model to 

 dress by, for few ordinary country tailors can do 

 justice to hunting clothes, while provincial bootmakers 

 are for the most part hopeless as far as good top-boots 

 are concerned. 



There are now in some country towns good tailors 

 and breeches makers, who are largely patronised by 

 hunting men, and who supply the clothes for many 

 hunt establishments, and if the beginner is in the way 

 of trying one of these well-known men he cannot 

 do better. But if he is not so situated he should, 

 if possible, put off buying his hunting clothes until 

 he is in London ; if he does this he will probably be 

 far better turned out than if he went to country trades- 

 men. And in these days London is not the name it 

 used to be to many hunting men of two or three genera- 

 tions ago. It is practically within a few hours of all 

 the English hunting countries, and the man who can 

 afford to hunt can also afford a journey to town for 

 the express purpose of being properly dressed when 

 he makes his debut. Dark frock-coat, and breeches of 

 the same stuff, with a tall hat for choice, should satisfy 



