176 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER 



daries, its success and great popularity can be easily 

 understood. 



The South Berks Hunt is really too far from town 

 to be called a metropolitan hunt, and it should perhaps 

 be included in a group with such hunts as the Vine, 

 the Craven, the South Oxfordshire, and the H.H., as 

 hunting people reside within its confines who are also 

 able to hunt with one or other of these packs. The head- 

 quarters of the hunt are practically at Reading, the ken- 

 nels being situated some four miles to the west of the 

 biscuit town, but many of the regular followers of this 

 pack live in the Kennet Valley, as far south as New- 

 bury, while others are scattered amongst the Thames- 

 side towns. Part of the country is north of the 

 Thames, the market-place at Henley being an occa- 

 sional fixture ; and here it may be stated that Henley 

 is a fair hunting centre, as it is only six or seven 

 miles from the Garth kennels, can command all the 

 Oxfordshire and some of the Berkshire country of the 

 South Berks, and is only four or five miles from the 

 South Oxfordshire boundary in the neighbourhood 

 of Nettlebed. There is also a smart pack of harriers 

 in the immediate neighbourhood of the town. 



Continuing with the London hunts, and approaching 

 from the west side, we have the Surrey Union, which 

 joins the Garth Hunt near Chertsey and Ripley, and 

 the Old Surrey further east. Practically the Surrey 

 Union hounds hunt the whole of West Surrey, though 

 the Garth come into the country about Chertsey and 

 Windlesham, and the Chiddingfold have their kennels 

 and some part of their country in Surrey. The 

 Surrey Union may fairly be termed a London hunt, 

 seeing that it comes (very occasionally now) as near 

 to town as Worcester Park, and is frequently within 



