viii PREFACE 



destroyed in a devastating fire, which levelled to the 

 ground the repository in which they had been stored 

 during one of my many migrations. And with them 

 perished all those notes, diaries, and cuttings, on which 

 I had relied for my data ; so that only the ashes of 

 memory remained to stimulate my pen. On this 

 ephemeral faculty of memory, therefore, I have had 

 to rely entirely ; so 1 trust that such readers as I may 

 have will make due allowance for any inaccuracies or 

 anachronisms which may appear in the following pages. 

 I had set forth on my labour of love to chronicle my 

 rambling reminiscences in many connections besides 

 Chasing and Racing, such as coursing, shooting, 

 angling, rowing, and various other experiences ; but 

 I soon found that the great games of hunting and 

 racing exhausted the space allotted to me. If the 

 fates are propitious I may yet have an opportunity for 

 dealing with these other ventures in which 1 have 

 exploited my sporting tastes and ambitions. 



HARDING COX. 



