The Greyhound. 149 



Mention has already been made of Lord Orford, 

 a nobleman of great sporting proclivities, and of 

 unusual eccentricities. If reliance can be placed 

 upon the " Sportsman's Cabinet," published in 1803, 

 and I believe there is nothing to the contrary, it 

 contains some particulars of greyhound coursing just 

 prior to that date that may be of interest. His lord- 

 ship's bitch Czarina is said to have won forty-seven 

 matches without being beaten. She had no puppies 

 until about thirteen years old, when she gave birth 

 to eight, all of which lived and coursed. The last 

 match that Czarina ran took place when her owner, 

 confined to the house, was supposed to be watched 

 by an attendant. However, just as the two grey- 

 hounds were slipped, Lord Orford, looking wild, as he 

 was, and ill, came on to the field riding his piebald 

 pony, and no one could restrain him from his 

 anxiety to view the course and gallop after the 

 dogs to see his favourite bitch win, which she did. 

 The trial was barely over when Lord Orford fell 

 from his pony, and, pitching on his head, expired 

 almost immediately. 



Afterwards his greyhounds were sold, and Czarina 

 with the pick of the kennel purchased by Colonel 

 Thornton, at prices ranging from thirty guineas 

 to fifty guineas apiece. These appear to be pitiful 

 sums when compared with the 850 guineas Fullerton 



