84 THE HUNTING FIELD 



Annual," being a series of beautifully executed en- 

 gravings of the most celebrated of our hunting 

 establishments, in the various departments of the 

 kennel and the field, accompanied by short bio- 

 graphical notices of the hounds, countries, and men. 

 In speaking of the Burton Hunt, then in the hands 

 of Sir Richard Sutton, Davis gives a capital illustra- 

 tion in the words of a "Huntsman Whipper-in " of the 

 difference between the acts of the master and the acts 

 of the man. " Sir Richard," says Mr. Davis, " hunts 

 his own hounds, but his locum te?iens must not be 

 forgotten, the prime, good, old John Shirley, one of 

 nature's noblest works. To John Shirley Sir Richard 

 has trusted all the care and business of the kennel 

 and the discipline of his pack. The hounds are 

 made to his hands : Shirley is nominally and hard- 

 workingly (if we may coin a word) the Huntsman. 

 He was early initiated into the mysteries and duties 

 of stable and kennel in the service of Thomas 

 Assheton Smith, Esq. and we need not say more to 

 convince that both are well grounded in him. He 

 came to Lincoln with this gentleman, and it was 

 here that Sir Richard knew his worth and abilities as 

 a servant. After he had hunted the hounds for some 

 seasons, it was signified to him that Sir Richard 

 wished to take upon himself that task. His answer 

 was, ' Well, Sir Richard, I am glad of it, very glad of 

 it ; now, whatever you do wrong, be it ever so wrongs 

 it will be called bad luck ; whenever / met with bad 

 luck, /was called ignorantly wrong — that will be the 

 difference. But go on — you will do it well.'" 



And well Sir Richard has done it. Long may he 

 continue to do it, say we. 



Jack Shirley, we may remind our readers, is the 

 ^Vhipper-in described by Nimrod as riding the loose- 

 headed old hunter down a hill in one of the w^orst 

 fields in Leicestershire — between Tilton and Somerby, 

 abounding with ant hills and deep furrows — the rider 



