CHESHIRE UNDER DUKE OF WESTMINSTER 93 



is expressive of the Belvoir type and colouring, 

 a daughter of Belvoir Ragman (1906), from Spicy. 

 Her size and quality stamp her for a brood bitch 

 later on, and her produce should carry on the fame 

 of the kennel. Spotless runs with the dog pack, 

 and as Champion remarked, " She is a trifle too 

 flippant for some of them." The other bitch was 

 Prettylass (1909), by Brocklesby Prodigal (1906), 

 a son of Belvoir Daystar, and perhaps she has a 

 little better bone than the bigger bitch, but there 

 was not much in it, the couple being remindful of 

 the sort we used to see representing the Cheshire 

 at Peterborough. Then Mr Wilson insisted on 

 three of his favourites being drawn together. Plausible, 

 Pleasure, and Placid (1910), by Dryden (1906), from 

 Pleasant (1904), by North Shropshire Chorister 

 (1901), and South Cheshire Promise (1900). These 

 were a rare trio of noble-looking sisters, with dog- 

 hound heads, and bone carried right down to their 

 toes. Belvoir in colouring, Plausible was the pick 

 of the three, looking like catching a fox and carry- 

 ing on the fame of the kennel. There were many 

 others amongst the matrons which we noted, as 

 they were passed through the day yard to the 

 paddock, to be sorted into a big and little pack by 

 Thorpe the kennel-man ; a good hound man with a 

 record of thirty-nine years' service. Starting with the 

 Oakley under old Tom Whitemore, Thorpe after- 

 wards went as kennel-man to the South Oxfordshire, 

 getting to work by 3.30 in the morning, so as to ride 

 second whipper-in. Mr Wilson, when master of 

 the Cheshire, used to give Thorpe an occasional 

 mount, believing it was advantageous for a kennel- 

 man to see hounds in the field, to judge condition 

 and working qualities. 



After seeing the hounds, we turned to the hunt- 



