THE SIRES OF THE BELVOIR KENNEL 245 



teen cc)uples of stallion hounds which Ben Capell 

 put forward year by year ; for their respective 

 merits call to mind many models of the kennel, 

 which we went to see two generations ago. Regular 

 kennel-goers carry a fixed standard of outline in 

 their mind's eye, and to thoroughly appreciate 

 the symmetry of the foxhound it is necessary to 

 see them often enough. 



Belvoir gives us a sight of the ideal, and Peter- 

 borough sets the standard of type ; both of which 

 are institutions that should be visited annually 

 by the students of foxhound breeding. Memory, 

 however, is an uncertain jade, and the foxhound 

 eye requires constantly attuning before we can 

 walk into a kennel and appreciate what is set before 

 one. Even a skilled huntsman who had been out of 

 office for a year, admitted as much when he said, 

 " let us go in your kennel, Will, and have a look 

 round, for I have clean forgotten what a hound 

 looks like, and I am due to judge at a pupp}^ 

 show to-morrow ! " Some there are who close the 

 kennel-book with the remark, " the best foxhounds 

 I ever saw were Ouorn Alfred, shown to me by Tom 

 Firr ; Belvoir Gambler, shown by Frank Gillard ; 

 and Belvoir Dexter, shown by Ben Capell ; I never 

 hope to see their like again ! " As there is no animal 

 that has kept up with the times like the foxhound, 

 and met the requirements of the age in which 

 he lives, this is only a pessimistic view to take; for 

 the standard of excellence everywhere is considerably 

 higher than was the case ten or fifteen years ago. 



The two principal families of hounds now at Belvoir 

 are the Weavers and the Ragmans, each showing their 

 characteristics of outline. Crossed in and out, the 

 most successful results have been obtained, as may be 

 judged by the quality and substance of the coming 



