A HUNT WITH THE EARL OF LONSDALE 153 



men were old Tom Whitemore from the Oakley ; 

 young George Whitemore, huntsman to the Wood- 

 land Pytchley ; Thomas Isaac, huntsman to Mr. 

 Fernie, and another from a distance. The lady 

 division numbered Mrs. Austin Mackenzie driving ; 

 Lady Augusta Fane, showing the blue facings of the 

 Quorn ; Lady Ethel Wickham, sporting the green 

 collar of the Fitzwilliam ; Mrs. James Hornsby, 

 wearing the Cochin-China buff waistcoat of the 

 Belvoir ; the Misses O'Brien, representing the white 

 collar of the Woodland Pytchley. Some of the rest 

 of a large field included Mr. " Bill " Harford on a 

 clean-bred un ; Mr. J. B. Craddock, for so many 

 years hon. secretary to the Quorn hunt ; Mr. Harvey, 

 hon. secretary to the Woodland Pytchley ; Captain 

 Holloway Steeds, from Ireland, hunting with the 

 Warwickshire packs ; the Rev. Cecil Legard, of 

 Cottersbrook in Northamptonshire ; Mr. J. H. 

 Stokes, the well-known horse-dealer from Market 

 Harboro' ; Mr. Burk, Mr. Close, Dr. Pink, and many 

 more besides. 



Owing to the crowd, it was hardly possible to 

 get a sight of hounds at the meet, for there were 

 many who wanted to look at the much-talked-of 

 Brocklesby dog pack, which Lord Lonsdale had 

 purchased the season previous from Lord Yar- 

 borough. The pack for the day numbered twelve 

 and a half couple, bred by Will Dale, huntsman at 

 Brocklesby from 1884 to 1896, and well known to 

 be perfect in their work as any hounds in England. 

 Mr. Robert Vyner, in Notitia Venatica, published 

 in 1849, testifies to the important part that the 

 Brocklesby has played in foxhound history. 

 " Hound breeding," he says, " was at that period 

 as scientifically pursued as sheep-breeding, and 

 the successful perseverance of Mr. Meynell and the 



