128 HARE-HUNTING AND HARRIERS 



and for a season or two performed the difficult feat 

 of mastering a pack of foxhounds as well as a pack 

 of harriers. His harriers have been long famous. 

 He breeds the Stud-book type, showing much fox- 

 hound blood, and his hounds have invariably been 

 most successful and most persistent prize-takers at 

 Peterborough. In 1901, for example, he took no 

 less than six prizes, including the Champion Cup 

 for dog-hounds between nineteen and twenty-one 

 inches. Colonel Aikman's pack consists of twenty- 

 two and a half couples of twenty to twenty-one-inch 

 Stud-book harriers, hunting two days a week. 



The High Peak harriers have been many years 

 established — since 1848 — but until 1 901 were practically 

 dwarf foxhounds. Mr. Nesfield, of Castle HiU, who 

 mastered these foxhounds from i860 to 1892, and 

 showed great sport, was agent to the Duke of Rutland, 

 and was able in consequence to make use of a good 

 deal of Belvoir blood. In 1901 Colonel Robertson 

 Aikman brought with him his own pack from Lanark- 

 shire. I quote a few remarks which Colonel Aikman 

 has sent me on his new territory. " The High Peak 

 country is in many respects ideal. It has probably 

 more sound grass and less wire than any country in 

 the British Isles. The absence of towns, or even 

 villages, or much sign of life, makes it a happy hunting- 

 ground. Its scenting qualities are somewhat mys- 

 terious. The grand old turf looks like carrying 

 a scent at all times, but in 1901-1902 it was woefully 

 disappointing the whole season through.* The follow- 

 ing season scent was the reverse, with scarcely a very 

 bad scenting day up till February i. The absorption 



* The season of 1 901-1902 was, incontestably, one of the 

 worst scenting seasons, if not the very worst, during the last 

 score of years. 



