THE REV. ROBERT SYMONDS 71 



by his friend Mr. Symonds of Okeleigh. Mr. 

 Frank Buckland was a noted wit : on one 

 occasion a lady sitting next him at dinner, 

 thought proper to talk " fish culture " to him. 

 She said, " How remarkable the instinct is 

 of the salmon, Mr. Buckland. I believe they 

 always, after their wanderings in the sea, 

 return safely to their place of birth." " I sin- 

 cerely hope they do, madam," was the reply, 

 " for many thousands have been born in my 

 kitchen ! " 



"Nimrod," writing of the present "Old 

 Berkshire Country" in 1825, speaking of the 

 scarcity of foxes, says, '' Lord Abingdon and 

 Mr. Symonds' earths, however, will always 

 stock their side of the country." 



Hunting with Mr. Symonds through the 

 whole of his hunting career was his friend 

 Mr. Passand, of Shipton-on-Cherwell, Oxon., 

 and his son, who constantly brought their 

 horses, and stayed at Hinton. Mr. Passand 

 was many years older than Mr. Symonds, and 

 in 1830, being then '](i years of age, he began 

 to think it was time to be makingr arrange- 

 ments for quitting this world. He there- 

 fore obtained the promise from his old friend 

 that he should be buried at Hinton. Where- 

 upon he had his tomb prepared and sent 

 it to Mr. Symonds with the request that he 



