250 HISTORY OF THE YORK AND AINSTY HUNT. 



Marplot was by Belvoir Nominal — Muslin, by Milton Solo- 

 mon, her dam, Mermaid, by Bramham Moor Minister who 

 was a son of that great hound Mountebank. A good-looking 

 hound himself, he is the sire of some good-looking ones, 

 amongst which may be named Marvellous, the winning bitch 

 at the puppy show in 1894. A handsome bitch she is too, 

 always busy and full of drive, Saffron was by Holderness 

 Solomon — Sylvia, by Bramham Moor Smoker, and comes of 

 a rare hunting strain, for Holderness Solomon, who made 

 himself a good name, was a son of that fine hound Milton 

 Solomon. Saffron was a capital hound himself and has 

 been a great deal used in other kennels. Talent by Belvoir 

 Gordon — Toilet, by Belvoir Grappler, her dam. Testy, by 

 Brocklesby Tapster, is a well-bred hound that has not been 

 much used at home, a sufficient reason being that there is 

 already so much of the blood in the kennel. 



Hound pedigrees afford a fascinating study to the lover 

 of the foxhound, and the breeding of the York and Ainsty 

 hounds could be pursued to an almost indefinite length. 

 Enough has been said, however, to show that the hounds 

 have been consistently bred from the time the pack was 

 established, and that, lor the last twenty-five years especially, 

 the very best blood in the kingdom has been resorted to. 

 What Colonel Fairtax initiated, Wilson carried on and in a 

 manner perfected ; his long residence at Belvoir, where he 

 was a favourite pupil of Frank Gillard, giving him exceptional 

 advantages for knowing the best Belvoir strains. And since 

 Wilson left there has been no falling off. The system of 

 breeding, once adopted, has been carefully adhered to with 

 satislactory results. And not the least .satisfactory subject 

 for reflection is that the blood of the Belvoir P'allible, whose 

 merits Colonel Fairfax was one of the first to recognise, is 

 still found in abundance in the York and Ainstv kennel. 



