358 The Hunting Countries of England. 



was to our Norman kings^ with an invitation to the 

 sporting commonwealth of England that these latter 

 were never disposed to offer. " The Baron '' (as 

 represented by Sir N. de Rothschild) defrays all 

 the expenses of the sport he proffers you. " The 

 Squire's '' is a subscription pack ; and^ as is only fair, 

 you are expected to subscribe when you hunt with 

 him. Have your cheque written before you start for 

 your first day's hunting ; present it to the ^secretary 

 at the covertside (or^ better still, post it to him 

 ])eforehand), and your way is smoothed towards being 

 considered a friend of the Hunt at once. 



Mr. Selby Lowndes (or, as he is best known in the 

 A' ale, " The Squire ") has kept the Whaddon Chase 

 Hounds altogether some forty years — a break of five 

 years occurring, when he assumed the mastership of 

 the North Warwickshire, and immediately afterwards 

 of the Atherstone. This was previous to 1862; and 

 during that period his country was held by Lord 

 Southampton. Whaddon Chase itself, where the 

 pack is kennelled, and whence the country takes its 

 name, is the squire's property and residence, and 

 IS a truly beautiful place. Until late years the Chase 

 was an almost continuous woodland ; into whose 

 depths, it is said, fifty couple of hounds were some- 

 times thrown at a time, on the chance of enough of 

 them forming a pack on one fox, among the swarms 

 that they were sure to open upon at once. Now, like 

 most other Forests and Chases of modern England, 

 it has been cut and uprooted till there remain only 

 detached woods on the wide acreage that still bears 

 the name. One day of the week (Saturday) is gene- 



