The West Kent 69 



with mucli more favour in the eyes of metropolitan 

 foxhunters, who of necessity or inclination are pre- 

 vented from going farther afield ; and the West Kent 

 field is chiefly local. Further, it is in a very great 

 measure composed of farmers, who, as a body in the 

 Hunt in question, are thoroughly fond of the fox and 

 the fun he brings; and even on the Tunbridge side 

 the numbers of all ranks seldom exceed fifty or sixty 

 people. 



The Hon. Ralph Nevill (BirHng Manor, Maidstone) 

 has been for nineteen years Master of the West Kent. 

 For the first two years he shared the ofiice with the 

 late Mr. Wingfield Stratford; and for eight years 

 previously he had kept a small private pack, hunting 

 a part of the western woodlands of the Tickham, and 

 a part of the West Kent Country near his own 

 Kennels. The present West Kent pack is his pro- 

 perty ; and is kept up to its strength chiefly by means 

 of the young drafts of the Quorn and other good 

 packs. The same difiiculty as to rearing and entering 

 homebred puppies exists here as with two or three 

 other packs in the south of England; and though 

 walks can be found for thirty-five to forty couple of 

 puppies every year, it has been necessary, through 

 bad luck with distemper, to have recourse to drafts 

 from other Kennels. But, fortunately, so many 

 Hunts are nowadays able to find quarters for a 

 number far beyond their own actual requirements, 

 that young hounds of high class and breeding are 

 always to be secured. In a '^ first draf t,^^ too, from a 

 good Kennel, there are sure to be several undeveloped 

 youngsters that, like the ugly duckling, eventually 



