146 HUNTING TOURS. 



must be a child of eight years of age, or a 

 little older," and the royal author assigns as a 

 reason for enlisting a youth of such tender 

 years " that it is a craft that requireth all a 

 man's life ere he be perfect thereof; and also 

 men saith that what a man learneth in his 

 youth he will hold in his age." The remarks 

 which follow as to the duties of the kennel 

 are singularly coincident with the customs of 

 modern times. Among other things, it is re- 

 commended that " the hounds' beds should be 

 made of timber at least a foot from the 

 ground, well provided with straw 'right thick,' 

 because that the moisture from the earth shall 

 not make them morfdunde." Is not this sug- 

 gestive that kennel lameness was known even 

 in those primitive days when the term hunting 

 was meant to include the chase of " the hare, 

 the herte, the bukke, the roo, the wild boore, 

 the wolf, the ffox, the gray, the cat, the mar- 

 tin, and the otir." The application as regards 

 early tuition, I must observe, refers to our 

 veteran Jem Hills, who, it will be remembered, 

 commenced at the early age of ten as whipper- 

 in to the Duke of Dorset's Harriers ; and 

 Georofe Carter beoan at a similar as^e with 

 Mr. Selby Lowndes, at first with harriers and 



