NOTITIA VENATICA. 



CHAP. I. 



Hear and attend, while I the means reveal 

 T' enjoy these pleasures." 



Chase. 



CONTENTS. 



Introductory remarks— Literature relating to field sports— The love of hunting on the 

 decline— Notice of Nirarod's death— Dr. Paley a sportsman— Cruelty to am- 

 mals con^dered — Lord Bacon's opinion on the necessity of hunting— A 

 " senior sportsman's" observation on hard riding— A niggardly system of ex- 

 penditure condemned -Hunt committees -Anecdote of Mr. Samuel Nicholl— 

 Manner of hunting in Germany— Hunting in Ireland— Foxhounds kept in 

 France— The Baroness de Dracek, an extraordinary character ; and her mode of 

 huntin"— King James L, his love of Hunting- Different breeds of hounds : 

 Lord Yarborough's, Lord Fitzwilliam's, Duke of Rutland's, Mr. Osbaldeston s, 

 Lord Monson's, Lord Vernon's, Mr. Warde's, the Duke of Beaufort's, Mr. 

 Noel's or Lord Lonsdale's, Sir Tatton Sykes's, the Pytchley, and the Vine, &c. 

 —Remarks on breeding— Mr. Meynel's Glider— Mr. Meynel's system ot hunt- 

 ing-Extraordinary price of Mr. Osbaldeston's hounds— Mr. Foljambe's 

 hounds— Drawing hounds to size and pace- Vices of hounds- Sheep killers- 

 Breeding ■ the " in and in" system condemned— Mr. Osbaldeston s furrier— 

 Mr Muster's Lionel— Marking young hounds— Showing young hounds for a 

 prize— Spaying bitches condemned— Beasts of chase and hunting— Laws relative 

 to hunting— Right of country— Hunt clubs— The Sinnington hunt— Black- 

 balling a snob in the York Union Hunt Club— An attempt to form a club of 

 masters of fox-hounds— Anecdote of the Rev. Mr. Curtis eating a fox— Anec- 

 dotes of hounds -Mr. Musters hunted by his hounds— Mr. Fowne's hounds 

 supposed to he the first regular pack-Early system of fox-huntmg-Squire 

 Draper— Mr Warde— Sir Theophilus Biddulph— Robert Darhng, or Dog 

 Bob," a famous earth-stopper— Fox-hunting superior to steeple-chasing. 



In offeriuo- these practical remarks on fox-hunting to the puhHc, I hope 

 the reader will be charitable enough to indulge what may be caUed the 

 parental fondness of the writer, while humbly introducing this cliild of 

 his authorship for their perusal, which is a kind of record of not only 

 other men's actions, but also of some of the happiest moments of his 

 life That part of the contents of these pages have iormerly appeared 

 before the world in the shape of a book, is a truth well known to some 

 of the sporting readers of the day ; nevertheless, that book has become 

 out of print from the great success with which the sale of the first 

 edition was attended ; moreover, it was what might be termed an e.xpen- 



B 



