WHERE TO HUNT. 49 



make his ow^n choice of a district, and when he feels 

 thoroughly equal to it make his debut where a stranger 

 will at once be noticed, and probably made welcome. 

 If a newly beginning stranger goes to the Shires or any 

 of the second rank of important countries, his presence 

 will not be noticed, unless he commits himself ; but 

 if he goes to a small and quiet hunt, his appearance will 

 give rise to comment, and it is good odds that, if he 

 conducts himself properly, the hand of fellowship 

 will quickly be held out. The best thing, however, 

 is, if possible, for the novice to begin his hunting career 

 under the charge of a hunting friend. If he has a 

 friend who knows the ropes, he will learn more from him 

 in a day than he will in a month of personal observation, 

 and it is always as well to be properly introduced ; 

 possibly, indeed, this is a more important matter in a 

 quiet country than in a large one. 



If the beginner hails from London, he can make 

 choice of a dozen or more of what may be termed 

 metropohtan packs, metropoHtan because of the fact 

 that nine-tenths of the field is regularly composed of 

 Londoners. Not necessarily people who hunt by train 

 from London, for, as a matter of fact, hunting from 

 London is almost a thing of the past, the average 

 hunting Londoner having his hunting quarters some- 

 where not far from town, and in the country where he 

 hunts. Nevertheless, these men are Londoners, most 

 of them having business in town on three or four days 

 of the week, and hunting on the other days. As a 

 rule, too, they know what they are about in the hunting 

 field almost as well as the men who have lived in the 

 country all their lives and have been entered to sport 



E 



