50 PRACTICAL HINTS FOR HUNTING NOVICES. 



from an early age. The latter class novradays are much 

 inclined to take for granted that they know all about 

 hunting, simply because they have been brought up in 

 the country, and have hunted from boyhood ; but the 

 hunting Londoner, whose youth has been spent in London 

 itself, or in the suburbs, perforce goes through the 

 novice stage, and, as a matter of fact, he is from the 

 first far less of the novice than the provincial novice, 

 because he has early recognised the fact that he is 

 ignorant, and has taken every opportunity of acquiring 

 such knowledge as has come within his reach. Indeed, 

 whilst writing these letters I have often thought that, 

 if all novices were Londoners, there would be little 

 need for any advice, and though there are, of course, 

 exceptions, I have seen far more funny episodes and 

 ridiculous appearances among country folk than I have 

 in the countries adjacent to town, where the field, 

 as a rule, seems to pride itself on its knowledge of what 

 is correct and fitting, and where everyone is extremely 

 careful not to offend against the unwritten canons 

 of the sport. All round London there are fox- 

 hounds. Li Essex alone there are four packs ; there 

 are two in Hertfordshire, and a double pack in Herts 

 and Bucks, three more in Berks, three in Surrey, and 

 one in Kent, all of which are within easy reach of town, 

 so that the beginner can make choice of the country 

 he would prefer to be in, and arrange accordingly. The 

 packs referred to are what may be called the inner 

 circle of hunts near town ; but there are quite a dozen 

 others in the home and southern counties, which, 

 if a little further afield, are still well within reach of 

 London, and have, indeed, their fields to a considerable 



