HUMOURS OF THE "FANCY' 1 195 



best, and no one who observes these dissensions with 

 a proper sense of what they may lead to fails to 

 remember them. There was the great Black-and- 

 Tan Row, which may serve as a specimen. It was 

 some years ago, probably ten, so feeling has cooled. 

 Some one had the great good fortune to find a 

 "sport" among various kinds of rabbits turned out 

 to run wild, which was like a wild rabbit, but was 

 coloured black-and-tan. This was promptly domesti- 

 cated, and a new and desirable breed, just like wild 

 rabbits, only black-and-tan, was founded. 



All their points were maintained, even "the wild 

 expression of the eye." But people could not let 

 them alone, and began to exhibit black-and-tans 

 with lop-ears and so forth, degrading them to mere 

 hutch-rabbits. The grand old original black-and-tans 

 were threatened with extinction or degradation, and 

 it was feared that all the wild character would be 

 lost. These are the moments which prove the true 

 leaders of the fancy. Then comes the trial of 

 character and constancy, which wins the devotion 

 of loyal followers. In this case the leaders, if the 

 writer's recollection serves, went opposite ways, and 

 there were for a time two black-and-tan clubs, the 

 members of which were not on speaking terms. 



Then there was the great Grit Row, and another, 

 too bitter and too dreadful to name, in connection 

 with a certain breed of chickens. The great Grit 

 Row originated spontaneously. Some one had very 

 superior chickens, which won endless prizes, which 

 he accounted for by the fact that he gave them 



