THE FOXHOUND 119 



landowners devoted much of their time and money to it, and 

 would take long journeys to get fresh blood. It was the rule 

 to breed hounds on the most scientific principles, and by 1750 

 there were fifty such breeders, including the fifth Duke of 

 Beaufort, Lord Lincoln, Lord Stamford, Lord Percival, Lord 

 Granby, Lord Ludlow, Lord Vernon, Lord Carlisle, Lord Mex- 

 bro, Sir Walter Vavasour, Sir Roland Winns, Mr. Noel, Mr. 

 Stanhope, Mr. Meynell, Mr. Barry, and Mr. Charles Pelham. The 

 last-named gentleman, afterward the first Lord Yarborough, 

 was perhaps the most indefatigable of all, as he was the first 

 to start the system of walking puppies amongst his tenantry, 

 on the Brocklesby estates, and of keeping lists of hound pedi- 

 grees and ages. By 1760 all the above-named noblemen 

 and gentlemen had been breeding from each other's kennels. 

 The hounds were registered, as can be seen now in Lord Middle- 

 ton's private kennel stud book, through which his lordship 

 can trace the pedigrees of his present pack for a hundred and 

 sixty years to hounds that were entered in 1760, got by Ray tor, 

 son of Merryman and grandson of Lord Granby's Ranter. 

 Another pedigree was that of Ruby, who is credited with a 

 numerous progeny, as she was by Raytor out of Mr. Stapleton's 

 Cruel by Sailor, a son of Lord Granby's Sailor by Mr. Noel's 

 Victor. This shows well how seriously Foxhound breeding 

 was gone into before the middle of the eighteenth century. 

 Portraits prove also that a hound approaching very closely 

 to those of modern times had been produced at this early 

 period. By such evidence the Foxhound had outstripped the 

 Harrier in size by nearly five inches, as the latter does not 

 appear to have been more than eighteen inches, and the early 

 Foxhound would have been twenty- three inches. Then the 

 heavy shoulder, the dewlap, and jowl of the Southern Hound 

 had been got rid of, and the coat had been somewhat altered 

 The old school of breeders had evidently determined upon 

 great speed and the ability to stay, through the medium of deep 

 ribs, heart room, wide loins, length of quarter, quality of bone, 

 straightness of fore-leg, and round strong feet ; the slack loined, 



