THE FOXHOUND 121 



Breeding Foxhounds is one of the most fascinating of all the 

 pleasures of animal culture, as the above list, so full of extreme 

 merit, can be traced for nearly a hundred and thirty years. 



It cannot be said that the prices paid for Foxhounds in very 

 recent times have greatly exceeded those of the past. In 1790 

 Colonel Thornton sold Merkin for four hogsheads of claret, and 

 the seller to have two couples of the whelps. Then in 1808 Mr. 

 John Warde sold a pack of hounds to Lord Althorpe for 1,000 

 guineas, and the same gentleman sold another pack for the 

 same sum a few years later. In 1838 Lord Suffield offered 3,000 

 guineas for Mr. Lambton's pack, and afterwads sold it to Sir 

 Matthew White Ridley for 2,500. In 1834 Osbaldeston sold 

 ten couples of bitches, all descendants of Furrier, for 2,000 

 sovereigns, or 100 a hound a record that was almost eclipsed 

 at the sale of Lord Politmore's hounds in 1870, when twenty- 

 two couples of dog-hounds sold for 3,365 guineas. 



Of late years there has been the sale of the Quorn for, it was 

 said, 3,000, and the late Lord Willoughby de Broke valued 

 the North Warwickshire for the county to purchase at 2,500. 

 In 1903 the Atherstone was valued by Mr. Rawlence, the 

 well-known representative of Tattersall's, at 3,500, or some- 

 thing like 50 a hound, and that has been considered very 

 cheap. If, therefore, modern prices have not greatly exceeded 

 those of the far past, there has not been any particular diminu- 

 tion, and there is no doubt about it that if certain packs could 

 be purchased the prices would far exceed anything ever 

 reached before. 



Foxhounds have very much improved in looks during the 

 past five-and-twenty years, and unquestionably they are quite 

 as good in the field or better. Whenever hounds have good 

 foxes in front of them, and good huntsmen to assist or watch 

 over them, they are as able as ever, notwithstanding that the 

 drawbacks to good sport are more numerous now than they 

 used to be. The noble hound will always be good enough, 

 and ever and anon this is shown by a run of the Great Wood 

 order, to hunt over five-and-twenty to thirty miles at a pace 



