212 



THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG. 



In showing how certain individual 

 hounds excel their comrades, in as great a 

 degree as is seen in the noble race of man 

 where generals, statesmen, and poets flutter 

 as it were, over the common herd, there 

 are many instances to be cited. The opinion 



hound to disentangle a difficulty, that it 

 was delightful to see him in the field. He 

 came down in pedigree from the very per- 

 fect order as he was got by Lord Fitz- 

 Hardinge's Collier out of Ransom by 

 Lord Henry Bentinck's Regulus, and 



A CHECK. 



FROM THE PAINTING BY FRANK P. FREYBURQ. 



of Mr. E. P. Rawnsley, noted as perhaps 

 the greatest of amateur huntsmen, is that 

 after hunting hounds for twenty-five years, 

 he could only recall three that were abso- 

 lutely perfect ; these were Baronet by 

 the South Notts Decorate, Bachelor by the 

 Quorn Warrior, and Freeman by the Bel- 

 voir Weathergage. He leaned most to the 

 last-named of the trio, perhaps because 

 his work was the exact counterpart of his 

 sire. " He could not do wrong," Mr. 

 Rawnsley said affectionately of him, " and 

 he could always put us right." The Earl 

 of Coventry had the same belief in Rambler, 

 who was so perfect, so true, and such a 



Collier was by Prompter out of Costly by 

 Chieftain out of Cynthia by Cromwell. 

 Like the Belvoir Weathergage, there is 

 scarcely a kennel in England now that 

 cannot claim as an ancestor Lord Coventry's 

 Rambler. 



There have been many more great hounds ; 

 the late Tom Firr would have had some- 

 thing to say about his Alfred ; Mr. Batt 

 Miller of the V.W.H. would dispute high 

 prestige for Harlequin, Lord Bathurst for 

 Crusty, who hunted for twelve seasons ; 

 the whole of the Grafton Hunt for Wood- 

 man, who was also a twelve-season hunter ; 

 and the late John Walker for the Wynnstay 



