EARLY HUNTING EXPERIENCES. 23 



by their family name, and Lord Poltimore took 

 Avhat has since been known as the Cattistock 

 country. 



Mr Farquharson did much to encourage horse- 

 breeding among the farmers of Dorset, and a pony 

 of his own breeding, though standing only 14 '2, 

 was a favourite mount of Jim Treadwell's. This 

 animal, which was known as " The Pony," carried 

 Treadwell for eight seasons, and it was on his 

 back that the huntsman's well-known picture was 

 taken. Mr Farquharson lived to see the division 

 of his old country, for he only died at Langton 

 in 1871, when he was in his eighty - seventh 

 year. 



The hunt territory of these early days which 

 most nearly coincided with the country of the 

 Blackmore Vale of the present time, was that 

 hunted by Mr Drax after he had closed his coverts 

 to Mr Farquharson, Mr Drax then had the sup- 

 port of those farmers and landowners who objected 

 to the loner distances to be traversed to meet Mr 

 Farquharson in the widely extended tract of 

 country over which his fixtures were scattered. 

 Mr Drax's foxhounds were started in 1833, and 

 when in 1840 he bought Mr Portman's hounds, 

 he became the Master of the whole of the Black- 

 more Vale country. Mr Drax remained in office 

 till 1853, when he sold his hounds to Mr G. 

 Whieldon of Wyke Hall. 



The season foUowinof that in which Mr Drax's 

 hunt was started, Mr Henry Hall, by arrangement 



