THE BLACKMORE VALE HOUNDS. 223 



of the latter with Belvoir Gamesome (1845) to 

 the old Belvoir Dancer (1796). 



In Bridegroom (1881), a son of Famous ex 

 Britannia (1878), Sir Bichard Glyn bred a Peter- 

 borough prize-winner — this hound when in his 

 third season taking first honours in the stallion 

 class. Through his dam Bridegroom goes back 

 to the two famous litters of Commodore-Matchless 

 and Voyager -Bu by that we have seen on his 

 sire's side. Bridegroom was a big hound of re- 

 markably true make, and was a good deal used 

 both in the Badminton and Oakley kennels. 



In 1884, when Sir Richard Glyn resigned, 

 George Orbell, the huntsman who had succeeded 

 John Press in 1876, passed into Mr Merthyr 

 Guest's service together with the hounds. From 

 this time the work of improving the pack was 

 carried on w^ith vigour. No less than eight and 

 a half couples sired by Lord Portsmouth's Render 

 were among the entry of 1884, and three and a 

 half couples of one litter by Falmouth ex Savory 

 (1879), this showing Sir Richard Glyn's preference 

 for these sires. The latter's partiality for the 

 Render family was shared by Mr Guest and his 

 huntsman G. Brown, who came to him from 

 Ireland two years after his accession to office ; 

 and in Rufus (1887), who had the beautiful voice 

 that distinguished the Render clan, there were 

 united two strains of the Render blood. 



Another outcross favoured by Mr Guest was 

 that of the Oakley Newsman, a hound bought by 



