THE HISTORY OF THE BEL VOIR HUNT 



that a hound seen to scratch itself is immediately drafted, 

 yet something too must be ascribed to the healthiness of the 

 situation. I have seen many kennels in my day, but none so 

 picturesque as the home of the Belvoir pack, and coming to 

 it, as I did for the first time, along the road which leads 

 through the park from the Knipton side, the eye is first 

 attracted to the Castle, with its absolutely unrivalled position 

 and its splendid grouping of massive towers, amid the rich 

 foliage of the Belvoir woods ; while on the right, near the 

 river Devon, which flows through the park, lie the kennels, 

 with the servants' houses. The present Duke drew my 

 attention to the notes on the kennels by Mr. Horlock (Scru- 

 tator), a most useful writer on all topics of kennel manage- 

 ment, and whose precepts I have seen carried into practice 

 with great advantage.^ 



The kennels are large and handsome, with convenient 

 houses for the huntsmen and whippers-in near at hand. The 

 entrance faces south, and on either side of it are two stone 

 buildings used respectively for straw-house and granary. In 

 the centre is an octagonal building, in which are the feeding, 

 boiling, and lodging-houses for the hounds, and the feeders' 

 apartments. The length of the passage from north to south 

 is 1 60 feet by 16 feet. Another passage, from the huntsman's 

 house to the whipper-in's, is 130 feet. The area is 20,000 

 square feet. On the right of the entrance is the large kennel, 

 the court-yard being 70 feet by 45 feet, the lodging-room 

 18 feet by 16 feet; and at the bottom of the yard are two 

 doors, one leading into a large grass yard and the other to 

 the whipper-in's house. Opposite the large kennel is another 

 court, 64 feet by 62 feet, with boxes on two sides under an 

 open cone for bitches to whelp in. " In this yard," says Mr. 

 Horlock, "eighteen bitches within one week produced one 

 hundred and eighty puppies." Two smaller kennels there 

 are 31 feet by 25 feet each. Beyond are the kennels for the 

 young hounds; the lodging-room, 21 feet by 16 feet, the 

 flagged yard of which is 70 feet by 35 feet ; and beyond 

 again is a grass court. On the other side of the main 

 ^ Practical Lessons in Huntincr and Sporting^ pp. 62, 63, 64. 

 284 



