250 THE NORTH STAFFORDSHIRE HOUNDS. 



or northern, side of the Hall and grounds, with ample grass 

 yards for exercise, and any amount of open turf land 

 adjoining. The three essentials mentioned in the Bad- 

 minton volume on hunting have certainly been well 

 observed. The kennels are eminently dry, airy, and 

 warm. As the Badminton writer truly says — 



*' Sweetness and light are as vital to the proper well-being of the hound as 

 we are so often reminded they are to his master ; nay, it may be said that, in 

 proportion, they are even more so, for while some men do certainly in this 

 world contrive to get on without them, we are very sure no hound can. It must 

 never be forgotten that both the horses and the hounds used for the chase are a 

 very different sort of animals from what they are in their natural state. Their 

 state is one not of nature, but of art, a highly artiiicial state ; they differ as much 

 after their kind, from the nag who picks up his living off a common, or from the 

 village cur, as their masters differ from the Digger Indians, or the aboriginals of 

 the Australian bush. The man of civilization who lives in a damp, ill-drained, 

 ill-ventilated house will never be able to do his work properly, even if he can 

 get through life at all. And it is the same with horse and hound." 



A glance at the photograph of the kennels will show 

 that the building is in the Italian style, in keeping with 

 the architecture of the Hall and the rest of the buildings 

 connected with the residence and grounds. Sir C. Barry 

 having, as we have already explained, carte blanche in the 

 matter of cost, spared no expense in making the kennels, 

 not only sufficient for their purpose, but also an ornament 

 to the place, and a credit to his own reputation as an 

 architect. An examination of the ground-plan will show 

 that the accommodation is unusually ample for a pack of 

 from fifty to sixty couples of hounds, which is the average 

 strength of the North Stafford pack. There are four 

 large lodging-houses in which the dog and bitch packs 

 are separately housed, all opening into roomy paved yards, 

 with two smaller lodging-houses for the young hounds of 

 both sexes, opening into smaller paved yards. An ample 

 supply of water is laid on for each yard, and the drainage 

 and ventilation are admirably provided for. There are 

 three roomy grass yards close to for exercise (the largest 

 of which is not shown on the kennel plan), and, without 

 going more into detail, it may safely be said that nothing 

 appears to have been overlooked, or omitted, which can 



