230 FOX-HUNTING IN THE SHIRES 



over. " The dam is the thing " (the secret of breeding 

 in a nutshell) was Tom Sebright's guiding principle. 

 Like all great hound-breeders, he was a good hunts- 

 man in the field and probably one of the very best 

 who ever blew a horn (which he was not over fond 

 of doing) in a big strong covert. The elders have 

 told me that his hounds loved him and would fly 

 to a touch on the horn or to his cheer. But we must 

 not dwell on a hunt which is not within our limits, 

 save for an occasional visit for the sake of finding our- 

 selves on historic ground. It has only been included 

 to give completeness to the information in this 

 chapter. 



