The Hunting Year 



An instance of this may be given. Some few 

 years ago I called on a friend — an ex-M.F.H., 

 who was then in his eighty-fifth year. I found 

 him with a copy of " Horse and Hound " by 

 Nimrod, and he greeted me with : " I always 

 tried to breed them by this standard, but found 

 it hard to do," as he pointed to the portrait of 

 the Earl of Kintore's Nosegay which is in 

 that book. And then he talked of the difference 

 between the hounds of his younger days and 

 the present day, and discussed many of the 

 points of management and hound work with 

 all the eagerness of youth. But during our long 

 talk he never spoke of the big fences he had 

 jumped ; and the " riding " part of hunting was 

 but lightly touched upon, though he had been 

 one of the hardest of a very hard riding set. He 

 rode to hunt, and I know of few men who got 

 so much good out of fifty-five seasons' hunting 

 as he did. 



In conclusion I would point out that though 

 the circumstances described in these sketches 

 have all occurred, they have not all occurred in 

 the same country, and occasionally circum- 



6 



