52 THE QUORN HUNT 



great searches after his cork leg, which he used to take 

 off at odd times and leave anywhere. 



Although Mr. Meynell bought Ouorndon very soon 

 after he took the hounds, he seems to have hunted from 

 Langton Hall for a portion of each season, for there are 

 several notifications to the effect that the pack would 

 not leave until a certain date; in 1786 hounds did not 

 start for Quorn until the middle of November. 



Mr. Meynell's popularity was very great, yet some 

 extraordinary rumours were abroad at times. Once it 

 was reported that Mr. Meynell, his hounds, and his 

 followers were about to desert Leicestershire altogether. 

 That was in 1778, and then the Leicester Journal 

 was authorised to state that such was not the case ; 

 but the hounds would be in Leicestershire during the 

 months of October, November, December, and January 

 in every year, though where they cub-hunted in Sep- 

 tember, and hunted after January, is not stated. Then 

 another story was that the Hunt was to be discontinued 

 after the season 1787-88, in consequence of the subscrip- 

 tion thereto expiring, and that a few coverts only would 

 be kept for Mr. Meynell, junior. This rumour was 

 promptly contradicted ; but it was admitted that the tide 

 of fashion had turned towards Belvoir, and that many 

 of those who had previously followed "the Primate of 

 the Science " had determined to throw in their lot with 

 Sir Carnaby Haggerstone, who was then carrying on 

 the Hunt. 



It is not generally known that Mr. Meynell inte- 

 rested himself greatly in the subject of rabies in dogs and 

 hounds, and communicated to a physician the result of 

 his experience, and it is worthy of note that Mr. Meynell 

 declared that rabies could not be given by one dog to 

 another otherwise than by a bite. This truism is only 

 mentioned by way of showing that Mr. Meynell knew 

 quite well what he was talking about, as since his time 



