346 THE QUORN HUNT 



was no more zealous about stock than he was about 

 the foxes ; and if ever his covert was drawn blank the 

 old man was terribly upset. For many years his house 

 was always open to any hunting man who called, and 

 when, through failing health, he was no longer able to 

 hunt, he still entertained the same interest for the sport 

 as in the days when he was capable of holding his own 

 in the best of company. 



The February of 1 88 1 brought with it the announce- 

 ment that Mr. Coupland would give up the country at 

 the end of the season owing to the insufficient amount 

 of subscriptions, and then the rumour gained ground that 

 the Duke of Portland would be his successor. This was 

 stated in the Times, but at a meeting held shortly after- 

 wards it was authoritatively stated that the statement was 

 a fabrication. At the aforesaid meeting Sir Frederick 

 Fowke took the chair, and stated that the object of the 

 meeting was to see if sufficient funds could not be raised 

 to obviate the necessity of so popular a master resigning. 

 This, by the way, was an adjourned meeting. A heavy 

 debt was owing to Mr. Coupland for the covert fund, 

 and it was said that if ,£4500 a year could be raised 

 Mr. Coupland would continue to hunt the country. 

 Among various suggestions made was one that the 

 fixtures should not be advertised, and this view appa- 

 rently was adopted ; for, through the remainder of 

 Mr. Coupland's reign, no announcement of the fixtures 

 appeared in the Leicester Journal. A tenant farmer said 

 that he and his friends were full against advertising; 

 but it may very much be doubted whether the suppres- 

 sion of the announcement of fixtures diminishes the field 

 by half-a-dozen. If any one happens to be staying in 

 a hunting country, it is not difficult to find out where 

 unadvertised hounds meet, for perhaps the worst kept 

 secret is the names of the places at which a pack is 

 due during the week. 



