7 2 Tally ho, 



necessary ; there is a sparkle in his eye and there is 

 a vivacity in his heels which negative the idea of a too 

 near approach to this royal horse. Jumping, rearing, 

 bounding, lashing out, he yet allows his attendant to 

 enter his box without attempting to harm him ; and I 

 can well believe that no finer specimen of his race can 

 be found than the worthy present from an Eastern 

 potentate to an English Duke. Then I proceed to 

 examine the hunters in detail, recognising at once the 

 grey that carried his Grace on Saturday ; Red 

 Dragon, Lord Worcester's first horse ; Fenian, a re- 

 markably clever Irish horse with a beautiful head and 

 neck, and it requires but little technical knowledge 

 to pronounce him a clipper. The characteristic of all 

 the horses at Badminton is usefulness ; a sort of 

 apology in respect to their appearance is ofiered, from 

 the fact of the hair being allowed to grow from the 

 knee downwards, a wise precaution against thorns and 

 bruises, even if it detracts a little from the beauty of 

 the animals. The stables are not in any way con- 

 structed for show, but rather for extreme convenience ; 

 they are lofty and well ventilated, and, as I look over 

 the lot, all fit to go ; I consider a great amount of 

 judgment has been shown in their selection, and a vast 

 amount of attention paid to their condition. Passing 

 by the coach-houses, harness rooms, noting the clever- 

 looking harness-horses reserved for the use of her 

 Grace, I reach the kennels. Entering first into the 

 kitchen, or more properly speaking, the boiling-house, 

 I see dinner being prepared for this large family, 

 which consists of seventy-five couples of hounds, 

 forming three separate packs, with sundry hangers-on 

 in the shape of fox-terriers — this large number being 



