Breeding of Hunters. 245 



Valve (the dam of Pussy), who was bred and sold by 

 Mr. Price, of Bryn-Pys, for 50/. His racing career 

 was foiled by his bad legs, which gave way to 

 such an extent that he could hardly bear walk- 

 ing exercise, and he was too strong a puller to let a 

 light boy ride him. There are an immense quantity 

 of good hunters out by him, though they are generally 

 a little in at the elbows ; and Hyllus, a hack of his 

 get, was snapped up at a high price for the Royal 

 stables. All of them are jumpers, but they are not 

 exactly what are styled " dealers* horses." Necro- 

 mancer has done something for the present and old 

 owner's name ; and breeders tell you that the 

 thorough-bred Melibceus never failed to get a hunter, 

 and are all on the alert when they hear of a Melibceus 

 mare. The Greathearts are also especially line goers, 

 and very fair jumpers, neat, fifteen-three, and in fact 

 Quite " the good old style back again ; " but their sire 

 has departed for Ireland. Ion, who is a very popular 

 blood sire in France, stood one season at Shrews- 

 bury ; but he is rather a light-girthed unattractive 

 style of horse, and had very few mares. 



Will Staples, of whom it used to be said, and with 

 little exaggeration, that he could hunt a Shropshire 

 fox without hounds, looks back to the grey Moses as 

 the best Strephon he ever rode, while Ludlow among 

 the Brigliadoroes, Longwaist and Gazelle among the 

 Jupiters, Melibceus by Melibceus, and Plynhmmon by 

 The Colonel, are still among the other pleasant me- 

 mories of his great hunting career. If we mistake not, 

 Mr. Mytton's The Duchess was a prima donna among 

 the scions of Hit-and-miss, who was, like Herbert 

 Lacy, quite a Shropshire worthy ; and Fitzjames, 

 whose stock were all bad-tempered, never got a 

 superior to the " Squire of Halston's " Armchair. Mr. 

 H. Clive of Styche's Annette was also a gay feather 

 in Strephon's cap, when it was no easy task for a man 

 to hold his own with Will and his cover-side cavalry. 



