one-half of which are from Syren, a daughter of Sir Watkin Wynn's Royal, wherin is found the Singer strain again in the maternal line. Wonder and Susan supply two couples and a half, in which Singer is again distinguishable as grandsire of Susan who is half-sister to Syren, substituting Stormer for Sir Watkin Wynn's celebrity. The name of Belvoir Rallywood has attained a world-wide fame, and there is now another to sustain the reputation, a son of Senator and Remedy, a daughter of the aforesaid hound. The junior Rallywood distinguished himself early in life, as he was not entered till 1868, and has already been promoted to paternal honours and has a son and daughter from Redwing, granddaughter of Lord Yarborough's Rallywood, consequently the progeny goes back to him on both sides. Stormer, brother to Syren, but not the hound of that name mentioned as the sire of Susan, is represented by two couple and a half, Contest by a similar complement, Falstaff one couple and a half, with a single entry to Fairplay, Gamester, Rambler, and Stranger another of the Singer representatives. Senator was a hound of most imposing symmetry with rare loins, thighs, and feet, and of the approved black, white, and tanned colour. It is a matter of great surprise that Masters of provincial packs do not devote more attention to the pedigrees of the hounds they breed, as it is to them of the utmost importance, because as a rule they are limited as regards walks, while the "Kennel Stud Book" supplies all the information they require. A change takes place in the Quorn country consequent on Frank Gillard having gone to the Belvoir, and singularly enough, very nearly under similar circumstances, James Macbride has been engaged as huntsman by Mr. Coupland. The same year, 1860, that Gillard was engaged at Belvoir, Macbride came from the Duke of Buccleugh to Quorn, the Earl of Stamford being then in command. He remained there as first whip throughout the remaining occupation of his lordship, and during the time of Mr. Clowes' mastership, which terminated in 1866. He was with the Honourable Rowland Hill as huntsman to the Shropshire, with whom he continued till the spring of 1869, when Lord Fitzhardinge engaged him; but strange to say the more uncertain scents of the Leicestershire pasture fields seem to have more charms for him than the holding scents of the Berkeley Vale. He is, however, well acquainted with the country, though the hounds are all strange to him. There are seventeen couples and a-half of this year's entry, nearly half of which are by the Belvoir sires, most conspicuous among which is Dryden, son of Druid, who was a brother to Destitute, affording another example of the importance of high breeding. What a delusion it is to suppose that any animal, much less a foxhound, can be too highly bred! There are two couples of Senators, one couple of Stormers, and one couple of Tarquins, a hare-pied hound, a colour not usual in the Belvoir kennels, but he had remarkably fine proportions to recommend him, with rare neck and shoulders, good thighs, and lots of power, a trifle though above the standard, being to the eye full 23 inches high. The Honourable George Fitzwilliam's Bluster and Major have also been called in requisition, and the remainder of the entry is composed of the progeny of home sires, Romulus, Lucifer, Hamlet, Remus, Hector, Sportsman, and Rasselas. It is most satisfactory to notice that all the young hounds were bred by Mr. Musters, a happy condition not generally applying to the Quorn kennels. Leicestershire agriculturists are sadly inconsiderate as to walking puppies. Prizes for the best hounds, especially if those prizes were presented to the ladies, might have a beneficial effect. The facilities for early cub-hunting are to a considerable extent confined to Charnwood forest, where they are not so extensive as in olden times, some of the coverts having been broken up, while the numbers of foxes are not so abundant throughout the country as to justify any excess of their destruction. Macbride's removal to Quorn afforded an opening for a huntsman at Berkeley, and numerous were the applicants and sanguine the expectations of many who correctly regard it as a life estate. The selection ultimately fell to William Backhouse, who, having been under his father with the Holderness, was engaged as first whip to the Southwold in 1861, when the country was under the management of a committee, with Harry Tomblin as huntsman. Four years afterwards Captain Fox being in commission engaged Thomas Phillips as huntsman, the following year entrusting Dan Berkshire with the horn, thus Backhouse has had the opportunities of observing the tactics of four different huntsmen. The Berkeley Vale will be a fresh pasture for him, but he will have the able instructions of Lord Fitzhardinge to guide him, and he has a pack of hounds of inestimable worth ready made to his hands, with a very superior entry of eighteen couples. The only introductions were the Duke of Rutland's Stranger and Mr. Portman's Bluster, of which from the former there is one couple and a-half, and the latter supplies two couples; one couple and a-half is due to Raglan, bred by Sir Watkin Wynne from Royal and Actress. There are four couples and a-half descended through their respective sires and dams from Cromwell, and three couples and a-half in like manner from Chieftain. The opportunities for cub-hunting in the Berkley country are very extensive. These hounds are consequently the first in the field. About the second week in August is their usual time of commencement, when Michaelwood, Westridge, Hall Woods, and Redwood echo with the cheering melody. But it is not the largest woods alone that are devoted to this purpose, most of the smaller coverts are visited in turn, for there is invariably a great abundance of foxes, so that it is necessary to reduce their numbers and give the others warning. LITERATURE. THE MODERN PRACTICAL ANGLER.-BY H. CHOLMONDELEY PENNELL. F. Warne and Co., London. We must confess that, when we first saw this work, we felt inclined to exclaim: "What! another guide to the angler? Is the theory of this subject inexhaustible?" And we opened the book in the expectation of finding simply a reiteration of former maxims, with possibly some additional piscatorial anecdotes. A careful perusal of the work has, however, convinced us that its painstaking author has condensed into some three hundred pages a large amount of useful instruction to the tyro, and many valuable hints to the more advanced sportsman. Mr. Pennell wastes no time, but, after a few preliminary remarks, enters upon a masterly treatise on the first requisite of the angler, viz., the hook--its form," and "angle of impact"-its "power of penetration and retention"-its "strength," "lightness," and "neatness." His theory of" kinking, "under the head of" Spinning Tackle, Flights, &c.,' is interesting and scientific; indeed, the first three chapters on the subject of Tackle should be attentively studied. The remaining chapters of Part I. contain some excellent practical remarks on lines, reels, a new method of making knots, and a discourse upon rods and rod-making, in which the different kinds of wood are enumerated, and well-describedwith one exception. Strangely enough, the blue mahoe, now so extensively employed for fly-rods by Ogden, of Cheltenham, and so admirably adapted to the purpose by its lightness, flexibility, and strength, is not even mentioned! The contents of Part II. invite criticism more than any other portion of the book. Here it is that Mr. Pennell throws off the garb of a peaceful, contemplative angler, and appears in the colours of a complete revolutionist! The meaning of this remark will be at once perceived when we quote the heading of the sixth chapter on Fly Fishing: "Present systems of Artificial flies-Colourists and Formalists, both theories unsound in part-True theory of Artificial fliesThree typical Trout flies described and recommended to be substituted for all others for Trout, and Grayling-fishing - Salmon flies -The same arguments applied-Three patterns of flies for Salmon and Grilse recommended to be substituted for all others-Summary: Six flies only necessary for every description of fly-fishing." Our author is quite right in asserting that the "Colourists" and the "Formalists have each some facts in their favour, for otherwise the controversy would soon be brought to a close. But, as usual, in this, as in many other arguments, the truth lies between the extremes. For successful fly-fishing, not only form but colour must be studied, and all who have paid attention to the subject, and have granted to fish these entomological qualifications, must assuredly concede to them the power of also judging of size! Fill your book with big, though well-made, London flies of approved form and colour-and among them may rank Mr. Pennell's typical specimens, if made in London fashion, Take them with you into the Midland Counties, and you may whip the streams from morn to night without doing any great harm to trout or grayling. But it is not necessary to go so far for an illustration: take the Wandle, or one of Hofland's favourite rivers, viz., the Cray, in Kent, about twelve miles from town, and the importance of size will soon become apparent. The attempt to curtail the teazing list of flies, is highly commendable, and reads well, but we would advise those who have few opportunities of practising their favourite pastime, not at present to rely so much upon this new doctrine as to take with them an assortment of their old and tried friends. Knowing that Mr. Pennell is a practical angler of the first water, we do not doubt that he has occasionally had some success with his typical flies, but we contend that, to meet the various and changing tastes of Salmon, Trout, and Grayling, in many different rivers, we require a number of different incitements wherewith to tickle their palates. The delicate trout is providentially supplied with plenty of natural sustenance, and is free from the gluttonous propensities of the pike and perch. He rather resembles the epicure, who, after he has taken enough to satisfy the wants of nature, may still be tempted beyond his natural bounds by various entremets, of the composition of which he is perhaps entirely ignorant. How can we otherwise account for the fact that, when there are myriads of natural flies upon the surface of a stream, the fish will often show a preference for the coarser imitation of a different species ? The supplementary directions, on How, When, and Where to fish, are excellent. Equally to the point are the remarks upon the lamentable falling-off of the Thames trout, and some likely remedies are proposed against this crying evil. The grayling is mentioned in eulogistic terms, although the accompanying plate displays anything but the symmetry of an Apollo; and, by a strange omission, the Wye and the Derwent, two excellent grayling rivers near Bakewell, in Derbyshire, are not even named, the Dove only coming in for honourable mention! This is the more puzzling because the Derwent and Wye Angling Club deserves to have a worldwide fame, if only for the stringent laws it has enacted against poaching, or even fishing with anything but the artificial fly. In truth, the Thames Angling Protection Society might learn some useful lessons from this kindred association. It is, however, in spinning, trolling, and bottom fishing that we find Mr. Pennell in his glory. On these subjects, his book is a perfect treasury to the beginner, and should be cherished as dearly as his favourite rod and line. Nor will the study of the volume prove unprofitable in another sense, for the graceful, concise, and clear style in which it is written, renders it deserving of a prominent place in the Angler's library. The cleverly-written brochure which accompanies this handy volume, and is headed "Can Fish Feel Pain?" leads our author into deeper waters than he could have anticipated-even with the late example of the great Tyndall before him. It is too much to expect that the most advanced knowledge of physiology can enable us to ascertain how much pain a hooked fish experiences, but that it really does feel pain under the manipulation of the angler, in spite of its being a cold-blooded animal, is as certain as that it possesses nerves analogous to our own, and gives evidence, in the bright sunshine, and in presence of a barbed bauble, of the opposite feeling-pleasure. Whatever apologies dear old Izaak, Sir Humphrey Davy, or Mr. Pennell may offer for their favourite sport, whatever arguments may be adduced to show that the writhings of a fish on the hook are, in the main, merely a "struggle for liberty," let it be imprinted on the young angler's mind that he should avoid all bungling and delay in basketing his fish; and let his maxim ever be (in this case of two-fold application) mors cita et victoria læta. 148 By Messrs. Tattersall, on Saturday, June 25, at East Acton: MR. BELL'S STUD. Roan filly by Master Bagot, out of Mary Rose by Pyrrhus the First (Mr. Green) STALLION. Exchequer by Stockwell, out of Stamp by Emilius (Lord Fitzwilliam) MARES AND FOALS. Ellen Tree by Birdcatcher, out of Thorn; covered by Exchequer (Mr. Gosling) Gs. 30 20 55 200 210 65 105 200 380 75 700 80 210 30 55 40 Keepsake by Daniel O'Rourke, dam by Hampton; with a foal by Cambuscan, and covered by St. Albans (Mr. Alexander) Mary Ann by Bashful, dam by Skylark or Peacemaker; with a foal by Uncas, and covered by Exchequer (Mr. McCann) Edith Lovell by Joe Lovell, out of Maid of Tyne; with a foal by Cambuscan, and covered by Knowsley (Mr. B. Ellam) 40 60 100 Dutchman's Daughter by The Flying Dutchman, out of Red Rose; with a foal by Roseleaf by Gunboat, out of Creeping Rose; with a foal by Uncas, and covered by Adeliz by Cotherstone, out of Nun Appleton; with a foal by Adventurer, and covered by him again (Captain Pryme) Infanta by Orlando, out of Ma Mie; with a foal by Young Melbourne, and covered by Saxon Beauty by Newminster, out of Elfrida; with a foal by Young Melbourne, and covered by Knowsley (Mr. Green) 260 310 105 Lady Tatton by Sir Tatton Sykes, out of Fair Rosamond; with a foal by Cambuscan, Creslow by King Tom, out of Lady; with a foal by Cambuscan, and covered by Robin 310 Victorine by Orlando, out of Victrix; covered by Macaroni (Sir R. Peel)... 105 1000 Odine by Fitz-Gladiator, out of Pauline; with a foal by Uncas, and covered by Exchequer (Mr. B. Ellam) 55 Miss Marion by Marionette, out of Laverna; with a foal by Uncas, and covered by St. Reginella by King Tom, out of Flax; with a foal by Macaroni, and covered by Wild Arabella by Fandango, out of Algebra (dam of Lecturer); with a foal by Cambuscan, and covered by Knowsley (Mr. Hilton) Chesnut yearling colt by Claret, out of Arrah-na-Pogue by Mickey Free (Mr. A. Bay colt by Dundee, out of Foible by Faugh-a-Ballagh (Mr. H. Hill) |