THE NOBLE SCIENCE.* OF the numberless books that have been
written on the delightful and eternally fresh subject of fox-hunting some are humorous and others serious. Mr. Cuthbert Bradley, whom many of us know as " Whipster," and Captain Pennell Elm- hurst, whom many of us know as " Brooksby," both belong to the very serious school of writers.
Mr. Cuthbert Bradley is a capital, if somewhat crude, sporting artist, and a justly celebrated hunting jour- nalist, or—as perhaps he would say—" hunting scribe," who has been a contributor to many newspapers and magazines. He treats the subject of fox-hunting with befit- ting seriousness. Fox-Hunting from Shire to Shire will, however, provide plenty of good reading for hunting men. The famous packs we read of range from well-known ones, like the Belvoir, the Cottesmore, the Quorn, and the Pytchley, to the lesser-known hunts in Durham, Yorkshire, and Hertfordshire. He here reprints various accounts of days' hunting, visits to kennels, conversations with the masters and huntsmen, and some old Peterborough memories. The lively coloured plates include one of the King of Spain with the Cheshire Hounds clearing a fence in fine style. Another of Lord Lonsdale at the dinner table at Barleythorpe with two ladies should not be missed. His lordship is represented at the moment when he is about to propose the toast of " The King, the Ladies, and Fox-Hunting." We have hesitated whether the description of Mr. — "in the capacity of field-master, whose polished oratory has such a salutary effect to dam the current of impetuosity," is intended to be serious or jocose. The italics are ours. There are otherwise few lapses from the befitting seriousness before referred to, even in the descriptions of puppy shows and the accounts of hunted foxes which went up chimneys. Of the Barleythorpe show, Mr. Bradley writes : " The speeches after the luncheon were of exceptional interest, the noble earl first • Fox-Hunting from Shire to Shire with many Noted Packs. By Cuthbert Bradley. With an Introductory Note by Captain E. Pennell Elmhirat. With 13 plates (six in colour) and over 100 illustrations throughout the text. London: G. lioutledge and Sons. [12s. 6d. net.] scoring off his own bat when proposing the toast of King Edward : ' Gentlemen, I need not dilate on his Majesty's qualities, which endear him to us all, but congratulate you on being his subjects, and ask you to drink his health in a bumper.' This was the signal for a spontaneous ovation, the large assembly rising to their feet as one man." Better worth reading are Mr. Bradley's descriptions of actual hunts, which are full of spirit and enthusiasm. His uncoloured drawings are often clever, and he has his pedigrees and hound-lore at his fingers' ends. The portrait of the Rev. Cecil Legard, here reprinted from Vanity Fair, is one of the best things Mr. Bradley has ever done.
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