s to carry. As a rule,
he should not be younger than seven, and should have had, at least, two
seasons' hunting in which to learn his business. Fig. 2 shows us a
typical high-class Leicestershire hunter; and Fig. 3, a good Australian
hunter.

Mr. Vansittart's Romance (Fig. 4) was one of the nicest of the many
Australian horses I rode, during my sojourns in India, between the years
1885 and 1891. He was thoroughbred and was the winner of several races
on the flat and across country. In those days, the idiotic custom of
docking horses had not found favour in Australia.

[Illustration: Fig. 2.--Miss Burnaby's Butterfly.]

The requirements of the various hunting countries differ greatly. For
the Shires, a lady would want a well-bred galloper which can "spread
himself out" over his fences, because there is almost always a ditch or
a rail on one side or the other of the Midland hedges. Temperate he must
be, because the fields in Leicestershire, for instance, are so large
that there is often a crowd of riders waiting their turn at the only
practicable place in a jump, filing through a gate, or waiting _en
masse_ in a cramped space at the covert side, and a horse who displays
temper on such occasions is naturally regarded as a nuisance and danger
by the rest of the field. Besides, it must be remembered that nothing
tends to spoil the nerves of any rider, man or woman, more than
attempting to hunt in a big country like Leicestershire on a
bad-tempered horse, and especially on a refuser which has a tendency to
rear. On no account should a lady ride a roarer, although the artful
dealer may assure her that the "whistle" which the animal makes, will be
a secret unknown to any one except herself and the horse. In the large
majority of cases, roaring is a disease which increases with time, and
the accompanying noise is distressing to all lovers of horses who hear
it. Kickers, even with red bows on their tails, should on no account be
ridden; for they are a danger to man, woman, horse, and hound, and are
the cause of many accidents every hunting season. It would appear that
ladies--not those of the present day, let us hope--were not sufficiently
careful in insisting on this last-mentioned requirement in their
hunters; for Captain Elmhirst, writing in 1883, says, "Horse dealers,
farmers, and--we are sorry to add--ladies must especially be avoided;
for who ever saw a vicious kicker that was not ridden by one of these
three?"

[Illus