[Illustration]
From his earliest days MR. PUNCH has been an enthusiast for the Hunting
Field. But in this he has only been the faithful recorder of the manners
of his countrymen, as there is no sport more redolent of "Merrie
England" than that of the Horse and Hound. At no time in MR. PUNCH'S
history has he been without an artist who has specialised in the humours
of the hunt. First it was the inimitable Leech, some of whose drawings
find a place in the present collection, and then the mantle of the
sporting artist would seem to have descended to feminine shoulders, as
Miss Bowers (Mrs. Bowers-Edwards) wore it for some ten years after 1866.
That lady is also represented in the present work, at pages 49 and 111.
Later came Mr. G. H. Jalland, many of whose drawings we have chosen for
inclusion here. Perhaps the most popular of his hunting jokes was that
of the Frenchman exclaiming, "Stop ze chasse! I tomble, I faloff! _Stop
ze fox!!!_" (see page 141). To-day, of course, it is Mr. G. D. Armour
whose pencil is devoted chiefly to illustrating the humorous side of
hunting; but now, as formerly, most of the eminent artists whose work
lies usually in other fields, delight at times to find a subject
associated with the hunt. Thus we are able to present examples of Mr.
Cecil Aldin and Mr. Raven-Hill in sportive mood, while such celebrities
of the past as Randolph Caldecott and Phil May are here drawn upon for
the enriching of this, the first book of hunting humour compiled from
the abundant chronicles of MR. PUNCH.
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[Illustration: 'ARRY OUT WITH THE 'OUNDS]
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