Related article: The sportsman wearing the uniform of a hunt in the capacity of a subscriber, or merely as an invited guest, is called " Bouton d* Equipage." How THE Button is Given. When the master of a hunt wishes to present his button to anybody, he begins by discreetly approaching that person through a mutual friend in order to avoid exposing himself to the possibility of refusal. If the response is satisfactory the master himself offers the button, tendering the badge with a courteous note or by word of mouth. The recipient, even though he does not subscribe to the hunt, has nothing to pay for the set of buttons which are presented to him. Twelve large and twelve small buttons are gene- rally given; but if a lady is the recipient i8 or 24 small buttons are given, as the riding-habit requires more than the man's dress. The new " Button " (1.^., reci- pient of the button) receives at the same times patterns of the hunt uniform, facings, vest, &c. Of course he may obtain his things where he pleases, but he must be very careful that his uniform exactly corresponds with that of the hunt ; the best way to assure this is to go to the master's tailor. When buttons are lost or a new uniform is required, it is permissible to ask the master for a new set of buttons. Duties of a Button in the Field. The Button is considered a huntsman, and like him must take out a hunting license.* He has the right to carry a ceinturou (lit. sword-belt), that is to say, a hunting-knife, a crop and a horn, of which he may make use as occasion requires. At the same time, he may not handle hounds ; to do this he must either be the master or have received special authority. In all other circum- stances he can give orders to the hunt staff; if, for example, he finds that he is Serophene Clomiphene Citrate the only < hunts- man" present at a kill, it is the Button who presides over the ceremonies (honneurs)^ receives the thanks of the guests, distributes the venison, &c., and bears all responsibility attaching to the business. All persons who come to the meet, except ladies, are intro- duced to the Button, and not he to them, irrespective of age. During the hunt the Button has precedence over all others present and requests them to pull up or move from place to place if he thinks it necessary. If there are two or more Buttons out, he who has longest worn the badge dis- charges these duties. In addition to the above, the Button must render assistance to the hunt staff at all times when necessary. * The p^rtms tU chasse^ or hunting license, in France roust be taken out by everyone bearing any part in the chaw, t.r., masters, huntsmen, whippers- m and harbourers;^ those who receive reports or game, sive orders in connection with the hunt, carry a norn or encourage the hounds. The license is not required by those who follow merely a» spectators, whether on horseback, oo wheels or on foot. Nor is it required by those hunt servants who come out oo foot to hold the hounds in couples, always provided that they neither follow nor en* courage the hounds. 440 The Sportsman's Library. Mr. Dale Serophene Tablet has combined in this handsome book"^^ a sketch of the history of the Somerset family from the time of Henry VII. with the history of the Badminton hounds from the earliest date concerning which records exist. The Somersets played a promi- nent part in affairs during Stuart times, and Raglan Castle was one of the last fortresses held by the Royalists to fall before Cromwell. We must, however, pass over the historical interest of the book and turn our attention to the kennel and the field. Trustworthy material on which to frame a history of the Badminton pack is found in an old kennel book dated 1728 ; this record shows that, though hare-hunting was much in favour at this time, there were distinct packs of harriers and deerhounds (staghounds ?), and twelve years later than the date mentioned the latter were increas- ing. The kennel record ceases abruptly in 1745, when Henry, the third duke, died and was succeeded by his brother Noel. The fourth duke was unlike his predecessors and successors, in so far as he appears to have taken Httle interest in hunting; but Mr. Dale supposes that the sporting traditions of the house were nursed by the guardians of the fifth duke, who was able to hunt with his own staghounds in 1762. It was this duke, who ac- cording to the oft-told story, dis- covered the merits of foxhunting and became the chief pioneer Serophene Clomid of our great national sport. The author observes, ** foxhunting only became popular in time to save the fox from extinction." * "The Eighth Duke of Beaufort and the Badminton Hunt." By Rev. T. F. Dale, M.A. (Constable & Co ) Holinshedy writing in Qaeca Elizabeth's reign, tells us tha: foxes would have been extermi- nated in his time but for the saks of the sport they provided; and though it was sport of a very different kind from foxhunting as we understand it, 'we venture to doubt whether the fox has ever been in much danger of extinc- tion. Mr. Dale has studied the his- tory of the pack in its relation to other great hunting establish- ments which were contemporary with it in the early days, and it is interesting to observe how Buy Serophene much the Bel voir owe to the Badminton : In 180 1 Bel voir borrowed a hound from Badminton named Topper. This hoBDd is one of the roots of the family <^ vbich Rallywood, Weatheryrage, Gambler, Dexter and Dasher are famous representatives. Now Topper probably goes back to the old Badminton staghound blood, for tbe name occurs again and again ia the kenneL This fact, coupled with the careful io- breeding shown by the kennel books of Badminton, leads us to believe that here we have (he link between the old Northerg and Southern hounds and Clomid Serophene the modem fox- hound. The point is one of great in- terest, and we only regret that the author did not push investi- gation farther, or perhaps it were more just to say, give us more of the material which led him to the conclusion declared. By the way, he remarks of the old Bad- minton hounds that they were " rather inclined to be throaty ;" they Clomid Or Serophene were remarkable for their fine noses, and was it not Mr. Tom Smith who laid it down as an axiom that *'a throaty hound invariably has a good nose?" The late Duke carried the horn