Mr. Harding Cox is the younger son of the late Mr. Sergeant Cox, who was well known on the judicial bench three decades back, but who earned deathless fame as the founder of the Field, the Queen, the Law Times, etc. The subject of our illustration was born in the later fifties, and educated at Harrow and Trinity College, Cambridge. At both seats of learning he distinguished himself in all branches of athletics. From early childhood he was an enthusiastic cynophilist, and exhibited his first dog (a Fox-terrier) at Hanley Show as far back as 1873, but without success. Since then he has exhibited, inter alia, Bull-dogs, Fox-terriers, Harriers, Greyhounds, Bull-terriers, Irish Terriers, Spaniels, and Flat-coated Retrievers. At one time his breed of Wire-haired Fox-terriers carried everything before them, and of late years his wins in Retriever and Spaniel Classes probably outnumber those of any other exhibitor at the ratio of two to one.

Nothing delights Mr. Harding Cox more than to win at a leading show with a youngster of his own breeding. In Black Drake he had a Retriever whose record as a prize winner was handsome enough, but whose success as a stud dog was phenomenal. It is chiefly owing to this grand dog that his owner was able to introduce a long string of winners to the public, such as Champion Black Queen, Black Petrel, Black Cherry, Black Star, Black Pride, Black Amazon, Black Quail, Black Charm, and Black Squirrel. The two latter were the sensational puppies of the year (1900), and both won first in their respective classes at the Crystal Palace Show. Charm is by Boreas of Butsford, but is out of Black Cherry, a daughter of Black Drake, who as progenitor of the above and many other winners, including the practically undefeated Champion Wimpole Peter, occupies a remarkable position in the annals of Retriever breeding.

MR. HARDING COX'S RETRIEVER CHAMPION BLACK QUEEN.

From photo by Landor, Ealing.

MR. HARDING COX'S RETRIEVER BLACK DRAKE.

From photo by Landor, Ealing.

MR. HARDING COX.

From photo by Stebbing, Paris.

Mr. Harding Cox was until lately represented by a very grand team of Clumber Spaniels, and in Champion Bailie Friar possessed a dog which, in the opinion of really expert judges, was streets ahead of all contemporaries. This valued champion was cruelly done to death by railway official carelessness, but left some grand stock. His son Bailie, jun., won at Birmingham, Cruft's, and elsewhere, and was fast developing into a flyer; but the Alexandra Palace, where he won the championship, proved his last appearance, as he shortly after succumbed to the new and mysterious ailment which has been designated "Stuttgart distemper." Following this disaster his owner had the misfortune to lose a whole batch of specially selected puppies, of which big things were expected, so he is now practically denuded of a breed of which he was both fond and proud.

MR. HARDING COX'S CLUMBER SPANIEL CHAMPION BAILIE FRIAR.

From photo by Landor, Ealing.

MR. HARDING COX'S GREYHOUND CHAMPION TRUE TOKEN.

From photo by Landor. Ealing.

As a judge Mr. Harding Cox is well known, and has officiatec at all the leading shows, where his name always ensures a big entry.

He has been a member of the Kennel Club for the past twenty-three years - he served on the Committee for three years in the eighties and was again elected three years back. Last year he was only defeated by one vote for the Vice-chair, after having refused are invitation to stand for the Chairmanship. He is a very regular attendant at Committee meetings, and some of the most drastic reforms of later days have been carried through on his sponsorship For instance, it was owing to his initiative and organisation that the system of licensed shows was inaugurated.

As an experienced M.F.H. and M.H. he is most anxious to foster a scheme for bringing the Kennel Club into more intimate touch with the world of hounds and their masters, and it is more than likely that the ensuing year will see some important steps taken in this direction.

Mr. Harding Cox was the founder of the flourishing Fox-terrier Club, and an original member of the Committee of the Bull-dog Club. For sake of auld lang syne his name still appears as a member of these institutions; but he is, in fact, violently opposed to the specialist clubs as such, their caucuses and their oligarchies. He believes that in the majority of cases such clubs exist far more for the benefit of individual members than for the encouragement and improvement of the respective breeds that they are supposed to support. He holds that "rings" and "monopolies" have been formed that are a standing menace to the interests of the independent breeder and exhibitor, and that the restricted "club list of judges" is responsible for exaggeration of type and general deterioration.

Our friend is decidedly versatile. Not only did he hunt his own hounds and ride his own racehorses to many a victory, but he has distinguished himself as a pigeon shot, having won many of the most important British and Continental competitions, including the Grand International Cup (England), 1885, the Grand Aristocratic Cup, 1883 and 1884, the Grand Prix de Cloture, Monte Carlo, 1887, etc. He is also a lover of the leash, and for several years had great success with his Greyhounds, winning, amongst other stakes, the South of England Challenge Cup two years in succession, but he has yet to win a "Waterloo." He has just got together a very smart string, after a long absence from the coursing field, and his ambition may yet be attained. To Mr. Harding Cox belongs the authorship of the Coursing volume of the Badminton Library.

It is seldom that artistic and sporting tastes go hand in hand, but the exception proves the rule in the case of our friend, for his pictures, his verses, and his music are almost as well known as his dogs and horses. The engravings of his "Tug-of-war"" are as familiar to the eye as the strains of his "Sympatien Valse" are to the ear.

For some years Mr. Harding Cox held a commission as Captain in the Duke of Cambridge's Hussars, and won the Regimental Challenge Cup for best drill three years in succession, and thus became its owner.

On the turf his light green jacket was erstwhile well known, and he put in several smart performances in the pig-skin. On Weasel he won eight races out of eleven. On Catoun he won thirteen races in succession; but he caused quite a sensation when he landed the Portsmouth Stakes on Dornroschen, starting at 100 to 8, and benefiting the Ring to the tune of over £24,000. This same Dornroschen for many years held the time record for a mile, but Harrow at last ousted her from the distinction.

Mr. Harding Cox comes of a thoroughly sporting race. His father was very keen with the rod and gun, and a great lover of dogs before the days of shows, whilst his brother, Mr. Irwin Cox, M.P., D.L., is one of the finest game shots and dry-fly fishermen of the day, but he cannot approach his younger brother with the salmon rod, the rifle, or the revolver.

The portraits of Mr. Harding Cox, his Clumber Spaniel Bailie Friar, his Wavy-coated Retrievers Black Drake and Black Queen, his Greyhound Champion True Token, and his Cocker Spaniel Champion Westbury Madge accompany this sketch.

MR. HARDING COX S COCKER SPANIEL CHAMPION WESTBURY MADGE.

From photo by Landor, Ealing, W.