SEASON 1895-96 283 



where he sought the shelter of a drain. A fox- 

 terrier bred by Gillard, and the property of Mr. 

 J. Reeve, bolted, a kill being speedily effected after 

 a good hunt of fifty minutes. 



By the last week in November most of the 

 forward division with hounds had registered a fall, 

 the greasy state of the going being held responsible 

 for so much tumbling about. Scent was very 

 moderate until December 2nd, when the ground 

 had somewhat settled, and hounds scored a fine 

 day's sport after meeting at Bottesford. "Unfor- 

 tunately," Gillard remarks in the diary, "it was 

 our first visit to Normanton little covert, for during 

 the cubbing time the ground was so hard it was 

 not safe to take hounds there. Consequently the 

 cubs clung to 'home, sweet home,' but after a lot 

 of ringing about we got one away over the river 

 Devon, and ended by marking to ground near 

 Orston. After that, Normanton big covert supplied 

 a fox which gave one of the fastest fifteen minutes 

 on record, ending with a mark to ground and kill 

 by Staunton. The Duke of Rutland was one of 

 the field on this occasion, riding his gray cob." 



A red-letter day resulted after meeting at 

 Buckminster Hall on December 18th, and few 

 things are more enjoyable in life than to be with 

 the Belvoir when they run over the closely-fenced 

 meadows of their Melton country. A fox was 

 quickly on the move by the Hall, and ran straight 

 for Coston Covert, going hard all the way to save 

 his brush. Fortune and a quick look-out enabled 

 seven good men to get away with them, the rest 



