1877J THE MISSES VERNEY. 9 



check. There Avere two lines in Austy Wood and all the earths open, and we 

 did no more good. 



Hunted altogether 131 days. Killed eighty-five foxes. No lilank days, 

 and hnnted f(mr days in every week, between September 4tli and April 14tli. 

 with an occasional bye day. Were not stopi)ed l)y frost one single day. 



Septeviber Srd. 1877. — First day's cul)hunting at Chesterton Wood. 



Were ont thirty-nine (hiy's cubhnnting and killed thirty-eight foxes, and ran 

 seven to ground. Tlie tirst fortnight was good weather, but after that we had 

 foggy mornings, and hot sun when the fog cleared ; also ground as hard as iron, 

 so much so that nearly all the neighbouring ])acks stopped hunting. Notwith- 

 standing this, our large entry of twenty couples entered remarkably well, 

 some of them, by the commencement of regular hunting, doing the work of 

 old hounds, and all doing something. 



SEASON 1877-78. 



November 5th. Chadshunt. — First day of open hunting. Found iu a tree 

 close to Cliadshunt Coppice, and after running several times round it, and 

 being often headed, the fox got away, and went to ground iu two fields. Got 

 away directly from Bawcutt's Covert, and ran vexy prettily for thirty-five 

 mimites towards Hodnell ; turned to the right near the railway, and crossed 

 the railway again, and ran into the fox in the open close to Watergall. 

 Found there, and had a long hunting run through Ladbroke, and round by 

 Napton, towards Priors Marston, and Ijack to Ladbroke, where we stopped 

 the hounds. Good day. Rode Ryper and Bravo ; Lady Willoughby, 

 Dynamite. 



Amongst the ladies who rode straight and well to hounds 

 it is remarkable that there were foiu' who all belonged 

 to the same family, and who could hold their own in any 

 part of the Warwickshire country ; they were the 

 daughters of the late Lord Willoughby de Broke, and 

 their names will afterwards be mentioned as having taken 

 a leading part in some brilliant runs — namely, the Hon. 

 Margaret Verne}', afterwards Mrs. Jervoise Smith ; the 

 Hon. Alice Verney, afterwards Mrs. Tritton ; the Hon. 

 Susan Verney, afterwards Mrs. Grodman ; and the Hon. 

 Mabel Verney. Of Miss Mabel Verney especial mention 

 must be made, as I never remember seeing any other lady 

 ride to hounds who, on account of her strength and nerve, 

 had such command of a horse. She could make the most 

 of any horse, no matter how difficult he was to ride. — C. M. 



From Sir C. Mordaunt's diary : 



In June and July I caught 120 salmon in the river Rauma, in Norway, 

 weighing 12621b. I had a very long run down the river from the Foss Pool 

 with a salmon, and never saw him for an hour. I thouglit I had got 



