132 THE WAEWICKSHIRE HUNT. [1885 



sterling old Eiii,'-lish oak of foxliuntiiio- — -laiKllovd and tenant. The field was 

 small, hut lay tliis to your hearts, o-ood pessimists, it was mainly composed of 

 farmers. Right well they showed us tlie way. to the detriment of their own 

 wheat (a faet). but not to the damage of fenee or timber. That destruction 

 they left impartially, and methinks sonu'wliat tinkindly, to tliose that followed 

 them — though few cared to do this — to the h>ad of Messrs. Scriven. jun.. and 

 Lamboiu'ue. I can scai-cely part with tlu^ day without the mention of the 

 presence of two strangers — strangers only in the rarity of their appearance. 

 Two finer representatives of country gentlemen could not be found than Sir 

 Rainald Knightley, and our seuior and respected member for North 

 Warwickshire. Mr. Newdegate.* The latter has evidently not lost his 

 aptitude for crossing a country ; the fire of youth may burn less fiercely, still 

 there remains a ruddy glow. 



With respect to the oiitl:)reak of rabies, vide i/ifrdy 

 Lord Wilh:)Ughby does not say anything of the incessant 

 care and attention he devoted to his liounds at this terrible 

 crisis (only the second, I believe, in their whole history), 

 nor of the faitliful and brave way in which he was seconded 

 by his kennel huntsman, Jack Boore, who had himself been 

 bitten, his wdiips, and Fred Battine, the excellent and careful 

 feeder, who has been for so many years with the pack. 



From Lord Willoughby de Broke's diary : 



January Ibtli. Compton Verney. — Found at Bishop's Gorse, ran liard 1)V 

 Clark's Hill. Coml)roke Covert, and down to Brookhauipton, crossed the 

 Itrook and tlie railway, and ran right up to the keunels ; turned short liack 

 across the brook and the railway, and over Pittern Hill, and over Chadshunt 

 Hill, left Bishop's Gorse one field on the left, and Piper's Bath on the right 

 and went to Moreton Village, turned to the left through Moreton Wood, and 

 nearly to Newbold Pacey Village, and on as far as some open earths near Fir 

 Tree Hill, but tliey could not mark him to ground. Time, about two liours. 



From the Leamington Spa Courier : 



OA'er a country which a Belvoir man said spoilt him for his own, the 



the same four, with the addition of Banish (81) and Clio, took the Champion Cup given 

 by the Earl of Portsmouth for the best three couples of bitches of any age. Alas, about 

 the end of July, rabies showed itself among the entry. They were at once dirided into 

 lots of about three hounds and confined in small kennels hastily run up. The fatal 

 disease lasted nearly two months and carried off about eight and a half couples, including 

 the beautiful Clinker and Clio. It was necessary to get*jHi« young hounds to go on 

 with, and other M.F.H.'s behaved very kindly. Those purchased by or given to Lord 

 Willoughby are marked with an asterisk. The eleven couples of young hounds were 

 Ivcpt separate till after Christmas, and about January 1st were put into the pack about 

 a couple at a time, but were kept strictly sepai-ate from the rest both as to feedi)ig and 

 sleeping for the rest of the season. 



* The late Mr. Charles N. Newdegate, of Arbury Hall, represented Xorth 

 Warwickshire in Parliament for over forty-two years. He died in 1887, at the age of 

 seventy-one. He was at one time a very hard rider, and he always rode young horses. 

 He always hunted, I remember, with our hounds on the day after the Hunt Ball. — 

 W. E. V. 



