1887] RACES IN OLD TIMES. 153 



From Sir C. Mordaunt's diary : 



After uiue more or less cold and wet summers, tliere at last came one 

 which Avas tine and Avarm. It was the summer of the Queen's Jubilee. 



Tlie Warwickshire Yeomanry went into camp this year in Ragley Park, 

 in August, for their annual training, under command of Colonel Paulet. Tht; 

 weather was very hot and fine. The experiment was a great success. 



The autumn was nearly as fine as the summer, and we had very good 

 grouse shooting and deer stalking. During thii-ty-two days' stalking, I 

 killed 102 stags, tlie largest numl)er I ever got in one season. One of them 

 had a beautiful liead with fourteen points. 



One day I was looking through the telesc(jpe, and saw that a lierd of deer, 

 about two miles and a half distant, seemed a good deal distui-bed, and for 

 some time I could not understand tlie reason, because it was on a Sunday, and 

 I knew that no one could be near them. At last I saw one of the large sea 

 eagles or ospreys above them. Several of the smallest stags appeared to be 

 the most alarmed, and the eagle Ijy degi-ees succeeded in driving one of these 

 out of the herd. He then swooped down upon the stag. I expected to see 

 the eagle strike him either witli his lieak or with his talons, but every time he 

 struck him it was witli the centre j(jint of his wing. Each time after striking 

 him he soared up high in the air, and returned and struck him again, in all 

 about six times, and then the stag fell dead. The eagle probably Avould not 

 return for two or three days to jirey upon the stag, as the former likes his 

 food best in a very decomposed state, and the fox and the raven would have 

 their opportunity first. 



The World said, about this date -. 



A portion of Lord Watei-ford's stud was recently disposed of at Rugby ; 

 but most of his own magnificent lot of hunters, the creme de la cretne of the 

 stud, ai'e at Limber, where they do not eat their heads off in idleness, as Mr. 

 Richardson keeps them in wind and condition l)y riding them daily with the 

 Brocklesby jmck. His lordship's hounds are temporarily disti-ibuted amongst 

 his friends. There are four couples in the Brocklesby kennels ; and Mr. 

 Wemyss, master of the Burton, iias taken ten couples. The Marquis of 

 Worcester, Lord Coventry, and Lord Willougliby de Broke have also got 

 some, so that mo.st of tlie pack gets worked. 



We now begin to give an account of some of the 

 interesting point-to-point races which took place in the 

 county. We go back a long way for the first one. 



AN OLD WARWICKSHIRE POINT-TO-POINT RACE. 

 January 28th, 1832. 



The steeiilechase for a sweep.stakes of 50 sovs., hy five su])scril)ers of 

 10 sovs. each, came off on Wednesday last, l)ut did not turn out so brilliant 

 an affair as was anticipated. It had previously excited considerable interest 

 in sporting circles here, and a numerous asseml)lage of persons, among whom 

 we noticed several ladies in carriages, were attracted to the scene. The 

 ground fixed upon was from a barn near Oakley Wood to Chesterton Wind- 

 mill, about three miles. The race was subject to the usual conditions. 



