1890] AN EXTRAORDINARY FEAT. 175 



to Owliiig-ton House, where the fox was kiHed in tlic poud after a run of two 

 liours.* 



Stopped by frost from December 27th to January 5tli. 



January 1th, Oxhill. — Fouml at Oxldll Covert, ran well l\y Kirliy House, 

 and left Tysoe on the right, and kept on as if for Kineton Oaks ; but turned 

 to the rig-ht up the hill, and away at the top as if for Upton, but turned to 

 the right, and ran to ground just above Epwell. after a good run of fifty 

 minutes. Found at the Blackthorn Covert at Honington, ran towards Kirl)y. 

 and In' Oxhill Covert nearly to Pillerton, and back towards Half'ord Bridge, 

 and thence to the fox covert at Idlicote, where there were several fresh foxes. 

 and we had to give it up, after a capital thirty-five mimites without a check. 



January i)th, Snitterfield. — Found plenty of foxes in Snitterfield Bushes, 

 got away, and ran by Bearley Station, over the railway and tlie canal, and past 

 Aston Cautlow, between Great and Little Alne, nearly to Spernal Park, and 

 by Bush Wood ; through Forwoods Park, by Preston Bagot, over the river, 

 and to ground under the railway near Gannaway Grove, after a capital run of 

 one hour and a quarter, only touching one small covert. 



" Rusticus Expectans " had an account of this nin in 

 the Field : 



On Thursday, January 9th, we were at Snitterfield, and a good wild fox 

 took us a wide horseshoe ring nearly to Aston Grove, l\v Aston Cantlow, and 

 back to Wooton Wawen Hoiise, to ground under the railway near Gannaway. 

 If a sheepdog had not run the fox between Wooton Wawen House and 

 Spernall Park, we must have handled him. A rough-and-tund)le country, 

 though Lord Willough])y, wlio did an extraordinary feat with Balloon, and 

 pounded the field, was never far from them. He got the horse to jump up 

 after him a foot and a half on to a guarded plank over the river, and then led 

 him over. No one else could emulate this Blondin horse feat, so our huntsman 

 had them to himself for a quarter of an hour, and when we caught him, by a 

 lucky turn and hard riding, he went away again in front. If this run had 

 ended with blood it would have l)een quite good. As it was, the field were 

 distributed all over the country, and those who did not get away from th<> 

 Bushes hardly saw hounds again. Mr. Eric North was never far from 

 h(miids. 



" Rusticus Expectans," in the Field -. 



Friday, January 24th, at Badway. — " When in dou))t play trumps," said 



* A curious fact transpired afterwards with respect to this run, which proves we 

 were running the same fox all the time. Squire Lucy saw the fox when out shooting a 

 day or two before the meet at Newbold. He remarked to Masters, the keeper, that the 

 fox had a collar round bis neck. Masters thought it must have been a bit of grass out 

 of the hedge. When the fox was killed at Owlington, he was found to have a collar 

 made of two leather garters round his neck. It appears that this fox had been brought 

 to Mr. Hoddinott, of Westfield, Lighthorne, when a cub, and had been tied up with 

 this collar on, but had made his escape, and had never been lieard of again. This 

 proves, I say, that we were running the same fox, as he was found close to where Mr. 

 Lucy sawHiim, though John Creed, the Chesterton keeper, told me that there were two 

 foxes in front of them when they came to Chesterton Wood, and that they must have 

 killed the one they were running there and then if they had not checked in the Long 

 Meadow below Barn Hill. A Warwickshire fox, however, at the end of December is a 

 very stout article, and takes a lot of killing above ground. — " Rusticus Expectans," 

 in the Field. 



