250 THE WAEWICKSHIRE HUNT. [1893 



the lane, went np the meadows, recrossing the Aleester Road, dashing 

 through a flock of sheep, and over the Midland Railway. Here the field 

 divided, some taking the bridge to the right, and others going under the 

 archway we had previously come by. Hounds simply ran splendidly over the 

 sheep foil, and, with one little lift from the master after crossing the line, 

 they again got on good terms with their fox, and pressed him through the 

 little wood near the Aleester Road, crossed that, and by Chicken Meadow 

 Barn to Cold Comfort Wood, straight through this big covert, and across the 

 open into Three Oak Hill, where, after ten minutes' good close hunting, he 

 was killed about fifty yards from Purser's Meadow. They found their first 

 fox soon after 12, and killed at 3.40. How many times they changed I 

 cannot say ; ]:)ut I know that they were hunting nearly all the time, and had 

 several very jn-etty bursts. The distance was measured carefully on the 

 Ordnance ma^), and it was over twenty miles ; and, considering the drought 

 and heat, it was a woodland run well worth recoi-ding. The sun shone like 

 Jidy the whole time, and even those who had second horses were perfectly 

 satisfied. 



On March 22nd the annual meeting of subscribers to 

 the hounds and owners of coverts was held at the Warwick 

 Arms. A vote of thanks was passed to Lord Willoughby 

 de Broke for the handsome manner in which he had 

 hunted the country, and for the sport he had shown. 



A cordial vote of thanks was proposed by Lord Noi-th 

 and seconded by Lord Willoughby, and accorded to 

 Mr. Jolliffe for having acceded to the request of the latter 

 by taking down the entire rabbit netting on his property. 



From Lord Willoughby 's diary : 



It was a very poor season's sport up to Christmas, but rather better after- 

 wards. March was very dry, and the season was very forward : the hedges 

 green, and the ground as hard as iron, and hunting was given up on 

 March 21st. 



Hunted on ninety-six days. Killed seventy-eight foxes, and ran thirty- 

 one to ground. 



From Sir C. Mordaunt's diary : 



The hounds found eight times in Oxhill Covert, including three times in 

 one day. 



There was no rain from the beginning of March for three months, and the 

 summer was tine, with a good many warm days. 



A great many foxes in the centre of the country had died of mange during 

 the two past seasons, and it is spreading into other parts of it to such an 

 extent that the country is likely to be short of foxes eventually if it continues. 

 A litter of eight cubs was bred in the manger of the field bam on Thornton 

 Farm, at Walton. My daughters went to see them, and one of them took up 

 one of the cubs and carried it about for a short time. When the vixen fox 

 moved the cubs away, which she did shortly afterwards, to Thornton Wood, 

 she left the one which had been handled in the manger, no douljt having 



