82 THE ESSEX FOXHOUNDS. 



to the season 182 1-2, are contained in a diary kept by 

 the late Mr. Sheffield Neave. At this time the hunt 

 servants were Holmes and Cole, the former being hunts- 

 man. The Squire had already developed a taste for 

 bagging foxes, for early in the season Mr. Neave notes 

 that "hounds found at Man Wood (no scent) and in 

 five minutes two puppies were baying at a rabbit earth ; 

 the hounds at fault. Got a spade and dug out, not a 

 fox, but a cat (had the bag all ready to carry him to 

 a better country). The best part of the field were 

 capped before they discovered it — I among the number ! " 

 Shortly afterwards Mr. Conyers was in ecstasies over 

 a run from Witney Wood by Willingale and Skreens, 

 without touching a covert, to Lords, where they killed. 

 The diarist, having mistaken the meet, was naturally 

 mad with vexation at losing the run. 



In February a small dog fox, very slightly made, gave 

 them two extraordinary runs from Hempstead Wood. On 

 the first occasion they ran him nearly to Sudbury, whence 

 he returned a short distance and was lost, after a run of 

 upwards of twenty miles, which was followed by a dinner at 

 Dunmow, with " fourteen bottles between eight." Three 

 weeks later they found him again, and when certain 

 holloaing farmers prevented the hounds from settling to 



