346 FIELD AND FERX. 



and was made by Walker during its owner's school- 

 days in four bits of ten or twelve acres each ; and it 

 was there that " Merry John" claims to have blooded 

 in due form both Captain Thomson and Major 

 Whyte Melville an afternoon's work well worth 

 remembering. Stravithie is also a very strong and 

 noted gorse of twenty-six acres, and the finest 

 woodlands are Melville, Falkland, Airdrie, the Earl 

 of Leven's woods, Dhu Craigs, &c. 



Captain Thomson generally kept about forty-two 

 couple of working hounds, and ran them mixed. 

 Charleton, New Inn, and Torriburn were all stations, 

 and much they were needed ; but Cupar was deso- 

 late. The old kennels form part of the coal depot 

 at the railway, the flags are in the Charleton kennel, 

 and old Shepherd, the feeder, is still in commission 

 at New Inn. The hounds were out in the meadow 

 behind, and a waive from the Captain would have 

 sent them off in a crack to make inquiries at Not- 

 tingham. Old age was creeping on the grey-eyed 

 Ballywood ; Ornament, half-brother to the late Tom 

 Sebright's beloved Ottoman, looked as if he had been 

 " boxing a bit ;" and Eavisher of the delicate nose 

 had got it all scratched in puzzling out his fox the 

 evening before, among the ivied ruins of Balmerino. 

 "Ravisher and Hansom by Wemyss's Eingwood were 

 the only Blossoms left out of the seventeen, and have 

 all the fine, low-scented properties of their grand- 

 sire, Drake's Duster. There, too, were Bajazet, 

 Bondsman, and Bonny Lass ; but Baronet, the best 



