226 England's oldest hunt. 



nearly to Nunnington, turned to the right again through Caukless, 

 past the cover where we found across the railway, leaving Fryton on 

 the left, right on to Hovingham Woods to ground ; a clipping run of 

 one hour. Found again in Caukless, a ring on the top, then on to South 

 Holme, forward to Ness, then pointing for Salton, but did not cross 

 the Rye, but running to the right and leaving South Holme on the right, 

 straight on to Slingsby Station, and was pulled down near Butterwick 

 after a splendid run of fifty-five minutes. Messrs. J. and W. Brown, 

 J. Richardson, J. Foxton, and Tom Ellerby all going well, especially 

 John Richardson, to whom I gave the brush. 



January 10, 1880. — Met at Normanby ; found in Skelton's Whin, 

 away to the East, then to the left to Riseborough, over the hill and away 

 to Dawson Wood to Hell Bank, crossed the Severn to Cropton, then to 

 the left, re-crossed the Severn, and on to Lastingham ; forward over 

 the top to Lingmoor, turned short for Hutton Banks, and on to the 

 Moor to Spaunton Lodge up the hollow for a mile, then on the moor, 

 leaving Rosedale on the left to the main earth at Conn Roof, where 

 our good fox got to ground ; a splendid run of nearly two hours. From 

 Skelton Whin to Dawson Wood hounds ran extremely fast, Mr. John 

 Richardson again leading the van. 



March 9, 1880. — Met at Helmsley ; found in the Terrace at Dun- 

 combe Park, broke to the South, crossed the Rye to the right, through 

 Beach Wood to the far moor, leaving Antofts to the left, away across 

 Briary Hill, Scawton Howl, Flassedale to Old Byland, then over to 

 Caledale, past Murton to Silver Hill, where hounds raced into their fox 

 after a most brilliant run, after a chase of two hours at best pace all the 

 way, without the semblance of a check. This was a most handsome 

 dog fox, one of the noblest I ever saw ; he weighed 16-lbs., far above 

 the average weight of foxes. 



Aproiws of the weight of foxes, Mr. Parrington wrote to 

 the " Sporting Times " in December, 1906, and gave as his 

 opinion that the average weight of a full-grown fox is only 

 9-lb., to which a correspondent, signing himself " Chasseur,'* 

 replied in the following issue : — 



I must disagree with Mr. Parrington's letter as to the average 

 weight of a full-grown fox being only 9-lbs. I have handled a good 

 many, and would put a dog fox at about 13-lbs., and a vixen at 2-lbs. 

 less, and I think the majority of huntsmen will bear this out. Apropos, 

 I was walking round some kennels with an American gentleman, and 

 this very subject arose, and his remark was, " Wall, if it takes a ton 

 of hounds to catch a stone of fox, he don't go far in chewing gum." 



On the other hand, " The British Yeoman " wrote : — 

 Mr. Parrington's letter about foxes in last week's issue reminds me 

 of the biggest fox I ever saw. He was killed by two couple of hounds, 



