The Fanners — Fox Preservers, &c. 205 



lordship was going out by the Woodland Meets 

 during his absence, for the purpose of driving the 

 foxes into the open. 



Although Yardley Chase was a long way from 

 me I always had a great affection for it ; hounds 

 could always act there, and nowhere was better 

 hunting to be seen than in the woods and in the 

 surrounding country. 



A subject now comes up upon which I dare 

 hardly trust myself to write, as it has no re- 

 deeming feature in the eyes of a fox-hunter, and 

 one cannot but regret that it has attractions for 

 the farmer; the thing meant is "Barbed Wire." 

 It may well be said of it that " the snake has risen 

 out of the grass and secreted itself in the hedge I " 

 and that so effectually that it is not visible to the 

 naked eye, and until its horrid fangs are stuck into 

 a poor horse there is no warningof its presence. 

 It must be hoped that good offices and good-nature 

 may avail to overcome the difficulty and lessen 

 the danger. 



The Grafton country is perhaps second to none 

 for making a pack of hounds perfect in their work, 

 if they be kept what one may call "indoors" 

 during cub-hunting. No man knew better what a 

 pack of hounds should do, and how they ought to 

 do it, than the late Lord Southampton. He was 



