THE NORTH WARWICKSHIRE. 507 



THE NORTH WARWICKSHIRE, 



On Monday, Feb. 1G, took mc into a grass country I had 

 never known before. When I ventured to put the " Hunting- 

 Countries of England" into press, this Birmingham district 

 was distinctly and essentially plough — as I might call Tom 

 Firr to witness. Now it has recognised its inefficiency as corn- 

 growing land, and has very properly reverted to grass. And 

 grass it is — broad acred, good scenting, well foxed, and lightly 

 fenced. I have it, indeed, in my mind's eye for approaching 

 age — an arena upon which hounds can fly, and on which 

 I shall be forced to face no terrors of top-binder or implacable 

 timber. In the morning we found a fox, we found a canal, 

 and we found a railway, all in the neighbourhood of Bush 

 Wood — and we played upon the three together for an hour 

 and a half, when fox payed forfeit. But this was not the wild 

 country. It was more immediately the country resort of 

 Birmingham, whose villa residences "reddled" every hill. 

 Keen sportsmen, too, are the men of Brummagem — their 

 spirits as yet untrammelled by any of the cares of personal 

 adornment, or the mere foppery of the hunting field. But 

 they are enthusiastic — and their share of Warwickshire is 

 worthy of their enthusiasm. Hob Ditch was the covert from 

 which my day's reward began ; and gratefully can I speak of 

 the next forty minutes, under a very summer sun. It was 

 not straight : but that was not our fox's fault. He was thrice 

 driven aside and backward. But he told off 25 hot and merry 

 minutes, when he came back from Liveridge Hill to Ullenhall, 

 and beat Mr. Ashton's clever, and driving, " big pack " by 

 means of road and village. 



On Tuesday, Feb. 17, the smaller pack of the same kennel 

 were at Rugby, for the sake of comparison. Yesterday, a pony 

 and antigropolo field ; to-day, apparently all middle-England 

 under the banner of North Warwickshire. There were at least 

 three foxes at Hilmorton Gorse, and there was a run — that 



