NIMROUS NORTHERN TOUR. 



e, and he instantly brought the body of the pack on the line, 

 but they soon threw up again. Having an eye to his point how- 

 ever, he persisted in pursuing the line, even beyond what appeared 

 to me to be warrantable, as not a hound even feathered on a 

 scent ; but he was rewarded for his perseverance. He had the 

 pleasure of seeing his hounds take up the scent all at once 

 through a gate, into a grass field, and never quit it till they ran 

 kito their fox at the end of forty minutes (an hour in all), over a 

 fine scenting country ! I did not see the finish, having been 

 64 ten minutes behind time," as we say on the road; but the 

 depth of the ground and the pace were not suited to something 

 little better than dealers' condition, and I was fearful of trespass- 

 ing too far upon a promising young horse, which Mr. Ramsay 

 told me was not in strong work. 



Two horses distinguished themselves in this short, but sharp 

 affair, and were in consequence sold. One was a bay horse 

 ridden by a wealthy farmer by the name of Wilkie the Thomlin 

 of that part of the world and purchased by Captain Peter Hay, 

 f Mugdrum-house, in Fife (who went as usual on his celebrated 

 Id horse Coroner), at the now large price of two hundred 

 guineas. The other was a grey, showing a great deal of blood, 

 and who, although sadly over-weighted but none but the well- 

 bred ones can do it cleared a ditch and a bank and a wall in 

 great style towards the end of the run. The space covered was 

 afterwards measured by Mr. Wilkie, and found to be twenty-two 

 feet, from hind foot to hind foot. It is true he had a good work- 

 man upon his back, of the name of Mountain, formerly groom to 

 Colonel Fotheringham, of whom I have already spoken, as 

 having had Mr. Musters for his guest. Two or three of the field 

 were nibbling at the grey, amongst them Captain P. Hay and 

 Mr. Ramsay ; but declined him on account of his speedy- 

 cutting, as it is termed ; but as I hold that to be no serious 

 bjection to a good hunter, I recommended him to Sir David 

 Baird, who purchased him.* 



Mr. Ramsay rode a very clever hunter this day a chestnut, 

 with a blaze of white down his face which I was told is his 

 favourite horse, and he certainly appeared perfect Lord Hope- 

 toun was also splendidly mounted, and rode well to the hounds. 

 I do hope, however, I may live to see the scissors applied to the 

 tails of hunters. What is the object of the switch tail ? Is it to 

 make the hunters under sixteen stone about Lord H.'s mark 



* In a letter I received from a friend, describing a capital hill run of 

 5fty minutes with the Duke of Buccleuch, at the end of last season, it 

 was stated that Captain Peter Hay showed them all the way on this 

 iorse, the last quarter of an hour. 



