Iscoyd — The Shropshire at Onsloio. 21 



ground, and probably the West Midland Show would 

 take advantage of it in 1886. 



My hunting budget is again a full one, although the 

 week opened with frost and snow, and spoilt the ex- 

 pectations of Baschurch on Monday. 



To begin wdth, I am anxious to find a good excuse for 

 our blank day at Lythwood. It seems that the earths 

 on Lyth Hill were not stopped. The Condover keeper, 

 who had been in the habit of doing this work, had been 

 discharged, and his successor did not know that it was 

 part of his duties. The earth is well used. The earths 

 at Hanwood were also open. This is a weak place in 

 our armour, which Thatcher, the huntsman, should look 

 after. 



On Sa^turday, the 28th of November, from Iscoyd, Sir 

 Watkin had a first rate run over an unexpected country, 

 by Maesfen, through some black peaty laonds towards 

 Norbury, and leaving Cholmondeley on the left, went on 

 straight to Vvrenbury Moss to ground. This was a fine 

 line. 



On Tuesday, December 2nd, Mr. Corbet was the only 

 master who took the field, and with a few attendants 

 had a poor day in the Burleydam country. 



Wednesday found the Shropshire at Onslow, where 

 only a small field turned up. There were plenty of 

 creature comforts for those wdio required them, and foxes 

 plentiful. A brace were soon disposed of in covert, 

 (one killed and the other run to ground). A good fox, 

 however, was found later in the day, in a small covert 

 near Ford village, alongside the disused Potteries Rail- 

 way. A very fast fifteen minutes' run resulted, over 

 the railway, and on by Preston Montford nearly to 

 Bickley Wood, where hounds threw up, and his line 

 was not recovered, the probability being that he had 

 slipped back to Preston Montford. Bickley Wood failed, 

 and there was nothing for it but home. 



Priday the 5th, had duplicate attractions in Walford 

 Hall and Aldersey Village. Both had some sport to 

 boast of. Mr. Eyton was very keen to show us a fox 

 from his spinney by the side of the Perry, but he 

 was not at home, nor was he in the small coverts 

 west of the Greit Western Railway. Directly, how- 

 ever, Thatcher t ied Merrington Wood, things assumed 

 a merrier hue. Breaking at once to the south, it 



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