52 HUNTING AND SPOBTING NOTES. 



A bad fox at Styclie, and no better ones at Shavington, 

 made no amends for a long endurance of the pelting- 

 storm that prevailed there all day long. 



Friday, at Shawbnry, with the Shropshire, had a more 

 cheerful appearance, and a good field was there, includ- 

 ing Sir Vincent Corbet, whom all rejoiced to see looking- 

 so fit and well. Shawbury Park held a fox, who scuttled 

 off towards the river below the village to ground in three 

 fields, before half the field knew he was on his legs. 

 Then Shawbury Heath and Matthew's Coppice were 

 tried ; but it was not till we reached Sir Vincent's new 

 gorse, a very pretty and promising covert just growing 

 high enough to hold a fox, but very bad for hounds 

 to draw, that we were put on our metal again. The fox 

 was not in a hurry to leave such snug quarters, and 

 returned there from the adjoining cover before he finally 

 hardened his heart as if he meant Acton Eeynald, but 

 swinging to the right, went through Matthew's Coppice 

 to Shawbury Heath, and then putting us on the grass, 

 the run became a merry one for a few fields, strongly 

 enclosed, until an open drain close to Mr. Ward's house 

 at Hadnal received our fox, and ended our hopes of a 

 go(Kl gallop to Preston Gubbalds. The afternoon was not 

 improving, as hounds moved back to Acton Reynald, 

 where in the Tiee covert they soon found, but he was not 

 destined to live long, for he apparently broke his leg 

 coming out of the covert at some wire fencing, and of 

 course was killed there and then. • No. 4 was found in 

 the Forge Covert, near Moreton Corbett, and hounds ran 

 very fast up to the road, where they checked, and appa- 

 rently were unalle to recover the line. The majority of 

 the field went home well drenched, but Thatcher picked 

 hi in up again in the Lee, and ran him round the Park. 

 A single hound got a view, and cutting him off turned 

 him into the jaws of the pack, opposite Sir Vincent's 

 front gate, A most orthodox little fox, but, like the 

 other specimens of the day, sadly wanting in stamina. 



On the same day I hear Mr. Corbet had a brilliant 

 thirty-seven minutes from Hurlestone with a kill, not 

 straight, but worthy of the occasion. 



On Saturday, the thirty-first, Shropshire in the County 

 Town was given to selling and buying horses, and dis- 

 coursing on the hunting arrangements for next season 

 South of the Severn. The Shrewsbury horse sales are 



