Iscoyd on Boxing Day, St 



TENTH WEEK, December 28th to January 2nd. 



I could not be ubiquitous last week, and am indebted to 

 a friend for the following excellent account of Sir Watkin's 

 Boxing Day meet, at Iscoyd, and the North Staffordshire 

 sport at Woore on the following Monday : — 



On Saturday, the twenty-sixth, there was of course a 

 large gathering of holiday folk at Iscoyd Park, the seat 

 of that cheery old sportsman, Mr. P. \V. Grodsal. Every 

 available nag in and around Whitchurch had either been 

 hired or borrowed, and I heard of one sportsman who 

 actually had to hire a gee from Tarporley. Well, our 

 first draw was the snug cover at the bottom of the Park, 

 but as many foot-people had assembled round the cover 

 before the hounds were thrown in, and a brace of foxes 

 being awoke from their slumbers a little earlier than> 

 necessary, took the hint that something more than usual 

 was going on, and made the best of their way towards 

 safer quarters. Our next draw was the big ^vood at Kiln. 

 Green, and a fox was soon on foot and away over the- 

 Parkley Farin, past Whitehall Chapel, leaving Oak Bank 

 to the left, and over the road below, pointing as if for the • 

 Fenns, but, turning to the right, he ran as if for the 

 middle of the Wyches, but again turning to the right, 

 leaving Tybroughton Hall to the left, we ran past the 

 Higher Lands, over the Kiln Green Farm (near to wheie 

 we found), then on past Wolvesacre Mill, and to ground 

 in a small dingle at Agden. A man with a ferret said 

 he would try to bolt the fox, but the tables were turned, 

 the fox made the ferret bolt ; in fact, from what I could 

 see Mr. Ferret's bolt was shot. Digging was then tried, 

 but an eight-feet stick failing to reach the end of the 

 earth, the fox was left in peace. This was a slow hunting 

 run of about forty minutes. During the run some of the 

 hounds marked a fox to ground in Pj drain, while the 

 body of the pack went on with our hunted fox, so from 

 Agcien we went to this drain. A terrier at hand soon 

 bolted number one, who ran right into the jaws of 

 the hounds. A further perusal of the drain dis 

 covered number two. He was soon dislodged, and 

 made the best of his way, with one hound in very close 

 attendance, into Kiln Green Wood, just two fields away- 



