32 HUNTING AND SPOBTING NOTES. 



Here lie dwelt for some time, and eventually broke, but 

 •only to run into the nearest farm stackyard. He was seen 

 to go into the stackyard, but not a soul ever saw him go 

 out, so the question arose, *' Where can he be? " Well, an 

 old hand (we heard him described as a vile old fox-slayer) 

 was seen riding quietly about amongst stacks and turnip 

 *' hods " and at last he detected a hole at the bottomi of a 

 door out of the stack-yard into a portion of the buildings. 

 He said, "The fox has gone through that hole, judging 

 from the clean appearance of the floor " and true enough 

 Reynard w^as there. Rustic number one, on being asked 

 to search failed to find him, but ru-<tic number two said, 

 " If he is in here I'll find him," but the fox found him first 

 judging from the way rustic number two gave tongue. 

 Having dispatched this " rat of a fox," — for he was found 

 in a drain and killed in the farm buildings, we proceeded to 

 Scholar's Wood, close to the Wyches. Hounds had drawn 

 the cover when a whimper was heard, and in a very short 

 time the whole pack opened. The cover being small the 

 fox was sooii away, and so were the hounds, and they ran 

 at a good j)ace up to Agden, skirting the dingle, where we 

 had run to ground in the morning. From Adgen the line 

 was to Grindley Brook, then over the canal and railway 

 past Mr. Ethelston's of Hinton, over the Tarporley Road, 

 and up the hill, as if for Peel's Gorse, but suddenly turnnig 

 to the left, w^e ran across Mr. ISTunnerlev's farm, and down 

 into the valley, as if pointing for Barmere, but poor 

 Reynard, being hard pressed, turned to the right, no doubt 

 to seek the friendly earth on the Quoisley Farm, but 

 although within a stone's throw he failed, and was pulled 

 down after a capital burst of thirty minutes, and that over 

 a country that foxes seldom take from the Wyches side. 



Morth Stafford, at VYoore, on Monday the 28th. The 

 night had been very windy, although free from rain, con- 

 sequently the chances were that foxes were stopped "in" in- 

 stead of " out." Can Ridding, Ten Brooks, and Arrows 

 Wood all proved tenantless but not so a " Court of 

 Chancery " Wood Mill Hayes by name. Well, all I can 

 say is this, that if the Court of Ohancery would only get 

 as quick through its work as this fox was in quitting their 

 property, a great relief would be felt to many. Good 

 fox ! He did not wait for any affidavit to be filed to say 



