80 HUNTING AND SPORTING NOTES. 



'' Mr. Wicksted, like Sir Eichard Puleston, goes out 

 five days in the fortnight. His country, (Staffordshn^e) 

 appears to be one of considerable extent, and, although 

 I am not altogether a stranger to it, I was not aware 

 that it contained woodlands of 1,015 acres, and these 

 woodlands, which ought to produce many cubs yearly, I 

 w^as sorry to find, seldom held a single litter. Fox 

 stealers abound in these parts, and Mr. Wicksted 

 remarked that if the snow should fall, so as to enable 

 the fox stealers to trace, all the foxes in these (the 

 remoter) parts of his country would be taken. Who are 

 the purchasers of these foxes? 'If there were no 

 receivers of stolen goods there would be no thieves.' 



" Shropshire, as a hunting country, I found like 

 all other hunting countries, after much rain has fallen,, 

 deep and heavy. From the strong, rich quality of the 

 soil, I should suppose it must, generally speaking, carry 

 a good scent. Its aspect is different from that of 

 Leicestershire, yet it pleased me better notwithstanding 

 the strong impression which is uniformly felt for the spot 

 wdiere we first breathed the vital air, and the country 

 which formed the scenes of early life. It so happened 

 that the frost interfered very much with my excursion to 

 Shropshire, and, what was still worse, when I went out 

 with the hounds, very little sport was obtained. The 

 hounds are very similar in appearance to those of Sir 

 H. Mainwaring, as I have already observed, and are uu- 

 commonly well managed both in the kennel and in the 

 field. Staples, the huntsman, is a philosopher in his 

 w^ay : reserved and civil, he is all attention to business ; 

 nor do I know which to admire most, his steady, cool,. 

 and quick method with his hounds, or the skill which he 

 displays in the management of his horse. He served 

 his apprenticeship under a great master, Sir Bellingham 

 Graham, and is a credit to the school in which he 

 acquired a very superior knowledge of his profession. 

 He is w^ell supported by two active clever whips. 

 Independently of its prime home brewed (which is 

 everywhere dispensed with so much good wull) Shrop- 

 shire, as a hunting country, stands pre-eminently 

 conspicuous in one respect — such a thing as a surly, 'ill- 

 tempered farmer is not to be met with ; such a being. 



