BEST SEASON FOR 30 YEARS. 21 



Resume of Season, 1859-1860. 



April 7th. And thus, alas ! ends the hunting season, 1859-1860, 

 a season unprecedented almost in its amount of sport in our 

 country, a very old sportsman having remarked to me the 

 other day that we had not seen so good a season since 1830, 

 when Lord Southampton hunted the Quorn country ; for 

 myself I can safely say I have never seen so good a season, 

 the scent in the early part was almost always good in conse- 

 quence of the ground being wet, our great obstacles since 

 Christmas have been the violent wind and stormy equinoctual 

 gales ; the latter end of November and the beginning of 

 December were our best scenting weeks ; after that we had a 

 good deal of frost. In the middle of January again we had 

 good sport. From the 5th to the 14th of January we had 

 three of the best runs I ever saw. The hounds and huntsmen 

 have done their work remarkably well, and I think have given 

 universal satisfaction. They have been out 65 days, killed 28 

 foxes, and run to ground 35 more. I have lost about 4 couple 

 of hounds altogether — 2^ couple were poisoned in Tilton 

 Wood, — and I have no doubt in my own mind who the guilty 

 party was, but I can't convince his master. The others have 

 been ridden over and died from other causes. My three 

 bitches from Belvoir are all turning out well, and I think my 

 last entry generally has been very successful. Altogether 

 I have every reason to be perfectly satisfied with the result 

 of the season. Foxes have been more plentiful than ever ; I 

 know we have left plenty to breed from, and so good-bye to 

 hunting diaries for another six months. It is long to look 

 forward to ! 



Number of days hunted : — 



Cub-hunting - - 24 

 Regular hunting - 65 



89 



Foxes killed - - - 42 



Foxes run to ground - 42 



