30 FRANK GOODALL. 



December 7th. Met at Shearsby. Found at Jane Ball ; went away 

 at the bottom of the cover along the valley. This was the 

 hardest day I ever saw^ — we were running from 11-30 till 4 p.m. 

 with the single intermission of a quarter-of-an-hour whilst 

 we were going from Bosworth Gorse to John Ball to draw. 

 The hounds did not get home till nine o'clock. 



1864. 



March 9th and loth. Three feet of snow ; could not hunt. 

 Number of days — 



Cub hunting - 28 foxes killed - 24 to ground - 22 

 Rugular hunting 74 „ „ - 33 „ „ - 55 



102 56 77 



Total foxes killed since 1856 - 344 



Resume of Season 1863-64. 



1864. April 9th. Finished a rather indifferent season. The 

 weather so capricious we could never depend upon it two days 

 together, consequently the scent was not good. Ran an unusual 

 lot of foxes to ground owing to the dryness of the drains. The 

 hounds generally did their work well, and were very steady 

 under the new huntsman (Frank Goodall), who seems to be 

 much liked. I was unlucky in losing 2^ couples of brood 

 bitches in whelp about Christmas, proving to me the undesira- 

 bility of breeding in the cold weather. Horses were pretty 

 lucky — only tw^o killed — one staked by myself, the other ridden 

 to death by the second whip. 



We leave the country very full of foxes, as it has been all 

 the season, as my very heavy poultry bills can testify. 



Summary of Season 1864-65. 



I suppose I must agree with the general opinion that this 

 has been the worst season ever known, what with continued 

 frost, deep snow, high winds, and hard ground we could never 

 expect sport, though I must say that I have run half a dozen 

 runs this season as good as any I ever saw in my life. The 

 foxes have been particularly good and stout, making very good 



