RESUME. 47 



Wood, where were two foxes ; ran by Cranoe and Dent's 

 Spinney . . . bore to the left and lost him near Cranoe. 

 Found again at Sheepthorns, ran round by Carlton and Burton 

 earths to Kibworth and lost. So many litters of foxes about 

 ■we went to Rolleston. Found in the Pond Spinney at 5-15 ; 

 ran very quickly down to Skeffington Vale, over Hart's farm, 

 by Ashlands, round it, by Ilston on the left through Galby 

 Spinnies, by Norton Gorse — on the left we were holloaed to a 

 fox over the brook for Houghton, which was a fresh one, but 

 having gone on from Galby it was too late. A very good 

 gallop ; 30 minutes. The last, alas ! ! ! 



R^sum^ of Season 1877-78. 



This has been a remarkably open season, during which we 

 were only stopped three or four days. Sport has been very 

 fair, foxes ver}'^ plentiful, and scent better than an average, 

 with the exception of the last month when the ground was dry 

 and hard. 



A season fraught with some good-will, but, I fear, many 

 bickerings and dissatisfactions. Satiated with too much 

 hunting and too open weather, grumbling is the natural result 

 of sportsmen (?) so affected. 



The new^ huntsman. Summers, at the beginning of the season 

 did everything that was right — killed his foxes, rode to his 

 hounds, and was a success. Then came a revulsion of feeling. 

 The over-indulged began to think him slow, he couldn't ride ! 

 he couldn't gallop ! he couldn't kill his foxes ! All this was to 

 me gall and wormwood, and it worried me so much that I 

 decided to give up the country. I felt that I had done my best 

 for the country, and they were not satisfied, so I sent in my 

 resignation ; and that again brought on great discord, as to 

 who was to be my successor. Coupland was first in the field 

 and got many friends thereby. Cunard came later on to hunt 

 the country in its present boundaries. He, of course, was 

 hailed by me and all the farmers with great enthusiasm, as we 

 did not expect to find a man to hunt the same country that I 

 had just resigned. Most of the covert owners are for Cunard, 

 but some three or four for Coupland, and so we are all at 



