The Vine Hunt, from 1824 to 1834. 89 



Monday, Wednesday, and Friday ; and on Monday, 

 Thursday, and Saturday in the alternate weeks. Each 

 day had its own country appropriated to it. Monday 

 was always on the south side of the Great Western 

 Road; Thursday in the Dean's Wood country, be- 

 tween that road and the Vale; Wednesday, in the 

 Pole's Wood and Hurstbourne Park country ; the last 

 day in the week, whether Friday or Saturday, some- 

 where in the Vale. The Monday country could 

 hardly stand the weekly demands made upon it ; and 

 would have been altogether insufficient had it not 

 been for the aid of many a good day's sport with 

 foxes driven away by the H.H., and going back into 

 that country. 



For the first two seasons after the loss of Mr. 

 Chute, foxes were very scarce. The interest in hunt- 

 ing seemed for a time to be gone; no system of 

 preserving had been established, and many litters of 

 foxes were stolen or destroyed ; but the few that were 

 found, being mostly old foxes, afforded capital sport. 

 In Adamson's first season, under Mr. Pole, he drew 

 fourteen blanks and killed fourteen brace of foxes, 

 with many excellent runs. The result of his second 

 season, with Mr. Beaver, was nearly the same; but 

 when Mr. Fellowes assumed the command, things 

 rapidly mended. There was generally a fair supply 

 of foxes ; and he often killed about twenty-four brace, 

 and sometimes more, in a season. The pack was 

 seldom out of blood, though Mr. Fellowes very rarely 

 dug a fox after regular hunting had commenced. He 

 considered that a fox was generally of more use to 

 him alive than dead. I have only to add that the 

 riding in the Vine Hunt was greatly improved at 



