120 RECORDS OF THE CHASE 



when they were also engaged with their corn-harvest? 

 They always were a liberal sporting class of men, and 

 their example is worthy of imitation. 



The North Warwickshire country having for several 

 seasons been without hounds, the Dunchurch side ex- 

 cepted, in 1850 it was arranged w4th Captain Thomson, 

 the master of the Atherstone, that he should hunt a 

 part of it as far as Hampton Coppice, Stonebridge, and 

 Packington; the other portion to be hunted by the 

 Warwickshire two days a week; a subscription being 

 entered into at Birmingham to meet the extra expenses. 

 At that time the Warwickshire kennels had to find 

 hounds, horses, and men for six days in the week. This 

 was accomplished by the whipper-in performing the 

 duties of huntsman in the North Warwickshire district. 

 Mr. Selby Lowndes, after having shown great sport in a 

 portion of the Duke of Grafton's country during the 

 preceding ten years, returned it to Lord Southampton 

 in the spring of 1853, and entered upon North Warwick- 

 shire. 



As Leamington is provided with railway accomoda- 

 tion, there is no difficulty in reaching either the Quom, 

 the Pytchley, Lord Southampton's, Mr. Drake's, or 

 even the Heythrop hounds, at some of their places of 

 meeting, if the sportsman is desirous to vary the field 

 of his amusements ; which he may sometimes be induced 

 to do, for it must be admitted that many of the best 

 parts of the Warwickshire country lay very wide. The 

 North Warwickshire will, no doubt, be again con- 

 sidered as the Leamington pack; but there will be, as 

 there always have been, many sportsmen frequenting 

 that town who will not admire the heavy plough and 

 woodlands which mostly prevail. 



The Warwickshire country, as at present defined, 

 extends from Marton Village, between four and five 

 miles north of Southam, to Wolford Wood, near More- 

 ton-in-the-Marsh, and from Radboume on the east to 

 Oversley Wood on the west. It is thus surrounded by 

 other hunts : the North Warwickshu-e, Mr. Drake, on 



