AND STIRLINGSHIRE HUNT 



Buccleuch country. In the Dechmont country, 

 about nine miles from the kennels, the ground is 

 sound and good, and all on old grass. The crack 

 gorse of the country is Riccarton hill, and Champ- 

 fleurie laurels have had a great repute. . . . Mac- 

 bie hill is a great rendezvous for old Peeblesshire 

 foxes, which go back at the lambing time, and 

 generally faster than they come. Morton covert 

 is a capital cover, about three miles from Mid- 

 calder, and gives many a fine run over the Cairn 

 hill. It is almost always a sure find, and the fox 

 is as surely a stout one. There is another famous 

 whin half-way between Uphall and Midcalder, 

 whose owner, Mr Peter M'Lagan, is a most 

 staunch game - preserver. Houstoun gorse was 

 also a favourite find in the late Mr Ramsay's 

 time, but now, alas ! it is almost a desert. There 

 are miles of moss both about Cairn hill and in the 

 Carnwath country, and a huntsman has to ^ pick 

 and creep and screiv' to keep near his hounds at 

 all, and even when Stracey is on North Briton, 

 he is often in sad tribulation. In fact it is a 

 regular choker over such a country, and the 

 hounds do it pretty much by themselves. As 

 Stracey graphically puts it, ' They have a turn 

 at the Pentland hills from Malleny, and face the 

 hills up wind a mile as hard as they can rattle ; 

 then they sink the wind ; they never care which 

 way the wind blows, and I'm blowed if you can 

 tell what to do with them, it would puzzle mortal 



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