AND STIRLINGSHmE HUNT 



vacancy,^ but the negotiations fell through and 

 the situation was relieved by Mr Russel who, 

 in a very sportsmanlike way, volunteered to con- 

 tinue as master for another season,^ hoping that 

 his health might soon be restored. When cub- 

 hunting began, however, he was still indisposed, 

 and Lord Hopetoun kindly undertook the charge 

 for him, and continued to act as master until about 

 the middle of November. By that time Mr Russel, 

 if not quite in his usual vigour, was at least suffi- 

 ciently recovered to be in the field in some of 

 the worst of weather, and even to carry the horn 

 every now and again. Probably the two best runs 

 of the many which occurred this season — during 

 which hounds were out sixty-two days and killed 

 thirty-seven brace of foxes ^ — were those which 

 took place on the 22nd of January and the 19th of 

 February (1884) from fixtures at Hill wood, Ratho, 

 and Eiccarton House respectively. It was a wet 

 and stormy morning when hounds met at Hillwood, 

 and several coverts were drawn blank before they 

 found in the Barracks covert at Livingstone. From 

 that they ran at first in a westerly direction over 

 Caputhall, but turning to the right, crossed the 

 Edinburgh and Bathgate road and went on by 

 Drumcross, the Byres, Bangour-strips, Cairnpapple, 

 the Witch craig, B'ormie, and Lochcote to Bowden- 

 hill. There they changed from the line of the 

 hunted fox to that of a fresh one, but went away 



^ Minute-book, vol. i. p. 222. - Ibid., p. 224, 



3 ' Edinburgh Courant,' 2nd April 1884. 



261 



