AND STIULINGSHIRE HUNT 



on the Stirlingshire bank of the Avon, near Bedford, 

 to Champfleurie.-^ A chase through a wild country, 

 from Williamston covert to the Easter Cairn and 

 thence to Spittal hill — about eight miles as the 

 crow flies — briefly describes the sport of the 8th 

 of December; 2 while on the 15th, hounds worked 

 well in the Howden district, for over two hours, 

 before they ran into their fox in the open, near 

 Houstoun House, ^ Ten days later the country was 

 bound by frost, and it seemed as if the hunting of 

 1908 were at an end, but the rapid thaw which set 

 in on the 30th of the month enabled Mr Gillon to 

 keep his fixture at Westwood on the last day of the 

 year, and resulted in another run — from Cousland 

 to Calderwood — taking place. ^ As, with sport, the 

 old year ended, so, with sport, the new year began, 

 — the 2nd of January (1909) being productive of 

 a good run from Bangour, with a point of between 

 five and six miles, over a line probably not dis- 

 similar to that which Major Ponsonby Cox had in 

 his mind's eye when he wrote, — 



" Bangour has held a fox to-day ; 

 And now with heaving flank, 

 Long, gaunt, and grey — if all goes well 

 His line is Gowanbank." ^ 



After pointing for Bankhead and South Mains, 

 hounds ran westwards by the Witch craig to Cairn- 



1 'The Scotsman,' 14th December 1908. 



- Ibid., 9th and 11th December 1908. 



3 Ibid., 16th December 1908. ■* Ibid., 2nd January 1909. 



* 'The Opening of the Line,' by Ponsonby Cox, 1886, p. 47. 



325 



