43 



BRILLIANT TWENTY-FIVE MINUTES WITH THE 

 LANARKSHIRE AND RENFREWSHIRE FOX- 

 HOUNDS. 



Tuesday, February 1, — Met at Bridge of Weir. Drew the 

 strips above the village and Carruth blank ; trotted back to 

 M'Call's Covert, near Burnshields, where the "biggest fox 

 that ever was seen" broke in view of the whole field, with 

 the hounds at his brush. They went away at a perfect 

 steeple-chase pace, and only those who had their eyes open 

 when they found saw anything of this splendid burst. The 

 fox went away north, past Lawmarnock, and on nearly to 

 Barmuth Loch Dam, as if his point was Carruth. He then 

 bent away west, pointing for Calder Glen, but changing 

 his mind, " taking the privilege of the fair sex, although not a 

 vixen," turned south. At this point a momentary check 

 occurred, the hounds throwing up in a road ; but hitting it 

 off quickly again, they raced away past Barbeth and Auchin- 

 cloich across the Locher Water; and then, leaving the Marshall 

 Moor to the left, went over Barmaigh Hill to ground at Green- 

 side — time, twenty-five minutes, with hardly what you would 

 call a check, over a fine grass country, and the pace good 

 enough for the greatest glutton; in fact, up to the check the 

 hounds had rather the best of it. The first sixteen minutes, 

 the cream of the thing, those who had the luck to get well 

 away with the hounds and stuck to them, were Squires, Messrs. 

 Orr, Thorburn, Couper, Hinshaw, Anderson, and two hard- 

 riding young 'uns, Messrs. Colhns and Dunloj), also a heavy 

 weight on a bay, whose name I could not find out. Some 

 other good men who ride to these hounds, although not in 

 the first flis:ht, were there or thereabouts. 



LANARKSHIRE & RENFREWSHIRE FOX-HOUNDS. 



These hounds began cub-hunting on the 11th September, 

 and were out fifteen days in Lanarkshre, and twice in Ren- 



