The Bedale Hounds, 1832-1908 



every word to the point. 



He notes the place and time of meeting, 

 the coverts drawn, the day's sport, scent, 

 weather, the vagaries of his ' ' field, ' ' and 

 the complaints of covert holders ; of which 

 I give a specimen, 



'' 1825-26. In consequence of the innu- 

 merable foxes which Lord T. reported to 

 me were about K . . . . and attacking his 

 hares (in the middle of the day one of his 

 Lordship's keepers saw three foxes worrying 

 a hare), I selected sixteen couples of my 

 best and steadiest hounds to go to K . . . . 

 at 11 o'clock, and obey his Lordship's 

 behests. They tried every myrtle, rush, 

 whinbush, hazel-tree, brick-kiln remains, 

 thorn hedge, pleasure ground, and pheasant 

 preserve appurtenances, without ever finding 

 a fox, for nearly three hours ; except one 

 unfortunate dog fox, which was instantly 

 killed — labouring under a poisonous disorder 

 called the scab." [Surely this must have 

 been the mange ? Ed. ] 



Also a tabulated statement of every covert 

 drawn. If foxes found or not, if any killed 

 therefrom, foxes marked to ground, and 

 the sex of each killed. So that at a glance 

 one can see how different localities did or did 

 not provide foxes, and from which most 

 were killed. As will be seen later, Mr. Mark 

 Milbank adopted the same system. 



An extract from his diary of the season 

 1810-11, will give a fair idea of the sport 

 during the period he hunted the Raby 



