SIR TH0:MAS ISIOSTYN 131 



Astley's hounds — there being no room in Norfolk for foxes and 

 pheasants, consequently no need of fox-hounds ! 



The Old Berkeley hounds, however, have one characteristic, and 

 that by no means to be despised : they are very steady from riot, 

 very true to the line, and, with a scent, pretty sure of their fox. 

 Although I think Bob Oldaker is himself as good as one and a half 

 of many whippers-in I have seen, yet the other half would not be 

 amiss — not merely for the look of the thing (although fox-hounds 

 certainly do not look complete without two whippers-in) — but 

 because one whipper-in ought always to be with the huntsman to 

 turn his pack to him when at fault, whilst the other is bringing up 

 the tail-hounds. I saw no fault with the condition of the Old 

 Berkeley hounds, taking into consideration the great extent of 

 country they travel over, the frequent change of kennel, and the very 

 wet weather they had so long been exposed to. 



On Thursday the 24th, I took my leave of Mr. Combe, and met 

 Sir Thonaas Mostyn's hounds at Stratton Ardley in the Bicester 

 country. We did not find till we got to Gravenhill, where a dodging 

 fox kept us a full hour in the covert, and then got to gi'ound in a 

 stone quarry, before he had run three fields. We found again, and 

 had tw^o of the sharpest bursts of the year. At the end of the second, 

 seven of us leaped Lord Jersey's park-wall '''' — Mr. Henry Kingscote 

 going first upon " the Baby " — only seventeen hands high. I looked 

 with admiration at the pack of hounds Tom Wingfield brought to 

 covert on this day, nor shall I very soon forget the pace they went, 

 or the quickness with which they turned to their fox. At one period 

 it was evident that two bitches had the speed of the whole pack. 



The Duke of Beaufort's hounds being now returned from their 

 home country, I met them on the 25th at Heythorpe, which 

 is the usual place of their meeting on the first day. It is well 

 chosen for a show-day, as foxes seldom quit the park, and the 

 rides in and about it are very pleasant. Contrary to custom, how- 

 ever, on this day two foxes went away, but we did nothing worth 



* Different accounts having been given of the height of this wall, I wrote to 

 Mr. Deakins of Bicester for the particulars. His answer is — "The Earl of 

 Jersey's park wall, on the Oxford road, is nearly seven feet high ; it is mortar 

 in the middle and the top, and is what is called a fast wall. The Kidlington 

 side (where we leaped it) is about five feet and a half high." 



