THE WARWICKSHIRE HOUNDS. 203 



Banbury, and then on over the high road, and down the Appendix B, 

 valley by Chamberlayne's Gorse, which, as "Castor" 

 well knows, is a very natural and usual run for a fox 

 to take. 



Yours, &c., 



W. R. VERNEY. 



To the Editor of the Ba>'bury Guardian. 



I must thank the Rev. G. Miller and the Hon. and 

 Rev. W. R. Verney for their interesting notes. 

 Respecting the latter gentleman's suggestion concerning 

 the Bourton-on-the- Water run, I am afraid I cannot 

 coincide with his opinion respecting the finish. There 

 is only a very few miles difference between Bourton-on- 

 the-Water and Bourton-on-the-Hill, certainly not 

 enough to affect the severe nature of the run. As 

 regards Little Bourton, I am aware that it would be a 

 very natural line for a fox to take, but I hold in this 

 case it would reduce the run too considerably. The 

 hounds ran for four hours and a quarter having gone a 

 distance of at least thirty-five miles, according to an 

 account given at the time by "A Veteran Foxhunter." 

 They were stopped by the huntsman, who had followed 

 them on a hack, at a quarter past five, as it was get- 

 ting dark. So far as we can learn none of the field 

 lived to the end of the run. We are told that most of 

 the horses were tired soon after leaving Banbury, and 

 "that no horse got to the stable he came from that 

 morning, while most of the sportsmen were compelled 

 to spend a night out. This would not have been likely 

 to have been the case had the run finished at Little 

 Bourton, and I really see no reason to curtail the run 

 to such an extent. — Castor. 



