THE MASTER OF HOUNDS 71 



only undergrowth, and we have often heard hunting 

 men express the opinion that foxes do not lilce bracken; 

 but we do not agree with this idea, and can think of 

 many large woodlands where bracken abounds, and 

 where foxes have always been numerous. Most of 

 our readers will probably remember the "Pinch Me 

 Near Forest" of Handley Cross, in which Mr. Jorrocks 

 and James Pigg were so often beaten by the **old 

 Customer." Well, Chopwell Wood in the county of 

 Durham — planted to grow navy timber more than a 

 hundred years ago — is the original of "Pinch Me 

 Near," and there the stunted oaks mentioned in 

 Surtees' narrative may still be seen, very little larger 

 than they were when the famous novelist lived a couple 

 of miles away at Hamsterley Hall. The wood has 

 always been a stronghold of foxes, and throughout 

 its twelve hundred acres bracken is practically the 

 only covert. In autumn it generally holds — or did 

 until collieries were established on its borders — two or 

 three litters of cubs, and up to Christmas certain parts 

 of it were sure finds, but occasionally in the spring the 

 foxes forsook it altogether, the bracken being by that 

 time level with the ground. 



When a new master takes a country he will, if he is 

 a stranger, as a matter of course, consult leading mem- 

 bers of the hunt as to how the country has been hunted, 

 and find out all he can about the various arrangements 

 as to drawing all the coverts in turn. He may then 

 discover that whereas certain coverts have been drawn 

 almost every week throughout the season, others have 

 been greatly neglected, and some perhaps only drawn 

 once or twice in as many seasons. He will be doing well 

 by the sport if he then suggests that these possibly out- 

 of-the-way, and most probably unpopular places 



