THE MARQUIS OF EXETER'S HOUNDS 223 



scenery is the haunt of all kinds of game, and we 

 saw, in our ride on the moor, grouse on the wing, 

 partridges, black-cock, besides fallow-deer. As the 

 pack streamed away on the line of a fox up the 

 distant hill-side, throwing their tongue in joyful 

 chorus — for heather carries a tremendous scent when 

 wet — we experienced the ecstasies of a wild chase 

 far away from the signs of human habitation. A 

 reliable pilot and experienced mount are necessary 

 to cross this moorland in safety, for the tracks are 

 hard to find and there are bogs and grips to entrap 



-.-#^fir::a^^^''%^^ 



A Quick Hunt. 



the unwary. Hounds, as a rule, can beat horses in 

 this district, and the resourcefulness of a pack to 

 hunt for themselves may be seen under the most 

 picturesque circumstances. A fox running in 

 heather is an extremely difficult object for the un- 

 practised eye to view in the distance, so closely 

 does his colour harmonise with the surroundings. 

 The South Staffordshire kennel is coming to the 

 front at Peterborough, where already they have 

 figured in the prize-list. 



In spite of the vagaries of weather and the very 

 hard going which characterised season 1908-9, the 

 Marquis of Exeter's hounds did well. One of the 

 best days of the season was after meeting at Aswarby 



