Ik 



164 HISTORY OF THE YORK AND AINSTY HUNT. 



' Middlethorpe, to ground. Never found again. Bogs 

 ' blank, Swann's Whin blank. So home. Good day ; 

 ' country terribly deep. Bitches ran well ; Rocket rather 

 ' wild. vScent good on ground not flooded. Maxwell and 

 ' other Holderness men out. Gamecock carried me well, so 

 ' did Magpie, Charles. William got a bad fall over timber, 

 ' near Brocket Hagg, — his own fault. No foxes about 

 ' Swann's Whin. Can't understand it; they don't like it.' 



From the last entry it would seem that foxes had taken 

 one of those strange dislikes to a covert which are so difficult 

 to account for, and which may probably have their origin in 

 hounds killing a fox in the covert, and leaving him to run 

 another. 



The new year began well, and they had a fair day's sport 

 on New Year's Day, when they met at Skelton, and found 

 plenty of foxes in Overton Wood. They ran hard a series of 

 rings for a couple of hours, and then killed a fox near Fair- 

 field. The following week came two great days, the latter 

 probably one of the best and most satisfactory ever seen over 

 the Ainsty, and one, moreover, which conveys an important 

 lesson : — 



' Monday, January 8th. Melbourne Hall. Found fo.Kes, but 

 ' they were either bagmen or had very recently been turned 

 ' down. Ran all round the place, but could not catch one. 

 ' lierries and some Holderness men out. Christie, of Mel- 

 ' bourne, very keen, and means foxes. On to Elvington, 

 ' blank. Wheldrake, blank. Found at three in Yarbrough 

 ' covert. Away at once, with burnijig scent, to Telmire ; 

 ' back to Wheldrake, and away to Escrick park, to gardens 

 ' without check. Never saw hounds run faster or better. 

 ' Here we lost our fox, getting on to fresh one either in 

 ' park or in small covert outside. So home at six p.m. 

 ' Excellent gallop ; just wanted blood to make it perfect. 

 ' Morris C. Molyneux, Starkej', B. Lawley, Whitehead, went 

 'well; Charles and I rather out of it, our horses having 

 ' done a deal in the morning ; got to the end, though, very 

 'successfully. Wonderful evening scent.' 



