The Burton and the Blankney. 53 



three miniature copses^ and an artificial eartli. In 

 most of these vale coverts Mr. Chaplin has instituted 

 artificial earths with the greatest success. The 

 system is further continued by having a '^fox keeper" 

 (as he is termed) ^ and his terriers,, always out with 

 hounds — then if the covert be drawn blanks the 

 grating of the earth is removed^ the terriers put in^ 

 and a fox usually bolted. This plan has been found 

 to work admirably. A line frequently taken by the 

 Wellingore foxes, and much in favour with the field, 

 is along under the Cliff to Leadenham and then 

 across to Broughton or Stubton (the latter in the 

 Duke^s country). Of very grand character is this 

 Saturday country — the only drawback to it being its 

 limited size. Foxes, consequently, are easily driven 

 out of it, generally to mount the less favoured Heath 

 above. The vale is intersected by the well-known 

 Brant — a stream which, though jumpable in a few 

 places, has usually to be forded. Men have learned to 

 recognise the fact fully, and now seldom ride at it. 

 The fords, too, have been put in order ; and getting 

 through the water is no longer the difiicult task of 

 days gone by. 



The only addenda that occur to us are that the 

 Blankney owed what was perhaps their best run of 

 last season to Tunman^s Wood. Hounds had much 

 of it to themselves, and killed their fox in the open in 

 an hour and twenty- six minutes — a thirteen-mile 

 point. And, on the subject of the Burton, we ought 

 to have mentioned, in speaking of Hackthorn Gorse 

 and Carlton, that these beautiful coverts were as the 

 apple of his eye to Lord Henry Bentinck — who was 



