180 Hunting Countries of England. 



Derby, are the only brooks giving a cbance of a 

 wetting. 



To continue witb tlie meets and coverts of Tuesday, 

 we have Brailsford and Mercaston — half way on the 

 main road between Ashbourne and Derby — as more 

 often belonging to that day than Thursday. Brails- 

 ford has some eight acres of strong gorse, full of foxes. 

 Mercaston is for Breward^s Carr and Ravensdale 

 Park, which are coverts of wild natural wood with an 

 undergrowth of fern ; and nearer Ashbourne we come 

 to the Ednaston coverts, at one time particularly 

 good. In the north-west corner of the country, and 

 close to Ashbourne itself is Bradley — the burial-place 

 of Old Meynell, of Billesdon Coplow fame : 



Talk of horses and hounds and system of Kennel, 



Give me Leicestershire nags and the hounds of Old Meynell. 



Hard by is the Limekilns, close up to the Hills, for 

 which foxes are very Drone to set their heads when dis- 

 turbed. It has happened more than once that, quite 

 late in the afternoon, hounds have been carried even 

 over the high summit of Atlow Winn — to the great 

 distress of horses and men. Dropping south of this 

 Ashbourne-and-Derby road, we find a noted hunting- 

 ground in Shirley Park, a wild stretch of wood and 

 heather. Shirley Park contains no house, but 

 Osmaston Manor was built close by, by the late Mr. 

 Wright, who maintained Shirley Park as a great 

 nursery for foxes. And hounds are advertised to meet 

 at either place. Westward of this is Snelston (Mr. J. 

 Harrison^s), with its surrounding copses and planta- 

 tions, where the needed animal is always to be found ;. 



