194 Hunting Countries of England. 



strongly fenced grass : and a fox from here is very 

 likely to cross Pounden Hill into the Clay dons. At 

 Caversfield are coverts, and there is another very good 

 gorse at Cotmore — the meet being Skimmingdish 

 Gate or, perhaps, Bicester Windmill. Below Bicester, 

 Weston-on-the-Green is in very deep, wet, ground. 

 It has three good woods, however, viz., Weston Wood, 

 Park Copse, and Warnhoof — foxes are plentiful, and 

 leave quickly, without hanging. And this brings us 

 to Bletchington Park, Lord Valentia's residence, and 

 Kirtlington (Sir H. Dashwood^s) — the outside meets 

 of this part of the country — the Cherwell running just 

 below and ' dividing the Bicester from the Heythrop. 

 Bletchington has Busby^s Spinney and Harris' Gorse ; 

 the Park Coverts and even the gardens of Kirtlington 

 always hold foxes. 



Of the four Thursdays in a month, the Bicester 

 employ quite three in the Claydon Woods — for which 

 Edgcott Village, Charndon Common, Steeple Claydon 

 Claydon Park, Finemoor Hill, and Grendon are in 

 turn the meets. For the remaining Thursday the 

 changes are rung between the three fixtures of Ham 

 Green, Waddesdon Cross Roads, and Chilton. The 

 above woods are chiefly of stunted oak, with a strong 

 undergrowth of briar and rushes — Grendon Wood in 

 particular being one of the most difficult woods conceiv- 

 able for hounds to draw. Foxes but seldom make their 

 earth, or breed, in the damp clay of these great wood- 

 lands; but prefer to lay up their progeny outside — 

 resorting to the woods when the corn is off the fields, 

 or when winter drives them in for shelter. At any 

 rate, there are always plenty to be found when hounds 



