The South Notiuighamshire. 231 



place at Wiverton is the next meet. His coverts here 

 are Smite Hill Gorse (neutral with the Bel voir) _, 

 Langar Lane End (strong thorn and gorse), the Moats, 

 and the new plantation near the House ; also Cropwell 

 Hoe Hill_, and Cropwell Lings nearer to Bingham. 

 East of the ISTottingham-and- Grantham Eoad is the 

 estate of Lord Carnarvon_, which extends to Shelford, 

 but contains no coverts of any importance — foxes 

 bearing scarcely their fair proportion to hares and 

 other game. From here the south bank of the Trent 

 — ^in some places a considerable height above the river 

 — ^forms a narrow and almost continuous strip of covert 

 nearly to Newark, and is a very difficult piece to 

 draw, hounds having scarcely foothold. Meanwhile, 

 the field riding above have the advantage of a beauti- 

 ful and extensive view over the landscape north of the 

 river. After Shelford comes East Bridgeford, where 

 Mr. H. Martin keeps up the memory of his friend, the 

 old ^' Jack Musters,^^ by steadfast care of the foxes. 

 On the Flintham estate (Mr. Hildyard^'s) there is 

 generally a litter or two — his coverts being the Barley- 

 holme, Coronation Covert, and a portion of the Trent 

 bank. At Hawkesworth, close to the Coronation 

 Covert, are a couple of small and useful spinnies. 

 South-east of these is Sibthorpe Gorse, on the 

 property of the Duke of Portland — ten strong acres 

 of gorse and thorns, and close to Shelton, where lives 

 the Rev. Banks Wright, in sight of whose blue leathers 

 we have often been only too glad to live through a 

 gallop. Mr. Eillingham^s estate at Syerston has small 

 coverts and an artificial earth which is often occu- 

 pied. Stoke owns occasionally ; and between here 



