The South Berkshire. 261 



just beyond. Both are frequent meets, and both have 

 strong and extensive covert. The Bladebone at 

 Bucklebury, and the Three Crowns at the same place, 

 are other meets for this wild western district, where 

 hundreds of acres are left to rough gorse and common, 

 round which foxes will ring and twist till at their last 

 shrift. Henwick and Cold Ash are similar wastes ; 

 Carbyns Wood, Hartshil], Blacklands, and The Hockett 

 are the principal coverts ; and Thatcham Gate is 

 occasionally set down as a place of rendezvous — from 

 which also the Westrop Coverts are reached. Jack^s 

 Booth is advertised for the Englefield Coverts ; and 

 the White Hart, Theale, for the Tilehurst Coverts, 

 Tidmarsh Bottom, and the Parley Coverts. The 

 De la Bere Coverts may be taken next, or may have a 

 meet for themseles. By the side of the Kennet, or of 

 the bigger river, the country of course becomes 

 deeper. 



But the deepest, and, perhaps, the most sportgiving, 

 part of the Hunt is the Monday and Thursday 

 country, the Woodlands, in which we include their 

 own territory proper, south of Reading, and all that 

 they borrow from the Vine. Here they have woods 

 of great size, many foxes, and generally a fair scent. 

 Often they have good runs ; and would have many 

 more — were their career not so constantly interrupted 

 by the frequent-recurring covert. The riding portion 

 of the South Berks field give this district quite the 

 first place in their affections. They say they here 

 find something — nay, a good deal — to jump, and that 

 hounds are often going fast enough for the excuse. 

 They would prefer that these leaps should be flying 



