The Stars of the West. 323 



sea cliffs form a margin line some two miles to tlie 

 nortli. Mr. Snow's endeavour is ever to drive the 

 cliff-foxes to tlie Moor^ and to make them look upon it 

 as their safer home. A run from the open to the 

 Cliffs is only too likely to result in the loss of some 

 hounds ; for danger will accrue as soon as the cliff 

 coverts open out under winter weather and hounds 

 can press their foxes through. It is for these two 

 reasons that Mr. Snow works the cliffs about once a 

 week during the heat of summer, and fights as shy of 

 them as circumstances will allow during the hunting 

 season. 



His days of hunting are Monday and Thursday, 

 with an occasional Saturday byeday. Except in 

 September and October, when the primary attraction 

 of Stag-hunting brings down a number of visitors, 

 his fields are quite small, and his chief and most 

 constant supporters are the sport-loving farmers, who 

 constitute the strength of the west country. The 

 early part of the season is almost entirely devoted to 

 the Moor ; and the staghounds may come in for many 

 good gallops after the fox at a time of year best 

 adapted to the open Forest. For, in mid-winter, the 

 dense mists sweeping across the Moor frequently 

 send hounds home ; added to which, the cold is often 

 intense on its bare uplands. 



Besides the woodlands by the sea, and those of 

 Clout sham, &c., on the east, there are various big 

 coverts off the Moor on the opposite side of the 

 country hunted by the Stars of the West. Chief 

 among these are the Bray coverts and those of South 

 Molton — deep harbours for red deer or red rover. 

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