90 The Hunting Countries of England. 



THE HAMBLEDON.* 



As well as being a mucli larger country than its next- 

 door neighbour, The Hursley, The Hambledon is more 

 regularly enclosed and fenced — though by no means 

 in the sense of being cramped or confined. Its wold 

 is fairly marked out in widespreading enclosures ; its 

 vales are apportioned off by bank-and-hedge-and- 

 ditch into firm sound fields of grass and plough ; its 

 woodlands are very strong, but there is always open 

 ground of vale or wold to be reached from them, and 

 a day entirely in the woods is very exceptional indeed. 

 Foxes are generally inclined to leave the great coverts; 

 and seldom double about them after the cubhunting 

 season. 



The Hambledon Country is the extreme south-east of 

 Hampshire — the Southampton Water dividing it from 

 the New Forest, which takes up the other half of 

 South Hants. Commencing on the north with wide 

 sloping wolds such as go to make up the body of the 

 H. H. country — it gradually merges into strong vale 

 and a style of soil and culture more akin to Sussex 

 and the country of Lord Leconfield, which adjoins it 

 on the east. 



* Vide Stanford's " Hunting Map," Sheet 21, and Hobson's 

 Foxhunting Atlas. 



