100 The Hunting Countries of England. 



hindered by the fences ; but every inducement is held 

 out to a fox to dodge when pressed^ or to run his foil 

 when going at his leisure well in front. 



The country round Twining- Fleets however, near 

 Tewkesbury, in the extreme south, is of quite a 

 different type — being a beautiful tract of rich grass 

 land, fenced with strong oxers, and over which 

 hounds always carry a head. But the coverts in this 

 vale, being only small osierbeds, will not stand 

 frequent visits, though foxes are well and carefully 

 preserved. 



Lord Coventry has excellent Kennels at his seat at 

 Croome Court near Severn Stoke (and eight miles 

 from Worcester) : and, as is to be expected from one 

 whose judgment on the subject of hounds is so fully 

 acknowledged and so freely sought, his pack is not 

 only of high class and appearance, but of great merit 

 in their work. He first took hounds in 1867; and 

 began his pack with the purchase of several lots at 

 the sale of the South Wilts and the Quorn, and from 

 various other sources. Since then the friendship of 

 the Duke of Eutland has given him constant access 

 to the best Belvoir blood ; and he has also had the 

 use of stud hounds from Brocklesby (among them 

 Random and more lately Flamer). The greatest 

 instance of his success was in " Rambler,^^ the present 

 patriarch of the pack, and who, though nine years 

 old, is still quite able to take his part in killing a fox 

 with the young ones. Lord Coventry's Rambler is 

 by Lord Fitzhardinge's Collier, out of a bitch who 

 combined the most favourite strains of Lord Henry 

 Bentinck's blood — and he is already the sire of more 



