The Burstow. 169 



comparison, tlie number of seventy or eighty will 

 scarcely represent the idea of a crowd to a man who 

 may happen to have to take his lot elsewhere among 

 hundreds. And as with hundreds, so with seventies, 

 it seldom happens that each one of these is a 

 subcriber. 



" The Forest/^ though as above-mentioned no 

 longer an unbroken tract of woodland, is only partly 

 under cultivation — considerable portions of it still 

 remaining in wood and heath. Here and there a 

 patch of bog or swamp is still to be fouud ; and in 

 neighbourhoods where such are known to exist it 

 behoves a rider to fight shy of rush or mossy grass. 

 But there are gentlemen''s seats and pretty parks in, 

 and around, the Forest — and in all as much, perhaps, 

 of open ground as of timbered covert. If not popular 

 with the outside public (and seldom do a score attend 

 hounds here) this district is very valuable to the Hunt, 

 being capital schooling ground for hounds, and where 

 few of the restrictions in vogue on so many shooting 

 preserves are allowed to hold. The hounds can thus 

 go in the Forest almost where and when the Master 

 chooses. Lord Sheffield, though he does not himself 

 hunt, is one of the country^s main supporters; and 

 " Sheffield Forest '' is some of the most favourite 

 ground on this side. And the same cordial help is 

 given to the Hunt by Sir Spencer Wilson, the adjoin- 

 ing proprietor (who, as well as his sons, takes an 

 active share in the sport), by Mr. Hardy of Danehurst, 

 and by Lord Delawarr at Buckhurst. Another who 

 renders the greatest service to the Hunt on the Forest 

 side is Mr. Cutler of Fletching, a farmer and good old 



