358 The Hunting Countries of England. 



years went on lie had various drafts from Belvoir and 

 Brocklesby; and bred as mucli as lie could from those 

 sources. Add to this^ that Lord Portsmouth was ever 

 ready to lend him all possible assistance ; and it will 

 readily be understood that when in 1876 Mr. Rolle 

 was forced to the conclusion that his health would not 

 admit of hunting four days a week^ a dog pack far too 

 good to merit dispersion was sold out of the country. 

 With the lady pack remaining, he continued to hunt 

 three days; but no longer went to the ^^ Blagden 

 Country/^ a fine scenting district which since then 

 has in a great measure constituted the country of Mr.. 

 Calmady of Tetcot. From Barnstaple round the sea 

 coast to the borders of Cornwall outlines Mr. Mark 

 Kolle^s country — with Lord Portsmouth along his 

 inland boundary. In other words, the fish-hook 

 course of the river Torridge — which rises near the 

 coast at Hartland ; and, after penetrating some fifteen 

 or sixteen miles into Devonshire, returns to the sea 

 between Westward Ho and the town of Barnstaple 

 — practically delineates his scene of operation. 



The beauties of Devonshire scenery depend, as we 

 all know, in a great measure on the varied and broken 

 nature of the country — on the closeness with which 

 glen follows glen and hill succeeds hill, and on the 

 multiplicity and richness of its woods. In many parts 

 every valley is a deep dark coombe — to cross which it 

 is necessary to dip into the shade of perhaps a mile of 

 overhanging foliage, along paths made and used only 

 by deer and cattle. But apart from the depths of the 

 valleys, the steepness of the hills, and the density of 

 the woods, there are other causes which tend to make 



