ATHELSTANEFORD TO COLDSTREAM. 163 



a clean little Irish dog ; and Eoyal^ " old Contest 

 all over, but a little darker in tlie coat/^ and better in 

 his thighs as well as 31 inches round the heart and 

 7| round the arm. Right well does he carry out 

 Mr. Campbell of SaddelPs aphorism, that '' hounds 

 are never illnamed, be they Mischief or Madcap, or 

 anything else.^^ 



The country extends from the Mill Knowe under 

 the Lammermoor Hills to Thrunton Crags. Mr. 

 Gray takes it up there with a scratch pack, and then 

 the Morpeth come in by Rothbury and the river 

 Coquet. They have but little cubbing, and the hounds 

 are generally blooded in Twizel and Kyloe woods 

 near Belford, or in Polwarth woods, and the great 

 chain of plantations from Greenlaw to Dunse. His 

 lordship does not go with them to Dunse, but only 

 meets them by train, and he mostly goes to the 

 hotel at Belford (half-way between Berwick and 

 A'lnwick) for the fortnight. There are some good 

 gorses both in Berwickshire and Northumberland, 

 those in the former chiefly ranging from ten to 

 twenty acres, and with a belt of trees round them. 

 In character the countries differ essentially, Nor- 

 thumberland having more grass and single fences, 

 and being more open, while Berwickshire is stiffer 

 and more confined. November^ and December are 

 much the best months for the latter, as after Feb- 

 ruary it is all under plough, and the dust files in 

 clouds. The great drawback to Northumberland is 

 the difficulty of stopping, and from Ford to Twizel, 



2 31 2 



