THE BR AM HAM MOOR COUNTRY. 19 



and The Punch Bowl are also favourite coverts which come 

 in handy for an afternoon draw from many places. 



The remainder of the country is hunted as occasion 

 requires, and there is no hard and fast line drawn between 

 the Wednesday and the Saturday country. Taking first the 

 south-east corner, which extends to the river Ouse on the 

 east and the river Aire on the south, embracing the Selby 

 district. There is much fine sporting country in this district, 

 though it is not so well stocked with foxes as it was in the 

 early years of the Hunt, when many a notable run was 

 enjoyed over it. In some places, of course, foxes are still 

 well preserved, and good sport is frequent, but in some fine 

 coverts there is a scarcity. One of the strongest range of 

 coverts in the whole of the Bramham Moor Hunt is Byram 

 Park, which lies at the extreme west of this section of the 

 country. Interminable woods, with rectangular rides cut in 

 them, follow each other in rapid succession, and one covert 

 looks as like another as peas in a pod, so that a man may 

 ride miles, and unless he has a good eye to country, and 

 has been there a few times, he will scarcely know where he 

 is when he finishes. It is quite possible for hounds to be 

 running about Byram Woods for a fortnight without getting 

 away very far. Still, I have seen some fun in Byram Woods 

 once or twice, although it is a place I should not go to of 

 my own choice if there were hunting to get elsewhere. 

 As is generally the case where there are such big woods, 

 woods ranging for miles, the foxes of Byram have the 

 credit of not being very good ones, and they certainly show 

 a remarkable love of ' home, sweet home.' But sometimes, 

 when a fox of this character rises to a sense of what an 

 expectant country requires of him, he makes a good point 

 and beats hounds at the finish. There have been a few 

 good runs from Byram when scent has served. 



The country about Birkin is of a very different character, 



