158 HISTORY OF THE BRAMHAM MOOR HUNT. 



' villages pointed for Grange Wood, came back by 

 ' Collier Hagg, Healaugh, Angram bottoms, Catterton, 

 ' Oxton, to Steeton, and killed. A good hunting run of 

 'two hours and forty minutes.' 



A good hunting run it was, certainly, but scent served 

 badly, and especially in covert. Indeed, in Steeton Whin 

 they could do little with him till Smith got off his horse 

 and went to their assistance. Then he got a view at him, 

 and the end soon came. 



The last advertised day of the season was on April 19th, 

 when they met at Wothersome and killed a brace, one of 

 which, unfortunately, was a vixen. They were out other four 

 days, and finished the season at Parlington amidst thunder 

 showers, and as was to be expected under such climatic 

 surroundings, they did not do much good. 



So ended one of the most disappointing seasons that 

 the Bramham Moor ever had. Frost and snow interfered 

 with them from the middle of November, when they were 

 first stopped, till the latter end of February; and when they 

 were able to hunt, they were bothered with a .succession of 

 bad scenting days. Indeed, it may be said that there was 

 not a single really good scenting day in the season ; and it 

 must be borne in mind that of the ninety-seven days which 

 hounds hunted, many were 'stolen' ones. They killed fifty- 

 eight and a half brace of foxes, and ran twenty-five and a 

 half brace to ground. 



1879-80. The summer of 1879 was one of the wettest 

 on record ; corn ripened slowly, and indeed did not ripen 

 at all in some places, and not since i860 had there been 

 such a gloomy outlook for harvest. There was no chance 

 of making a start with the cub-hunting until late in Sep- 

 tember, and even then all the corn was not cut. They 

 began cubbing on the morning of the 27th at Westwoods, 

 where they found plenty of cubs, and had a good morning's 



