THE RULE OF Mr. GEORGE LANE FOX. 17, 



sportsmen rejoiced once more in the prospect of an open 

 season. One good day in November I must give, and as 

 Mr. Fox's diary gives rather a meagre account of a day 

 that has one or two noteworthy circumstances about it, I 

 shall give Smith's account of it : — 



'November i8th. Met at Bickerton Bar, with twenty-two 

 ' couples of hounds. Found three or four foxes in Bickerton 

 ' Spring, some of them without brushes, and ran one across 

 ' to the small square covert between there and Hall Parks, 

 ' and killed it. Came back to the Spring, got up to another 

 ' fox, and ran him a ring nearly to Bilton Hall ; turned to 

 ' the left, pointing for Tockwith, but bore round to his left 

 ' back into the Spring, where he beat us. Then drew Bilton 

 ' Wood blank. Found a brace of foxes in the Loft, and 

 ' came away with one leaving Bilton Wood and the village 

 ' to his left, bore to the left over the York road, leaving 

 ' Tockwith to the right, and on past Bickerton village, 

 ' pointing for Champagne Whin, but turned to the left 

 ' through Hall Parks, and leaving W^alton Whin to his left, 

 ' bore to the right, leaving Champagne Whin to the left to 

 ' within a field of Ingmanthorpe Willow Garth, when he 

 ' turned to the right to Cowthorpe coverts, where we killed 

 ' him. Both these foxes were without brushes. Then went 

 ' to Walton Wood, found a good show of foxes, and after 

 ' running round the wood a time or two, came away for 

 ' Walton village, but turned to the right by the Round 

 ' Hill, leaving Walton Whin to his left and Champagne 

 ' Whin to his right, over the road, round by Swinnow Hall, 

 ' across the park and back over the turnpike up to the 

 ' railway ; turned short to his left, and ran straight to Hall 

 ' Parks, leaving Walton Whin to his right, and at Hall 

 ' Parks he got coursed by a sheep dog, and he met the 

 ' hounds, and they killed him. Time, one hour and five 

 ' minutes. A good day's sport. A most unruly field in the 

 ' morning, trying their best to spoil sport.' 



This was a capital day, and I need scarcely say that it 

 is a very unusual thing to kill a brace of ' bob-tailed ' foxes 



