66 THE NORTH STAFFORDSHIRE HOUNDS. 



Found in the Osiers. Ran to Tunstall, on to the Market Drayton road, over the 

 Hills Farm, up to Chipnall Wood, through on to the Bishop's Woods ; ran till 

 dusk, and stopped hounds at dark. A good day, but a hard day. 



" November 19th, 1879. Woore. — Found in the Drumble near Three Brooks. 

 Ean fast for thirty minutes, and killed at Golling's Rough. Found a second at 

 Buerton Gorse. Ran to High Field, past the gorse, to ground near Hankelow, 

 at a place called Brown Orchard. 



" February 25th, 1880. Woore.— Found in Mill Hay. Ran fast to Checkley 

 and Wrinehill, a ring, and away to Betley, and killed. One hour and ten 

 minutes. Found a second in Finson's Hay Gorse. Ran to Doddington, and 

 •killed. Fifty minutes." 



The present writer was out, and has noted this in his 

 diary as follows : — 



" Good day's sport. Found at Mill Hay Wood, and killed at Betley, after an 

 hour and a quarter very fast. Found a second fox in Heathcote's Gorse, and 

 fast gallop towards Betton Moss and Doddington. Left after Checkley Wood 

 to catch train at Pipe Gate." 



This entry reminds us of one of the drawbacks from 

 which the present writer suffered when hunting on the 

 Woore side. It was always an even chance that one had 

 to sacrifice the afternoon run in order to catch the only 

 available return train, which left about four o'clock, the 

 distance being too great to allow of any other conveyance ; 

 but the attractions of the Woore country generally pre- 

 vailed over this slight drawback, and no meets of the 

 North Staffordshire Hunt were, or are, better attended 

 than those in the Woore district. Of course, to many of 

 the regular followers it is well within riding distance ; 

 but those who live on the Draycot and Dilhorn side, like 

 the present writer, can only hunt at Woore by using the 

 North Staffordshire Railway as their covert hack. 



The hounds had a good straight gallop and a kill from 

 Downs Banks on Friday, March 5th, 1880, of which, 

 fortunately, we have the following cheery account from 

 the pen of " One who likes a Good Run," which 

 appeared in the Stciffordshire Advertiser of the following 

 week : — 



A GOOD RUN WITH THE NORTH STAFFORDSHIRE. 



Perhaps the country hunted over by the North Staffordshire Hounds pos- 

 sesses riders rather than writers, for it is but seldom, although good hunting 

 and riding are to be found here, that any accounts of them appear in our county 



