RECORDS FROM THE HON. SECRETARY'S DIARY. 147 



'' Februarrj \Qth. Bird-in-Hand.— Could not hunt in Draycot country 

 owing to the wholesale fox and dog poisoning going on there. Five or six foxes, 

 seven or eight dogs, and a lot of cats found poisoned. Drew Black Lake, where 

 we found three foxes. Ran one across three or four fields and to ground, on the 

 Stallington side. Laid the hounds on the line of another, but could not make 

 much of it. Drew the gorse beyond Grange Wood and Grange Wood blank. 

 Found again at Moddershall, and ran by Kibblestone to the Downs Banks, and 

 lost. Hardly a particle of scent. Found again at Meaford. Ran to Downs Banks^ 

 back to Meaford, then back to Downs Banks, and lost. Ground full of frost, and 

 we were only able to jog along with great discretion, and it was fortunate, on the 

 whole, that scent was so bad we could not do anything. 



" February 21st. Woore. — Drew Canridden blank. Found in Mill Hay, and 

 ran one by Three Brooks and Caniidden to Bellaport, and out towards Norton, and 

 lost. Very short-running fox, bad scent, and unmanageable field conspired to 

 this result. Drew Buerton Gorse. Hounds worked out a line to a fresh-drawu 

 earth that was not known before. Found again in Heathcote's Gorse. Ran very 

 fast by Onneley nearly to the Bitterns, and then back to Barr Hill. Here a 

 check occurred, but eventually either our fox or a fresh one got on foot by Barr 

 Hill, and got at once to ground. Left men to dig. Drew Checkley. Hounds spoke 

 to a line in it, but could make nothing out. Drew Wrinehill all along ; found in 

 far end nearest to Madeley. Ran fast back through covert to Checkley, then a 

 ring round the covert, and to ground. Dickins went by Barr Hill on road home, 

 and found they had got to the fox and killed him. 



" Tlfarc/i 5</i, 1887. CoJd Meece House. — Found in the Gorse. Ran by the 

 Heamies, and across the Norton Bridge road to the North Staffordshire Railwaj'. 

 Here he tm-ned to the left, and, leaving Yarnfield well on our left, ran towards 

 Swynnerton, and did not persevere after we got to the Highlow Bank, as the fox 

 was believed to be a heavy vixen. Found again in the shrubs at Swynnerton ; 

 ran by the Pool through the Pilstones, and away to the right b}^ the Birch House 

 Planting, and Cotes and Clifford's Wood to the Waste Plantation, where the scent 

 failed. Cast the 'aounds on into the Old Park. Hounds got divided on to three 

 or four lines immediately. After a short time got away on one towards Buttertou, 

 and ran by the Hall and towards Cliffe's Rough, and lost. Fair day's sport. 

 Would have been capital had the scent been a bit better. No rain has fallen. 

 Ground getting dryer and dryer." 



The next account is a good specimen of iiunting under 

 difficulties in big woodlands like Swynnerton Old Park. 



" March 2Gth. Swynnerton Old Parh. — Found three, if not foui", foxes at once 

 on the Upper Heath. Hounds divided in all directions. Boxall went after one 

 lot, which ran their fox to ground on Hanchurch Hills before he could stop them. 

 Another fox crossed the main ride in front of me, with a couple of hounds after it, 

 and this put me and the whole field out and prevented us hearing Dickins go 

 back with eight and a half couple of hounds through Harley Thorn. These raced 

 their fox througli Clifford's Wood and over the hill by Beech to Tittensor Common 

 before Dickins could get up to them. Besides these three foxes, I fancy there 

 was a fourth that went back over the field above Harley Thorn. As Boxall was 

 bringing his lot back over the Common two more foxes jumped up, and his 

 hounds subdivided into two lots and got away from him. After a lot of pounding 

 about, at last we got an inkling which way Dickins had gone, and Dickins, myself. 



