174 THE NORTH STAFFORDSHIRE HOUNDS. 



considered as a most enjoyable day's sport, fast and straight enough for the 

 fastest, and for the most part over a flying country. 



PiXK. 



The following are extracted from Stephen Dickins's 

 diary : — 



'■'■December IGtJi, 1889. Woore. — Found a fox in Canridden. Ran a ring and 

 lost him. Found another in ^lill Hay. Ran a ring to ground near "Woore- 

 Found another in Three Brooks. Ran by Pewitt Hall round to Harrow's Wood, 

 and through Mill Hay and the Canridden to Buerton Gorse, and on to Golling's 

 Rough and the Glades, on to Betton, and killed him. A good fifty-five minutcc. 



''December 26th, 1889. Sherratt''s Wood. — Found in Birchwood Park. Ran a 

 fast ring by Fradswell and away by Milwich up to Sandon. On by Garshall 

 Green to Bromley Wood, and lost him. Found another in Draycot Gorse. Ran 

 a ring to Sherratt's Wood and back to Bromley Wood, round by Hilderstone and 

 the Bird-in-Hand to Fulford ; over Stallington Heath by Spotacre to Moddershall 

 Oaks, and stopped hounds. Foxes all over the country. 



" January 20th, 1890. Woore. — Found in the Canridden. Ran by Woore 

 village, and on to Aston Cliff, to ground ; twenty minutes, fast. Went back to 

 Woore. Found in Harrow's Wood. Ran a fast ring by Buerton to Canridden ; 

 away by Donington to Pipe Gate and Willoughbridge, on up to Cow Leasows 

 and Forty Acres, over Ashley Heath to Broughton Birches, into the Burnt Wood ; 

 ran a ring in covert, and aw^ay to Broughton Park, through it, and killed him at 

 Bromley Hall. One hour and forty minutes. 



" March 10th, 1890. Doddington. — Did not find in Chapel Wood, but got 

 on a fox outside, and ran round to Bridgemere, but did little good — too long gone. 

 Found another in Checkley Wood. Ran through Wrinehill over Barr Hill to 

 the Bitterns, by Madeley Road Station up to Fern Banks, to Maer Hills, right 

 through the hills to near Bromley, to the left to Clayholders and Chorlton, and 

 killed near Hatton Gorse. One hour and forty minutes. 



" March 12th, 1890. Bird-in-Hand. — Found in Hose Wood. Ran through 

 Draycot Gorse, and away by Brindley's Wood nearly to Birchwood Park ; bore 

 to the left, and killed near Field Hall. Forty minutes. Found another near 

 Moddershall. Ran several rings, but did little good — a bad fox." 



The season ended with a moderate day's sport at 

 Ashley village, on March 31st. Record, sixty-nine foxes 

 killed, thirty-nine run to ground. Eighty-seven days' 

 hunting altogether ; stopped by frost only ten days. On 

 the whole a very fair season ; the cub-hunting particularly 

 successful. 



During this season a very important general meeting 

 of subscribers to the Hunt was held at the North Stafford 

 Hotel, Stoke-on-Trent, on February 27th, 1890, with Sir 

 Morton Buller in the chair. 



The following are extracts from the Hunt minute-book 

 of that date : — 



