"WORST SEASON ON RECORD." 183 



Brooks, our fox went into the Mill Hay, through this covert, and, skirting 

 Admiral's Gorse, the luae was carried on to Pewit Hall. From this point he 

 bore to the left, circling round by Buerton Mill and Buerton village, and, recross- 

 ing the Woore and Audlem road, set his mask again in the direction of Buerton 

 Gorse ; but, leaving this covert some distance on the left, hounds drove along 

 at a nice i)ace up to the small gorse covert near Mr. Kellock's house at High- 

 fields, where we had met in the morning. Scent here failing, he was given 

 up after affording a good run of nearly an hour, and terminating a brilliant day's 

 sport. 



Double Snaffle. 



The season ended with a poor day's sport at Ashley 

 on April 8th, 1891, the concluding words of Dickins's 

 entry being, " A very bad scent. Last day of the season. 

 Worst on record." 



We have already mentioned the long frost which 

 stopped all hunting between December 10th and January 

 26th. The hounds were out altogether for cub-hunting 

 and regular hunting eighty-three days. Forty-nine foxes 

 were killed, and thirty-eight run to ground. 



The subscriptions for 1890-91 amounted altogether to 

 £2862, of which £400 was set apart for the Covert and 

 Poultry Fund. 



At a general meeting of the members of the North 

 Stafford Hunt, held at Keele Hall, on February 26th, 

 1891, Mr. Ralph Sneyd was, at the instance of the 

 Marquis of Stafford, appointed joint Master with Lord 

 Stafford. 



At the same meeting a resolution was unanimously 

 passed that £10 should be "the minimum subscription 

 to the Hunt Fund, subscriptions of less amount being 

 considered as subscriptions to the Covert Fund only, and 

 that £5 should be the minimum subscription to the Covert 

 Fund from all gentlemen hunting with the North Stafford 

 Hounds ; subscriptions of less than £5 to be received 

 only from gentlemen who do not hunt." 



The following instructions as to earth-stopping in the 

 North Stafford Hunt were issued about this time by order 

 of the Master, and as they appear to be of real interest 

 and value, the writer has thought it better to give them 

 further publicity by printing them in this volume : — 



