A WEEK AT MELTON 45 



But this is wandering from the Melton man's Wednes- 

 day Hunt. He will probably have heard that this 

 Leicestershire country of the Belvoir is one famous for 

 short quick bursts, and this is true, speaking generally, 

 the fact being that there are many small artificial 

 coverts, and the foxes found there are of the character 

 common to most foxes that live in such places. They 

 run short, knowing but little country, and the Belvoir 

 are unquestionably a quick pack and have been hunted 

 by a succession of quick huntsmen. Their sharpness 

 at starting is favoured by the smallness of coverts like 

 Brentingby or Scalford, and such little gorses and 

 spinnies in a well-preserved, well-hunted country often 

 hold a fox. In the nature of things, hounds cannot be 

 very far behind their quarry when he starts. Yet the 

 runs on this side are not by any means always short. 

 Small coverts fairly numerous often mean frequent 

 changes, and thus a run goes on from one to the other, 

 covering in all a large extent of ground. The country 

 is rather more difficult to ride over than the Quorn. 

 There are more ditches and bigger, though, like much 

 of the best of the Quorn, the fences in some, though 

 not all, of the Wednesday country can be taken any- 

 where, and it is no uncommon sight to see twenty or 

 thirty men ride at them abreast. To wait for your 

 turn is not, then, so frequently necessary as in some 

 other neighbouring countries. The Melton side of the 

 Belvoir, moreover, rides rather deeper in wet weather 

 than the Quorn or even than the Cottesmore. But the 

 general character of the country is much the same ; 

 cut and laid fences are the rule with a ditch to or from 

 you and, more seldom, one on both sides of the hedge. 

 As in the Quorn so in the Belvoir, " the oxers " and 

 " bullfinches " are decreasing in numbers, and the stout 

 rail is now replaced by a strand of wire which is often 



