228 FOX-HUNTING IN THE SHIRES 



Stamford will have an additional interest for hunting 

 men. Even now there are the Cottesmore hounds, 

 the Fitzwilliam and Lord Exeter's harriers. The 

 Fitzwilliam are one of the great historic packs. The 

 strains of " the Milton " are in all the famous kennels 

 of England, and they rank with the Belvoir and the 

 Brocklesby as among those packs to which the modern 

 fox-hound traces his pedigree. Then the Woodland 

 Pytchley are well within reach at times, so that the 

 hunting man might employ his time very satisfactorily. 

 There is one respect in which the Fitzwilliam are un- 

 rivalled, and that is in the music of the pack. " Every 

 hound threw his tongue at the top of his voice " was 

 the description given me of them by a Leicester- 

 shire man noted for hard riding, as well as for his love 

 of the chase in all its many phases. Coming as he 

 did from a rather silent pack, he told me the con- 

 trast was delightful. Plenty of tongue is also needful 

 if we are thoroughly to enjoy hunting round Stam- 

 ford, for much of our time must be spent in big 

 coverts, and there is surely no pleasure in hunting 

 unless you know where the hounds are. Fortunately, 

 too, the coverts are in the hands of men who love 

 hunting, and Lord Exeter, at Stamford, and Mr. 

 J. Hornsby, at Laxton Park, are determined to 

 have foxes both numerous and (what is of more im- 

 portance) wild. So well supplied are these coverts 

 that, though the Cottesmore and the Fitzwilliam 

 both draw them, Mr. Fitzwilliam was able to invite 

 Mr. Fernie to have a day or two in the autumn and 

 spring of 1902-3, and to give his hounds some of the 

 woodland work which Mr. Fernie is unable to do in 

 his own beautiful country. Stamford has an ex- 

 cellent train service from King's Cross and St. Pancras. 

 The journey occupies from two hours and a quarter 



