120 THE SOUTH DEVON HUNT 



Ross still at the head of affairs and still carrying the 

 horn himself, with thirty-five couple of hounds in 

 kennel. James "\^Tiite replaced the second whip, 

 W. Dra^-ton, who went to Lord Shannon, and the 

 third whip was dispensed with. The number of 

 huntins davs was increased bv the addition of every 

 alternate Saturday up to the middle of February, 

 from which time the pack hunted three days a week 

 until well into April. 



Despite Sir Lawrence Palk's strictures, good sport 

 seems to have been enjoyed, as appears from the 

 following notes : 



1877, November 26th. Powderham Arch. The 

 field spoiled what might have been a good run with 

 a Powderham fox. The master was more fortunate 

 with the one he found at Hay don, which took hounds 

 through Oxton to Mamhead and righthanded over 

 Haldon to Harcombe, putting in a mile on the road 

 as these Haldon foxes will do when bustled. He was 

 lost after being coursed by a sheep dog ; but before 

 the master had given him up, a fresh fox jumped up. 

 The pack raced him to ^^^liteway and back, through 

 Thorns and Court Plantation, and lost this one too 

 through scent failing suddenly in a cold storm. The 

 first run was over the hour, and the second fifty-five 

 minutes ^^ithout a check. 



December 1st. Thorns. Found in Beggar's Bush 

 and ran over Chudleigh Hill through Court Planta- 

 tion, by Ideford to Well and Ugbrooke and through 

 the park to Chudleigh Rocks. Here a hound called 

 Dexter rolled the fox over twice, but he managed to 

 get into the rocks. 



1878, Januar\^ 7th. A hard day on Haldon with a 

 fox from Oxton in the morning and one from Kings- 

 wood in the afternoon, but without handling either. 



o 



