OBSERVATIONS ON FOX-HUNTING 83 



in any other ; for in almost all kinds of weather 

 (I mean of course frost excepted,) there is a 

 sufficient scent for hounds to hunt, and you are 

 sure of some sort of sport if you will but have 

 patience. In what are called the rural countries, 

 unless you have favourable weather, it often 

 happens you cannot run a yard ; therefore a 

 pack of hounds that can kill their fox in good 

 style in a " plough country," must be still more 

 brilliant in a grass or better scenting one. The 

 last two or three seasons have been very open, 

 and scarcely any stop put to hunting ; but I have 

 heard great complaints of the badness of scent 

 from various parts of the kingdom. Query, 

 whether an old fashioned winter, with a fortnight 

 or three weeks frost only, about Christmas, is not 

 desirable ? The weather in general then becomes 

 moderate, less boisterovis, and more favourable to 

 scent. In corn countries, it is usual for managers 

 of fox-hounds to call out (" ware wheat ! ") mean- 

 ing, beware, don't ride over the wheat. It has 

 however been often proved, that riding over wheat 

 does it little injury, and farmers never have the 

 least scruple in galloping over it themselves. An 

 instance happened much to the credit of the 

 parties, which was told me by a friend, whose 

 veracity I never had reason to doubt. Lord 

 Derby's stag-hounds came «p with the stag in a 



