82 HUNTING IN MANY COUNTRIES. 



lying, but it is a difficult place to get away from, for the 

 land is undulating; the fir trees are in places 70ft. to 80ft. 

 high, and some of the rides are terribly deep ; while the covert 

 has two or three spurs which hounds may go through unseen. 

 Yet at times very fine runs come from the Mere Bum, and 

 within the last few years I have seen one Mere Bum fox go to' 

 ground in a field drain, two miles beyond the Haydon 

 boundary (near Slaley), and another killed at the east end of 

 the Guards Wood, ou the Prudhoe Hall estate, which is at the 

 extreme north-east of the country. During the war much of 

 the Mere Burn was cut down Still, hounds were some years 

 ago probably more O'ften lost, by some O'f the field in the Mere 

 Burn than elsewhere, for the crossings are difficult and deep, 

 and the rides nearly all go east and west. If hounds went up 

 or down the bigger gill they were good to follow, but if they 

 went from the main gill to the spur called Clark's Pastures 

 it was quite anotheir matter, for they can travel twice as fa.st 

 as horsemen over twoi difficult oroissings, and were oft.en clean 

 out of sight and hearing when one reached the end of the 

 covert. Many of the fieild used to remain in the lane 

 near Newlands Grange, for foxes usiually break on that 

 side, but in spite of the drawbacks I have pointed out 

 the place is very popular, and alwa.3r9 well foxed, while), 

 as a. general rule, its foxes are strong runners, with a 

 big knowledge of country. Indeeid, foxes come to Mere Burn 

 from all parts of the centre and west of the country, and no 

 matter how often the place is drawn or run through it never 

 fails when a fresh fox is wanted. West of Mere Bum is the 

 Golf Wood and Hammer Mill Dene, while just west of Shotley 

 Hall are Brown's Bog, Field Head Wood, Snods Edge Wood, 

 and the Horse Shoe. These are much smaller coverts than 

 Mere Burn, and probably Brown's Bog is the best, but foxes 

 from all of them either go east to Mere Bum or west to the 

 Sneep, and seldom break up the hill to the north. Another 

 good covert in this locality was Fyne House, high up the 

 hill, and well placed for a run, and north of it, nearly two 

 miles away, is Newhouse, a fifty-acre plantation with a heather 

 bottom, which during the early part of Mr. Priestman's 

 mastership provided more foxes and more hunts than any other 

 covert in the country. Both have now disappeared, but hounds 



