108 HUNTING IN MANY COUNTRIES. 



of the fact that it contains several collieries. It is hardly of 

 the same chaxacter as the western part of the hunt, the white 

 land and all grass of th.e w«st being replaced by f armsi which are 

 partly arable and partly grass, where the inclosaires are much 

 smaller and most of the land at a. lower level. Neither are 

 the coverts, with the exception of Chopwell Wood, anything 

 like so big as those of Healey or Kellas, for example, and, in 

 brief, iti is a good country to get' about in, and on nine days out. 

 of te'U carries a fair scent. Ebchestier on the Derwent, and 

 Stockfield on thei Tyne form the boundaries between east and 

 west, and opposite Ebchester is the Heugh Wood, and ea&t of 

 it a fine whin covert in the open, on Broadoak Farm. Hard 

 by is Milkwell Burn Wood, a first-rate covert, which not 

 many years agO' was drawn fifteen times in succession and was 

 never blank. There are two gills in this covert and two' or 

 three spurs, but it is a good hearing covert, and at times has 

 provided capital sport. Its foxes either go to" Chopwell, over 

 the hill to the Prudhoe coverts, or to the Hollins, and there 

 i3 a good chance of sport in each of these directio'ns, but the 

 Chopwell line is the worst. At odd times, too, they cross the 

 river and run to the Pont, and some threes or four years ago 

 a fox took hounds to Shotley Bridge Station many miles away, 

 and then went to ground on Elm Park Farm, less than a, mile 

 from the kennels. The worst of Milkwell Bum is that in mid- 

 season the rides are for the most part deep, but even this 

 hag its advantages, for if hounds leave the covert when the 

 field is congregated on the open space in the centre they have 

 time to settle nicely, and are in no fear of being over-ridden, 

 for the riders must detour a little, probably in single file, and 

 almost' certainly in deep going. I have oftien thought it 

 should be the best plan to keep outside the covert on the north 

 side; but the spurs shoot up into^ the fields beyond, and are 

 so short of crossings that it- has been the custom for long 

 enough toi follow hounds into this coverti, and keep as near 

 them as possible when they are running, for a peculiarity of 

 the covert is that most of its foxes allow themselves to be well 

 hunted inside the wood beforei they take to' the open. Chop- 

 well, the best Derwentside covert toi the east of Milkwell Bum, 

 is ten times the size of thei latter, but foxes break from it moat 

 readily, and at times give capital hunts. 



