SOME YORKSHIRE AND WESTERN MIDLAND HUNTS. 1 79 



also noticed that in some seasons hounds will constantly travel 

 to the neighbourhood of the moors, while at other times the 

 whole season will be got through without a single visit to the 

 moors. I have seen the Zetland on the moors south of Wol- 

 singham on many occasions some years ago, and many years 

 ago I saw the Bedale reach the moors very quickly from the 

 coverts at Studley Royal. The fact is that the backbone of 

 England, extending from the Scottish border to as far south 

 as Cannock Chase, is almost entirely moorland through its 

 centre and highest parts, and where there are hunts on either 

 side of this backbone hounds will naturally be there at times. 

 But in all the hunts I have written about there is no real 

 moorland hunting, as in the Border country, and if hounds go 

 on to the heather it is because they are following a fox. And, 

 curiously enough, when this does occur foxes seldom go far 

 when once the heather is reached, but twist back to the ordi- 

 nary country — which close to the moors is almost invariably 

 rough pasture land. It may be that an odd fox will make 

 for a certain refuge that he knows of, and I can recollect that 

 in one or two seasons the Braes of Derwent ran several foxes 

 to ground in some rocks, which were on the open moor at a 

 farm named Lamb Sheilds, and just about a mile from the 

 beginning of the moor. These rocks, I may add. are not more 

 than a mile and a half from a large and important covert, 

 which is drawn about once in three weeks, and I can truly 

 aflfirm that not one in twenty of the many foxes found there 

 goes towards the moors — since the head of earths just referred 

 to were walled up. In all probability foxes do not care about 

 travelling through the heather, and cannot go so fast through 

 it as hounds can; they (the foxes) stick to the burnt places, 

 sheep paths, and cart tracks when possible, and will, as far 

 as my experience goes, avoid all the stronger growing heather. 

 At various times I have seen all the Yorkshire packs in 

 the field except the Badsworth, the Goathland, and the Eils- 

 dale. The Bedale I have seen at odd times, chiefly in their 

 Friday country, and, a.b confirmation of how opinions as to the 

 merits of hunting countries vary, I may mention how I heard 

 a man affirm not long ago that the Bedale was much the best 

 of the Yorkshire countries, and far superior to the Zetland. 

 It may be, for all I know, for I have only seen small portions 



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