[ 134] 



the hunted animal. Another superiority 

 the New Forest possesses ; that is, you can 

 very often hunt there when you cannot 

 elsewhere. 



I remember once leaving Staffordshire* 

 at a time when the frost had stopped hunt- 

 ing in that county for at least a fortnight ; 

 having some business in the Forest, I took 

 the opportunity of going there, when, to 

 my great surprise, I found on my arrival 

 there was no appearance of frost, nor had 

 the hounds been prevented hunting a single 

 day. I of course returned home as quickly 

 as possible, thinking I should hunt imme- 

 diately; but the difference of climate, in 

 the short distance of 140 miles, was so 

 great, that no hounds were able to hunt 

 in less than ten days after my return. In 

 dry easterly winds, when hounds in other 

 countries cannot run a yard, in the lower 

 part of the Forest they often have good 

 sport. 



There is one serious objection to the 



