SEASON 1878-79 127 



A well-known fox took up his quarters in Sher- 

 brooke's Covert this season, and just as often as 

 hounds shook him out he gave good runs, in all 

 of which Captain " Bay " Middleton was fortunate 

 enough to take a prominent position. On February 

 8th this good fox gave a tremendously fast spin 

 over his usual line of country until he reached the 

 tableland by Piper Hole, where a check occurred 

 near to Scalford Bogs, after thirty-five minutes of 

 the very best, saving his life. At the end of the 

 day, when riding at timber. Lord Grey de Wilton 

 fell, breaking his leg. 



A hard day's sport on the Lincolnshire side of 

 the country resulted on February 11th, when 

 hounds met at Aswarby Park, and Sir Thomas 

 Whichcote welcomed his many friends. The first 

 run was from Moneys Gorse, hounds giving their 

 fox a terrible doing for twenty minutes, regularly 

 bursting him. The second fox from Burton Gorse 

 set his mask for the fen country, and in the 

 deep clay land, hounds quickly had the foot of 

 horses. This fine old fellow led the way to within 

 two fields of the famous Forty-Foot Drain, and it 

 being impossible for the hunt staff to get across at 

 the critical moment, he twisted out of scent and 

 saved his brush. The tenacity of this stiff mud is 

 proverbial, as many a shirtless strapper can testify, 

 for he very soon learns in which corner of the 

 hunt the horse has been by the quality and 

 quantity of the soil he has brought away with 

 him. Though the sport was severe, that of the 

 next day on the Leicestershire side of the country 



