Scarlet, 245 



loved most to have it very wet or very dry. In the 

 Heythrop, the scent serves best in wet ; and the 

 Oxford side of the country, to wit, the Northaston 

 side, which includes Acton's Barton and Ditchley 

 Wood, is the worst. The Beaufort country is superior 

 to the Heythrop, as it is richer land, and has more 

 grass. Its Wilts side is better scenting, as the Tet- 

 bury one requires rain much oftener. 



The Grafton country is first rate, as it has so much 

 grass land ; and the Oakley is pretty fair. The 

 Pytchley country is generally favourable to scent, 

 with the exception of the northern part adjoining 

 Bedfordshire, and Badby Wood, which is notoriously 

 the worst scenting covert in the hunt. Woodhay is 

 the best side of the Craven country, and the Ted- 

 worth is very moderate as a whole, especially on 

 SaHsbury Plain, where the sheep make matters still 

 worse. Still the Pewsey Vale is good, and so are 

 Roist Woods and Savernake Forest ; but they all want 

 wet. In the Quorn country, the Six Hills and Forest 

 side is capital, and the foxes wilder. In Cheshire the 

 scent differs very little in any part; but in Shropshire, 

 whenever there is scent on the Haughmond Hill, 

 there is none in the valley ; and the reverse holds 

 good as well. The Woore side of North Stafford- 

 shire and the Market Drayton side, where they join 

 Sir Watkin, is the best ; Bishop's Burnt Woods is 

 favourable to scent generally ; but Jurymanton Old 

 Park, near Trentham, which is full of young oaks, on 

 a gravelly soil, holds very little except in wet. The 

 Cheshire side of Sir Watkin's country is chiefly grass, 

 and holds a rare scent ; while the Shropshire ride is just 

 the reverse, and, without rain at least once a week, the 

 sport is most doubtful. The Old Berkshire shows 

 most sport in a dry season. Becket, Coleshill, Buscot, 

 and Farringdon parts are generally good after Christ- 

 mas, but the scent in its woods is always remarkably 

 variable. In Tar Wood, they sometimes cannot run a 



