The Sun.
London, England, 1866-03-24 00:00:00

Hunting Notes from the Shires.

At a meeting lately convened by the members of
the Pytchley Hunt, Captain Anstruther Thompson
expressed his intention of giving up the hounds for
various reasons, not one of which, I need hardly
add, was a pecuniary one. Sincerely do I regret
it, and truly will his loss be felt by every man who
loves hound and horn in the midland counties.

The cessation of hunting in Cheshire has sent
many men down here to finish the season, and new
faces congregate.at the covert side in large numbers;
all the old ones, however, are still to the fore, ex-
cept, indeed, one well-known-face, which has been
missed for some time past. I allude to that of the
Hon. F. Villiers, whose illness for the last three
months entirely prevented his participating in what
he so thoroughly enjoys. lam glad, however, to
be able to say, that he is rapidly recovering, though
he will be unable to hunt again this season.

" After a storm comes a calm ;" so we may say
"after a frost comes sport"—at least in the present
instance, it has been so, for since last Friday we
have been having some excellent runs.

Coton House was the fixture for the Atherstone
on Friday last, and a large concourse was there,
many of whom looked as if the frost had in nowisa
injured their appearance, nor indeed that of their
horses. We found a fox at Coton, and ran him the
old line across the brook towards Harboro' Magna,
and from thence slowly on to Newbold Revel. Here
Dickens, for some inexplicable reason, swung his
hounds round into tne park, instead of going over
the railroad to a holloa, which was without doubt
the line of the fox. We lost him, of course, and
Woolney Gorse being the next draw, we also lost a
greater portion of field, it being six miles from
this spot to the gorse ; accordingly about forty of
us trotted on, and quickly found a fox. After some
little rattling in the covert he went away a regular
burster up wind, over three or four heavy ploughs,
heading in the direction of Bramcote. Mr. Fel-
lowes got the best start, but at such a pace did they
go for the first ten minutes that he could not catch
them. Mr. Richard Cook, Mr. Muntz, Miss Talbot,
Mr. Woodmass, and Mr. Chemberlayne were, how-
ever, handy. Leaving Bulkington to his right he
went to Shilton, and crossing the line, with Bar-
nacle on his right, he went down to the canal ;
here there was a check, and here I may say the wily
gentleman beat us, for after slowly casting on
within four miles of Coventry, the hounds were
I taken home.

Saturday the Pytchley were at Clipston Wind-
mill, with a large field to meet them—indeed, every-
, one seems to be making the most of the last week
of the season, or nearly so, as Northampton Races
close the Pytchley. Aliford Thorns, Lord Spencer's
covert, found us our first fox. Breaking away at
the top end, he crossed the ravine, and made as if
for Marston; but turning sharp to his left, and
leaving Sibbertoft well to his right, he crossed the
road, and went into Longhole Wood, out the other
side of Longhole, and on to Naseby Covert at a
spanking pace, but nine hounds being with him.
Here a great many went to the left of the covert,
all except Captain Thompson, Mr. Topham, Mr. F.
Langham, Mr. Mills, Col. Pearson, Mr. Robertson,
and your humble servant. Skirting Naseby Covert,
as we came to the corner of it we saw the leading
hounds at leasthaif a mile ahead. Captain Thomp-
son here turned back to get the rest of the pack,
and the remaining six above mentioned tried to
catch the hounds, which they succeeded in doing,
but not before reaching Naseby Wooleys ; here
Dick blew his horn some distance in the rear,
another fox getting on foot ; but Mr. Topham, who
was first all through, seeing the nine hounds, who
had been joined by three or four more, never swerve
for a moment, but carry a head right up a lane the
other side of the spinney, held them on, and hitting
it off in a field to the right, we went down to Portly
Ford. Here we were joined by Lord Spencer, and
Tom the first whip ; and a second after we viewed
the fox stealing across a field to our right, heading
for Thornby. The next few minutes was slow
hunting. and let up the rest of the field. Eventually
he was run into a drain by the side of the road at
Thornby ; Rally and another hound went in after
him and bolted him, coming out on the other side
almost at his brush ; and running him into the
Laurels at Thornby, this gallant fox breathed his
last. Time, 47 minutes, 32 of which were as fast
as anything we have had this season. After this a
second fox jumped up in a stubble field, as we were
on our way to draw Cottesbrook, but this was a
very short and not very fast thing. I left them try-
ing to hit his line off in the neighbourhood of Gulls-
borough. After this they had, I believe, a third
run, the result of which I did not hear. Altogether
it was as good a days' sport as anyone need wish for.
On Monday the North Warwickshire met at
Rugby Station, which, of course, meant Hill More-
ton Covert. Now, how far this policy is a good one
I must leave wiser heads than mine to determine ;
but it seems to me that if the meet were Hill More-
ton Village the footpeople would be drawn away
from the covert-side, where foxes are always uneasy
at the least disturbance, and the roughs who inhabit
that locality would be less likely to play a trick by
running a terrier through the covert in the morning.
Independently of there having been footpeople
round the gorse for three hours before the hounds
came up, the farmer had locked his gates, and made
up his fences, which did not augur well for a find,
and after the hounds being thrown in and try-
ing every inch of it, the melancholy twang
of the horn announced that we must go elsewhere.
Away we trotted, therefore, to Bilton Grange,
where we soon found a fox, running him across the ,