THE BOOK OF THE OTTER 



the only reason why draft foxhounds are preferred 

 to otterhounds. Otter-hunting is a poor man's 

 sport, and few people realise what it costs to run 

 a pack and country. If you get a Master to take 

 a country he has very often spent enough out of 

 his own pocket when he has paid the difference 

 between the subscription list and the hunting 

 expenses. And breeding hounds on a big scale 

 adds enormously to expenses. The result is that 

 in nine cases out of ten the pack is made up of 

 draft dog foxhounds, and a very few rough-coated 

 otterhounds. An attempt may be made to breed 

 a litter or two a year from the rough otterhound 

 bitches. Five or six puppies may be got out to 

 walk, and three or four left in kennel. As many 

 of these as survive possibly two and a half or 

 three couple are brought on the following season, 

 and unless they are hopeless physical wrecks 

 they are put into the pack to keep up the theory 

 that they are a pack of otterhounds. And good 

 or bad workers they are often kept on for this 



same purpose only. Under these circumstances, 



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