OTTER-HUNTING 



Diary " of the late Mr James Lomax, of Clayton 

 Hall, which dates from 1829 to 1871, we find no 

 mention of the spear. In " Field and Fern " 

 (South), by H. H. Dixon, published in 1865, there 

 is an account of Dr Grant, of Hawick, and his otter- 

 hounds, without, however, any reference to spears. 

 Although the employment of the spear, or " otter- 

 grains " as it was sometimes called, was no doubt 

 almost universally discontinued fairly early in the 

 last century, it was probably used till a later date 

 by individuals who kept a hound or two, and 

 pursued otter, fox, and foumart after the manner 

 of the Scotch " tod-hunter " with his scratch pack. 

 Nets were sometimes used in conjunction with 

 spears to keep an otter from reaching tidal waters. 

 To-day, however, all such abominations have 

 been done away with, and now it is left for hounds 

 to hunt and kill their otter, if they can, unaided. 

 Until a few years ago, it was customary to meet 

 quite early in the morning, often soon after day- 

 break. Nowadays, however, people are less 



energetic, and it is nothing unusual to read of 



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