THE BOOK OF THE OTTER 



land otter-hunting is that of the late Bobby 

 Troughton. He was born on Fellside, Kendal, in 

 1836. In the early eighties he purchased three 

 hounds, " Raleigh," " Ragman/' and " Londes- 

 borough," and with these three hounds and a 

 couple of terriers he began to hunt the local rivers. 

 Having thus formed the nucleus of a pack, he 

 gradually added to it and improved it, until the 

 late Mr Courtenay Tracy, M.O.H., said there 

 was not another pack like it in England. Bobby's 

 heaviest otter was a big dog weighing 32 lb., and 

 was killed in Rydal Lake. One of his most famous 

 hunts took place in Lever's Water on the Coniston 

 fells. Hounds met at 5 a.m. at the foot of Yewdale 

 Beck, and striking a hot drag at once, went out 

 towards the hills. Near the edge of the tarn they 

 put their otter down, and he at once took to the 

 water. For nine hours he kept hounds going, and 

 it was not until some of the field volunteered to go 

 to Coniston for a boat no small undertaking 

 that Bobby was able to get afloat himself, and give 



his hounds a helping hand. At long last the otter 



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