THE BOOK OF THE OTTER 



suddenly the pack opened in no uncertain manner, 

 and began tearing at a holt on the bank. While 

 hounds were thus occupied, the otter bolted and 

 went downstream, and after a short hunt was 

 accounted for. Until reaching the spot where 

 hounds marked, there was little or no lying ground, 

 and seeing that there was also no up-stream drag 

 it pointed to the fact that our otter had travelled 

 over a neighbouring watershed, and had entered 

 the holt on his journey downstream. It is always 

 well to remember that an otter may be found any- 

 where, and because there happens to be no drag 

 upstream that does not mean to say that you may 

 not find when you reach the head waters. 



Regarding the agility and jumping powers of 

 otters we remember hounds finding an otter lying 

 rough, which, after a certain amount of dusting 

 up and down stream, jumped a wall into a road, 

 passed under a motor car standing there, and went 

 over another wall into the field beyond. Leaving 

 the field it scaled a third wall before returning to 



the water. Eventually it took to some extensive 



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