76 OUTDOOR LIFE IN ENGLAND 



A friend of mine who is the owner of a well- 

 known pack of otter-hounds, and an excellent 

 sportsman to boot, has more than once tried to 

 convince me that otters do not kill trout or other 

 fish, provided they can procure eels. I wish I 

 could agree with him, but I have had convincing 

 proofs to the contrary. That they do kill eels I 

 am well aware, and also that they are very partial 

 to such fare ; but I am also equally well aware 

 that, in those rivers where eels and other fish 

 are abundant, they contrive to kill a certain 

 number of fish. On one salmon river with 

 which I am well acquainted, the otters at times 

 evinced a partiality for the salmon, despite the 

 fact that some of the pools offered remarkably 

 good sport to the eel-quodders. As some of my 

 readers may not be acquainted with the sport of 

 quodding for eels, I will endeavour to describe it. 

 The fisherman is provided with a fairly long and 

 very stiff rod, partaking rather of the character of 

 a pole than a rod, to which a strong line is 

 attached, and to the end of this line a large bunch 

 of worms, threaded upon worsted, is fastened ; a 

 heavy lead which serves the purpose of shot, 

 and a box with a lid, or a bucket, completes the 

 equipment. The line thus baited is dropped into 

 a likely spot for eels, care being taken to prevent 

 its becoming slack. The eel sucks at the worms, 

 and its movements are communicated to the 

 fisherman hence the necessity for keeping the 

 line somewhat taut who, when he considers that 



