Otter-Hunting 



The greatest charm in this sport is the wildness 

 and shyness of the otter. There is hardly a 

 stream of any size in England in which he is not 

 found, but unless hunted he is very seldom seen, 

 and in consequence he is often close at hand with- 

 out any one being aware of it. In the daytime he 

 lies secure, coiled up in the centre of a hollow 

 willow or on the ledge of a drain that perhaps has 

 its mouth under water. At night he starts off on 

 his fishing excursions, gliding silently into the 

 water without disturbing a ripple on the surface, 



270 



