272 OTTER-HUNTING 



some well-known holt in which he has ofttimes 

 rested before, and of the locality of which he has 

 a perfect recollection. He is the gypsy of the 

 water, a wanderer without either house or home ; 

 but, like all rovers, he spends a happy life, and 

 unless some river-keeper is watching the banks 

 with a gun, he has little to fear from any except 

 his legitimate enemies. His powerful jaw makes 

 him a formidable opponent for any dog to tackle 

 single-handed, and his tough jacket is not easily 

 torn. 



Nearly all packs of otter-hounds have a large 

 proportion of foxhound blood mixed up with 

 other breeds, and there are generally several who 

 began life by hunting the fox, but have been 

 drafted for age or other causes. These very 

 soon enter, and are the keenest in driving an 

 otter to his death. 



The objection to putting in a young foxhound 

 is that he is in rather too much of a hurry, has 

 too much drive, and, when there is a good scent, 

 he leads the hunt at such a pace that you very 

 soon get left behind. The foxhound of seven or 

 eight seasons has still plenty of good work left 

 in him, and he will be as stout as ever, but age 



