14 O'er Crag and Torrent 



wished for? But there is always an 

 interloping qualification where pleasure is 

 concerned beyond the actual members of 

 the Hunt, how many of the " field " really 

 know much about the otter, or the work of 

 the hounds, or appreciate the perseverance, 

 patience, anxiety, and incessant hard work 

 of the Master and his whip? I fear not 

 a very large proportion. I am therefore 

 tempted to accede to the request of some 

 old friends, that I should write an account 

 of this particular form of sport, but I do so 

 with some little diffidence, relying on the 

 indulgence of my readers, and in the hope 

 that they may be in some slight measure 

 interested. 



The otter (Lutra vulgaris] is a semi- 

 aquatic animal, active and agile on land, 

 and equally at home in water. It has a 

 long, lithe body, short legs, with webbed 

 toes ; the tail is long and flattened, strong 



