The Otter in Literature and Art. 29 



represents a brawling stream between wooded banks, 

 with four hounds, of a moderately rough type with 

 shortened sterns, and three Otter-hunters — two in the 

 water and one on land — each having a very long pole 

 armed with a double-pronged spear-head, on one of 

 which the Otter is impaled. The Otter is not good, 

 being drawn with legs and ears too long and with a 

 rudder much too short. 



In the reproduction of an old print given in " The 

 Poetry of Sport" (p. 94), almost as many Otters 

 as hounds are shown afoot and afloat; while 

 mounted sportsmen are as numerous as " foot- 

 people." The spears are not double-pronged but 

 harpoon-tipped, with one point. From the costume 

 depicted the period appears to be that of Charles II. 



Then there is the Landseer Otter-hunting picture, 

 which has been engraved ; and, of course, there is the 

 late Fred Tayler's painting, '' Crossing the Ferry " 

 — also engraved and published by Messrs. Graves — 

 as to the portraits in which there was some contro- 

 versy in the Field during 1905. The sportsmen wear 

 the kilt, and a curiously shaped and tasselled head- 

 dress in place of the Highland bonnet. Mr. George 

 Wright's painting of the Dumfriesshire Otter-hounds 

 hunting the Annan has also been reproduced in 

 photogravure. 



On the whole, both sport and quarry seem to have 

 met with scant recognition from artists and writers 



