32 Otters and Otter-Hunting. 



Twici seems to have been the earliest huntsman of 

 Otter-hounds of whom any account is preserved, he 

 having acted as such to King Edward II. In the 

 text of his '' Art of Hunting," however, there is no 

 actual mention of Otter-hunting ; but from the appen- 

 dix to the edition of 1843 we glean the interesting 

 item of information that in his day the Otter-hunting 

 season commenced at Shrovetide and ended at Mid- 

 summer, instead of lasting from April to October as 

 is now the case. 



King Henry VIII. of England was M.O.H., 

 and both Queen Elizabeth and King James VI. and 

 I. kept packs of Otter-hounds. 



No mention of the use of a spear occurs in Walton's 

 description of a morning with Mr. Sadler's '' Otter- 

 dogs," where the hounds did the work unaided, 

 Sweetlips apparently bringing the carcase docilely 

 to " Venator " when called upon to do so. 



In Somervile's days the spear was more important 

 than the hounds in the killing of an Otter, and was 

 used as a harpoon, being flung at the quarry in deep 

 water as well as employed to transfix him when 

 driven to cross a shallow. Apparently few hounds 

 were taken out, and these merely to find the Otter ; 

 the spearing of him when " put down " being a test 

 of skill for the huntsman and followers, akin to that 

 required for '^ pig-sticking " in India to-day. The 

 use of the spear was gradually discontinued, and 



