Hounds and Terriers. 4^ 



him up or in eating his flesh when killed. I had 

 previously trained her to hunt the clean boot, when 

 she ran mute; but, curiously enough, she gave 

 tongue on the trail of an Otter, and her voice was 

 the most musical in the pack. 



Doubtless, there is a good strain of bloodhound 

 blood in the composition of the modern rough Otter- 

 hound ; and I have seen a six-months' puppy, the 

 produce of a bloodhound bitch by an Irish water- 

 spaniel, that was almost indistinguishable from a 

 pure-bred Otter-hound, save for a distinct tendency 

 to " feather " in the coat. 



The terriers are a most important adjunct to a 

 pack of Otter-hounds. Without good terriers it is 

 almost impossible to bolt Otters when hounds have 

 marked, or to make quite sure that the quarry is 

 not at home where the mark has been at all doubtful. 

 A terrier for Otter-hunting must be " dead game " 

 and full of sense. The terrier who will " lay-to " 

 an Otter and move him with his tongue is worth 

 twenty of the terrier who attempts to do so with his 

 teeth. The terrier who, like the eighth Duke of 

 Beaufort's Billy, will go under water to find the 

 entrance to a holt is not often either found or 

 " made " ; though I have one that will do it. 



Otters are held — I do not know upon what 

 authority — to bolt better to a white terrier than to 

 one of any other colour. This has led to the 



