The Field-Master and the Field. 129 



hounds, and so on, is pretty useless. The moment 

 he takes his eyes off the water that moment the Otter 

 passes him ; and presently he has the mortification 

 of hearing a " tally " from above or below and of 

 knowing that, so far, he is of little use as an Otter- 

 hunter. 



Having decided, however, to '' keep his eyes on 

 the water," and not to look for flying Otters in the 

 air, the tyro will want to know what to look for. He 

 may never have seen an Otter except in a glass case, 

 and have no idea what appearance it should pre- 

 sent under the surface of the stream. Moreover, 

 such appearance as it does make frequently varies. 

 In a clear, boulder-strewn stream he will see the 

 Otter itself, looking about half its natural size, and 

 gliding along, a mere shadow, at a great pace, 

 seemingly close to the bottom. In these circum- 

 stances it is possible for a large fish — a salmon, 

 or even a pike or trout — to be mistaken for the 

 Otter, and even a big roach is said to have been 

 ^' tallied " in the Tetcott country. Be quite sure 

 he is the quarry before you shout " Tally-ho! " It 

 is better that he should pass you and be " tallied " 

 below by some more accurate observer than that you 

 should give the hounds and huntsmen false informa- 

 tion. If you are doubtful and there is anyone near 

 you, point it out to him quietly and without excite- 

 ment, and if he sees it to be right leave him to 



K 



