134 Otters and Otter-Hunting. 



official of the hunt is within reach, you should cer- 

 tainly check the culprit ; and if he pays no atten- 

 tion, take his weapon away from him and so prevent 

 further mischief. Where a crowd of hooligans, 

 whether well or ill dressed — and sometimes in mining 

 and manufacturing districts or near large towns 

 great numbers of poachers, loafers, and other unruly 

 persons will turn up at a meet of Otter-hounds — is 

 rushing up and down and doing its best to spoil 

 sport, it is competent for any well-conducted member 

 of the Field to exercise a restraining influence by 

 asking the crowd to " Hold hard I" " Stand still ! " 

 (Scottice : " Take time, now ! ") or '' Be quiet ! " as 

 the case may be. And at all tim.es he should lend 

 assistance to the Master and hunt officials in their 

 endeavour to conduct the sport according to the rules 

 thereof. 



It will be seen from the foregoing remarks that, 

 for the Field, Otter-hunting differs from all other 

 forms of the chase in requiring its participants to 

 watch the water and to assist the huntsman by signal- 

 ling the presence of the hunted animal near them. 

 If they are " looking-out " or forming a stickle after 

 an Otter has been *' put down," and the Otter has 

 not broken the stickle and gone down (or up as the 

 case may be), they should not move until they hear 

 the Master's whistle blown as a signal to them to 

 come on : the only signal for which the whistle 



