i6o Otters and Otter-Hunting. 



" made in " for fear of accidents. The bitch went 

 down stream and hounds were taken up to look for 

 the dog, whom they found and killed after a good 

 hunt. While they were absent she returned and 

 took up a position on the bank commanding the 

 weiring where her offspring were, and she remained 

 there some two hours, in full view of a small crowd 

 of villagers, who very handsomely refrained from 

 interfering with her in any way. Needless to say 

 she was not hunted, and doubtless happily relieved 

 and completed the rearing of her offspring : for of 

 the essence of sport is the South-country toast, 

 ''Death to dog Otters! Long life to the little 

 bitches! " 



All this has taken us far enough from the causes 

 of blank days which I was enumerating. I should 

 not have expatiated on the subject were it not that 

 the Master of Otter-hounds who is not also a student 

 of the natural history of his quarry is but half a 

 sportsman ; and only upon a right appreciation of 

 the motives by which an Otter may be actuated under 

 differing sets of circumstances can a real knowledge 

 of its natural habits be built. 



Another obstacle to showing sport is encountered 

 when the hunted Otter takes refuge in some such 

 impregnable spot as that suggested above : the owner 

 of which is perfectly within his rights in declining 

 to have it tampered with. The only thing to do in 



