CHAP. xx. Artificial Otter. 315 



interrupted shore or beach to walk along without interposing trees, etc. ; 

 and it can also be used from the stern of a rowing boat, for as you 

 move on rowing it will move parallel with you ; and if you are very 

 avaricious, you can have one on each side of a boat. But remember, 

 that weeds have a strong affinity for tow lines and drop flies, especially 

 when there is a fish on. 



I will confess, however, that I have not had the patience to ex- 

 periment with the otter half as much as I purposed to do. It went 

 against my grain, and in golden moments of leisure I found myself 

 fingering my old friends the rods in preference. 



The simpler way, however, is to have two small otters as above ; if 

 you like to use them singly you can do so, one on each side of a boat. 

 If you wish to have one of double the power, so as to take out a very 

 long line from the shore, drive a small staple into one of the otters, 

 midway in- the plank perpendicularly, and a little forward of midway 

 longitudinally. The staple may be easily made of a piece of strong 

 brass wire, with the eye protruding on the off-side and the ends on the 

 near-side doubled down. To this eye attach the bridle of the second 

 otter. The two otters will be thus coupled, and will walk side by side, 

 together bringing just twice the tension to bear on the tow line that 

 either does singly. If you always worked your otter one way, say from 

 right to left, nothing more would be wanted ; but as you sometimes 

 require to work from left to right, drive in another staple close along- 

 side of the first one, and, as before, in the centre of the perpendicular 

 of the plank, but with the eye protruding on the opposite side. You 

 have thus an eye on either side to which to attach your off otter. To 

 reverse an otter, turn the nose in the direction in which you wish it to 

 run, and bring the bridle between you and the plank. To hitch on and 

 unhitch the second otter, it is convenient to have a thing like a " safety 

 pin," only shorter, and made much stronger of thick brass wire. A pair 

 of pincers will twist one up in a minute. 



How to Order. Friends wishing to set themselves up in tackle 

 have come to me to advise them what to order, and to help them how 

 to describe what they want, so that the English tackle-maker may not 

 misunderstand them, and have asked me to give them some idea also 

 of prices ; I wish to sit down similarly by the side of my reader, and 

 help him to indite his order. This may seem a work of supererogation 

 to some, but to others I am convinced from experience that it will be 



