CHAP.' II. THE COMPLETE ANGLER. 127 



Pise. I pray, honest Huntsman, let me ask you 

 a pleasant question ; Do you hunt a beast or a fish? 



Hunt. Sir, it is not in my power to resolve you ; I 

 leave it to be resolved by the college of Carthusians, 

 who have made vows never to eat ilesh. But I have 

 heard, the question hath been debated among many 

 great clerks ; and they seem to differ about it : yet 

 most agree that her tail is fish. And if her body be 

 fish too, then I may say that a fish will walk upon 

 land ; for an Otter does so, sometimes, five or six or 

 ten miles in a night, to catch, for her young ones, 

 or to glut herself with fish. And I can tell you that 

 Pigeons will fly forty miles for a breakfast. But, Sir, 

 I am sure the Otter devours much fish ; and kills and 

 spoils much more than he eats. And I can tell you, 

 that this dogfaher, for so the Latins call him, can 

 smell a fish in the water an hundred yards from him : 

 Gesner says much farther, and that his stones are 

 good against the falling sickness ; and that there is an 

 Eerb Bcnione^ which being hung in a linen cloth, 

 near a fish-pond, or any haunt that he uses makes 

 him to avoid the place; which proves he smells both 

 by water and land. And I can tell you, there is brave 

 hunting this water-dog in Cornwall ; where there have 

 been so many, that our learned Camden says, there is 

 a river called Ottersei/ t which was so named, by reason 

 of the abundance of Otters that bred and fed in it. 



And thus much, for my knowledge of the Otter: 

 which you may now see above water at vent, and the 

 dogs close with him ; I now see he will not last long. 

 Follow therefore, my masters, follow; for Swectlips was 

 like to have him at this last vent. 



Fen. Oh me ! all the horse are got over the river ; 

 what shall we do now ? shall we follow them over the 

 water ? 



Hunt. No, Sir, no ; be not so eager ; stay a little, 

 and follow me ; for both they and the dogs will be sud- 

 denly on this side again, I warrant you, and the Otter 

 too, it may be. Now have at him with Killbuck, for 

 lie vents again. 



