1 66 Modern Dogs. 



ness and care of the otter hound lie his character, 

 and he will give better sport in most cases at his 

 own game than any other hound. 



Some of the most noted packs of the present 

 day are those of the Hawkstone, which originally 

 belonged to the late Hon. Geoffrey Hill, who died 

 in 1 89 1. They ultimately passed into the hands of 

 Mr. R. Carnaby Forster, who hunted them until 1895, 

 when Mr. H. P. Wardell took the mastership, and 

 who continues to show excellent sport. Mr. Hill, 

 who hunted from Maesllwch Castle, in Radnorshire, 

 had the pack from his brother, Lord Hill, in 1869, 

 and from that time to the day of his death had 

 improved it immensely. There were twenty-five 

 couples in the kennels, all good-looking, handsome, 

 rough hounds, perhaps not so perfect in this w^ork 

 as those of Mr. Lomax, but in " sortiness " they 

 have never been equalled. They were well cared 

 for ; the members of the hunt had a handsome 

 costume, and hounds were taken to and fro in a van 

 made for the purpose. From 1870 to 1890 these 

 hounds killed 704 otters, no fewer than sixty-two 

 being accounted for in one season, the best on 

 record that of 1881. In 1893 ^^^7 killed forty- 

 one otters in forty-eight hunting days, but if a pack 

 kills, from a dozen to two dozen otters during the 

 four or five months they hunt, a bad record is not 



