Otter-hounds 151 



they cannot stand the hard work so well as the half- 

 bred hound. For actually killing otters, and for 

 quick, smart work, I would recommend a pack of old 

 seasoned Foxhounds as I have referred to; but this 

 would do away with the rough hound with its deep 

 cry, which, in my opinion, adds so much to the 

 pleasure of otter-hunting. At present I am breeding 

 from, amongst others, a smooth black-and-tan bitch 

 of Welsh blood, and crossed with a pure Otter-hound. 

 She has bred me for the past three years some of the 

 finest hounds, and this is the class of hounds I 

 advocate — rough, hardy and active, with two or 

 three old seasoned Foxhounds, which are most useful 

 in any pack, though I unhesitatingly admit that from 

 a spectacular point of view a pack of pure-bred 

 hounds, such as the Dumfriesshire or Bucks, are far 

 ahead of a mixed pack; but looks, in my opinion, 

 are not everything, and, at any rate in my country, 

 I have other things to consider." 



Mr A. Jones, the Master of the Worcestershire 

 Foxhounds and the Northern Counties Otter-hounds, 

 expresses his views as follows : "I consider you must 

 have a few pure-bred Otter-hounds in the pack, and 

 the rest should comprise hounds bred from a pure 

 Otter-hound bitch and the best working and looking 

 Foxhound dog you can procure. Hounds bred in 

 this way are much hardier, much quicker, have more 

 drive, and their coats are much sooner dried than 



