74 THE COMPLETE ANGLER. [PART I. 



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 flesh. 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 

 Dog-fisher, 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 herb, Benione, 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 Ottersey, 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 Sweetlips was like to have him at this last 

 vent. 



VEN. 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 suddenly on this side 

 again, I warrant you ; and the Otter too, it may be. Now 

 have at him with Kilbuck, for he vents again. 



