THE COMPLETE INCH^Jtk 15 



them to destroy the very breed of those base Otters, they do 

 so much mischief. 



YEN. But what say you to the Foxes of the Nation, would 

 not you as willingly have them destroyed 1 for doubtless they 

 do as much mischief as Otters do. 



Pise. O sir, if they do, it is not so much to me and my 

 fraternity, as those base vermin the Otters do. 



AUG. Why, sir, I pray, of what fraternity 'are you, that 

 you are so -angry with the poor Otters ? 



Pise. I am, sir, a brother of the Angle, and therefore an 

 enemy to the Otter :* for you are to note that we Anglers all 

 love one another, and therefore do I hate the Otter, both for 

 my own and for their sakes who are of my brotherhood. 



VEST. And I am a lover of Hounds ; I have followed many 

 a pack of dogs many a mile, and heard many merry hunts- 

 men make sport and scoff at Anglers. 



AUG. And I profess myself a Falconer, and have heard many 

 grave serious men pity them, it is such a heavy, contemptible, 

 dull, recreation. 



Pise. You know, gentlemen, it is an easy thing to scoff at 

 any art or recreation ; a little wit, mixed with ill-nature, con- 

 fidence, and malice, will do it ; but though they often venture 

 boldly, yet they are often caught, even in their own trap, 

 according to that of Lucian, the father of the family of scoffers. 



Lucian, well skill'd in scoffing, this hath writ, 

 Friend, that's your folly, which you think your wit ; 

 This, you vent oft, void both of wit and fear, 

 Meaning another, when yourself you jeer. 



If to this you add what Solomon says of scoffers, that 

 " they are an abomination to mankind," let them that think 



* The Otter has almost disappeared from the Lea, and is now rare in 

 all the rivers of the Metropolitan counties. This amphibious animal is 

 destructive to trout and small river fish ; but, strange as it may appear, 

 he proves the conservator of salmon, by destroying trout, the worst enemies 

 of that fish. The otter cannot, in open water, catch the salmon, who is too 

 fleet for him; but he sometimes captures that fish in shallow and confined 

 water, more by stratagem than speed. Trout the Otter can run down. He 

 kills them in large numbers, to the delight of the owners of salmon rivers. 

 When salmon are in the act of spawning, they are surrounded by trout, hun- 

 gering after the ova, the greater portion of which they would devour were they 

 not beaten off by one or other of the breeding salmon. Trout, moreover, feed 

 voraciously on salmon-fry, so that by destroying them the Otter does good 

 service to salmon-hunting. Otter-fishing, with Otter-hounds, is very exciting 

 sport, and is now principally confined to the midland, western, and northern 

 counties, and to the lowlands of Scotland. The Otter packs of the Earl of 

 Aberdeen and the Marquis of Worcester are very celebrated. ED. 



