THE BOOK OF THE OTTER 



fixtures as late as ten a.m. Although from a 



social or " love and lunch " point of view, late 



meets are no doubt convenient, the same can 



hardly be said as regards hunting. Some Masters 



of Otterhounds are averse to early meets because 



they say that the drag is then often so strong that 



hounds are very apt to pass over their otter. By 



getting to the water later the drag has lost some of 



its strength, and hounds are then brought to their 



noses, and travel slower, thus being less inclined 



to pass their otter in its holt. Really the time of 



meeting should depend upon the character of the 



water you intend to hunt. On a river flowing 



through marsh or water meadows, where the long 



grass and rushes are always more or less damp and 



the ground beneath them shaded from the sun, 



scent will lie for hours, and there is no necessity 



to make a very early start. In the North, however, 



where the streams are swift and rocky, and have 



their sources far up the hill-sides, there is often 



Httle shade, except beside some covert, or in some 



ghyll or ravine to which the sun's rays seldom 



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