THE BOOK OF THE OTTER 



If a terrier can get behind his otter, he will gener- 

 ally persuade the quarry to bolt, but if the otter 

 backs up into a cul-de-sac, the dog is obliged to 

 face him in front, and if the terrier is a real 

 " sticker " he will hold his otter there until the 

 diggers work down to the spot. 



Otters will lie up in rabbit burrows, drains, tree- 

 roots, and sometimes in fox or badger earths. 

 Rock-holts are also favourite places on the north 

 country rivers. Where there are several side-drains 

 branching off a main drain, it is often difficult for the 

 terriers to locate their otter. Some rock-holts, too, 

 are practically impregnable, and the same applies to 

 many a big head of earths in covert. Occasionally 

 an otter may be persuaded to bolt when other 

 means have failed, by getting a number of people 

 to jump on top of the holt, the party doing so in 

 unison. When digging or terrier operations are 

 going on, someone should be stationed where they 

 can keep watch for the otter bolting. If the 

 quarry can slip out under water, he may get away 



undetected, unless a bright look out is kept. 



9$ 



