158 AN ANGLER'S HOURS ix 



of flesh taken duly from his spotted back, 

 and it is probable that he does not live here. 

 Distance is nothing to an otter ; a few 

 miles of travelling give him an appetite and 

 improve his taste for the finer trout. Let it 

 be said here that I do not agree with the 

 theory held by the animal's apologists that 

 he would as lief dine off chub or pike as 

 trout. It is not in the least true, for the 

 otter knows the value and flavour of trout as 

 well as we do, and if he can get one he 

 passes all coarse fish by in contempt. In 

 so small a stream as this he can do a deal of 

 mischief, and does. I would not see him 

 wantonly butchered on big rivers, where 

 there is room for him and the angler too, 

 but his depredations here recall the story of 

 the ewe-lamb, for the trout are none too 

 numerous. 



Our efforts to get a rise out of the big 

 one have not been a success, though we 

 have made a very good pretence of not 

 looking at our fly as it floats out from under 

 the bridge. So we will move on. About 

 fifty yards down-stream there is a drinking- 

 place for the cattle, and the hurdles enclosing 

 it make a nice ripple, in which there is always 



