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CHAPTER XXXI. 



THE OTTER-HOUXD. 



The deep-flew'd bound 

 Breed up with care, strong, heavy, slow, but sure ; 

 Whose ears, down-hanging from his thick, round bead. 

 Shall sweep the morning dew, whose clanging voice 

 Awake the mountain Echo in her cell, 

 And shake the forests. 



I NOW come to one of the least known, though certainly one ol 

 the most interesting of our breeds of hounds, for, except in a few 

 localities, the true otter-hound is seldom seen. In appearance 

 he differs from all the rest of the hound tribe, as they, except 

 the old Welsh harrier, are smooth, while he is very decidedly a 

 rough hound, and, when seen in perfection, a very beautiful 

 animal he is. Whether the present breed is a pure one, I shall 

 not attempt to determine, not having any reliable data to go 

 upon ; though I may say that on the Continent there are pure 

 breeds of hounds still extant which very nearly resemble him, 

 and I think there is great probability that he is identical with 

 them. On the other hand, I think it very conceivable that ho 

 may have had a cross of the water spaniel to enable him to bear 

 long-continued immersion, and, in some specimens I have seen, 

 the coat would lead me to come to such a conclusion. In that case 

 I think the wire-haired harrier must have been the foundation of 

 the breed ; and he shows a great many of the characteristics of 

 that race, more especially of what are known as the red hounds. 

 He is a very powerful dog, standing from twenty-two to twenty- 

 four inches in height, has beautiful long hanging ears, and a 



