Otters and otter-hunting . In order to do this a stickle is formed acrossthe bed of the river in the shallowest place con-venient. If the Master calls for a stickle, it is theduty and privilege of the Field to respond and formone by entering the water and standing in it, legto leg, from one bank to another as close together aspossible, moving their poles gently to and fro in thewater so that they may have a chance of ascertainingwhether the Otter succeeds in breaking the stickleand getting below them or not. Meanwhile thosemembers of the Field who are not required to formthe stickle will have
Otters and otter-hunting . In order to do this a stickle is formed acrossthe bed of the river in the shallowest place con-venient. If the Master calls for a stickle, it is theduty and privilege of the Field to respond and formone by entering the water and standing in it, legto leg, from one bank to another as close together aspossible, moving their poles gently to and fro in thewater so that they may have a chance of ascertainingwhether the Otter succeeds in breaking the stickleand getting below them or not. Meanwhile thosemembers of the Field who are not required to formthe stickle will have spread themselves quietly upand down the banks, taking positions whence theycan command some piece of water which the huntedOtter is likely to use and where he may most easilybe viewed. Keep your eyes on the water! is the mottofor all Otter-hunters, once an Otter is found. Itcannot be too often nor too emphatically man who glances first at the water, then at thesky, then at his nearest neighbour, next at the. The Field-Master and the Field. 129 hounds, and so on, is pretty useless. The momenthe takes his eyes off the water that moment the Otterpasses him; and presently he has the mortificationof hearing a tally from above or below and ofknowing that, so far, he is of little use as an Otter-hunter. Having decided, however, to keep his eyes onthe water, and not to look for flying Otters in theair, the tyro will want to know what to look for. Hemay never have seen an Otter except in a glass case,and have no idea what appearance it should pre-sent under the surface of the stream. Moreover,such appearance as it does make frequently a clear, boulder-strewn stream he will see theOtter itself, looking about half its natural size, andgliding along, a mere shadow, at a great pace,seemingly close to the bottom. In these circum-stances it is possible for a large fish—a salmon,or even a pike or trout—to be mistaken for theOtter, and even a big roach is said to hav
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