OTTER HUNTING
[To the Editor of TEE SPECTATOR.] •
Sin,—The Spectator has always upheld the cause of animals. Will it allow me a word now on behalf of the unfortunate otter—a creature most mercilessly hunted in the neighbour- hood from which I write, as accounts in the local newspapers abundantly testify ?
In one which I have recently seen. over what he describes as " a history making hunt "—it • lasted five hours, and I extract a few sentences from his graphic description of the course
"As soon as the otter entered the water, hounds swam him round the island before lie landed again. . . . Eventually he left the, before he turned and came island, where he had a holt, and swam upstream. Hounds got his wash and pushed him a long way up
back again. . . Time after time he calledo neeale tithme,einstlanddowanndzsatiend.
till hounds pushed him away again ;
. . . It was getting dark when hounds igoltefctlotshee to him airiildsornaine roods and gave him a shaking. . . •
through some bamboos, but hounds were close to him and lie was very soon back again.
" As it was now dark we decided to ' floodlight' the scene, so we all went for our ears, and each was placed in the best possible posi- tion. After hunting in this light for over an hour, our otter came to the side of the lake and hounds shook him. They lost him again, but . . saw him and pulled him upon the bank to finish what will be to all who saw it something to remember. for a life-time, • Hounds had hunted for nearly 5 hours and well-deserved their otter."
It is difficult to comment on this artless narrative, or to say what idea of " sportsmanship " can be held by those who would carry on the persecution of a deferireless and exhausted creature by floodlight after the merciful darkness had fallen which might have enabled it to escape.-I the writer is enthusiastic
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