To speak a truth, they seem to be a kind of Water Ferrets.

 

An Advertisment of the Translator.

I find in mine author nothing written either of the Wild Cat or of the Marten, and yet both those are vermin which we use here in England commonly to hunt, and in my judgement as necessary to be hunted as any vermin can be. For the question may be doubtful, whether either Fox or Badger do more hurt than the Wild Cat does. 

Since there are few Gentlemen in England but have commodity by Conies, either great or small, and I am sure that there is no vermin which more hurts in a warren of Conies than a Wild Cat does; and therewithal, I have heard some Hunters say that she leaves as great a scent, and makes as good a cry for the time as any vermin that is hunted, especially the Marten passes all other for sweetness of scent, and her case is a noble fur. The Wild Cat's case is nothing so good fur, but it is very warm and medicinable for sundry aches and pains in the bones and joints; also, his grease is very good for sinews that be shrunk.

These two chases are not to be sought of purpose, unless the Huntsman see them where they prey, and can go readily to him; but if a hound chance to cross them, he will hunt it as soon as any chase, and they make a noble cry for the time they stand up. At last, when they may no more, they will take a tree and therein seek to beguile the hounds; but if the hounds hold to them, and will not so give it over; then, they will leap from one tree to another, and make great shift for their lives with no less pastime to the Huntsmen. 

When they are killed, you must hold them up upon a piked staff, and halloo in all your hounds, and then reward them with some meat, for the flesh of these vermin is not good for a hound.

Thus much I have though good of myself to write according to my country hunting.

Of the Hunting of the Otter.

The Otter is a beast well known. She feeds on fish, and lies near unto rivers, brooks, pools and fishponds or meres. Her lying commonly is under the roots of trees, and sometimes I have seen them lying in a hollow tree, four or five foot above the ground. 

Even as a Fox, Polecat, Wild Cat, or Badgers will destroy a warren, so will the Otter destroy all the fish in your ponds, if she once have found the way to them. She dives and hunts under the water after a wonderful manner, so that no fish can escape her, unless they be very great and swift. A litter of Otters will destroy you all the fish in a river - or at least, the greatest store of them - in two miles' length. They go sault at such times as Ferrets go sault, which thime every man may easy know; and they kindle and bring forth their young Otters even as Ferrets do, sometimes more and sometimes less.

To speak a truth, they seem to be a kind of Water Ferrets. 

There is great cunning in the hunting of them, as shall be said in the next chapter, and also it is possible to take them under the water, and by the river's side, both in traps and in snares, as you may take a Hare with hare-pipes or suchlike gins.

They bite sore and venomously, and defend themselves stoutly, and if they be taken in snares, if they abide long, they will soon shear themselves out with their teeth.

I will not speak much more of their nature, but only that they are footed like a Goose; I mean, they have a web between their claws, and have no heel but only a round ball under their sole of their foot, and their track is called the mark of an Otter, as we say, the slot of a Hart, and their fumettes are called spraynts, as has been said before.

An Otter abides not much nor long in one place, but if she be frayed or find any fault - as they are very perfectly of smelling and hearing - they will forsake their couch and shift a mile or two, up or down a river; the like will she do if she have once destroyed the store of fish, and find no plenty of feeding. From a pond-garden or good store of fishponds, she will not lightly be removed, as long as there is store of fish in them, for therein fishes are taken with more ease than in the rivers or greater waters, but enough of their natures. 

How to Hunt and Take an Otter.

When a Huntsman would hunt the Otter, he should first send four Servants or Varlets with Bloodhounds or such hounds as will draw in the Lyam, and let him send them, two up the river, and two down the river; the one couple of them on that one side, and the other on that other side of the water. So you shall be sure to find if there be an Otter in that quarter, for an Otter cannot long abide in that water, but must come forth in the night to make his spraynts, and sometimes to feed on grass and heaths by the water's side.

If any of their Lyamhounds find of an Otter, let that Huntsman look in the soft grounds and moist places to see which way he bent the head, up or down the river; or if he cannot perceive it by the marks, he may partly perceive it by the spraynts, and then he may follow his hound, and lodge it even as you would of a Deer or a Boar. And if he find not the Otter quickly, he may then judge he is gone to couch somewhere further off from the water; for an Otter will sometimes seek his feed a mile - or little less - from his couch and place of rest, and commonly he will rather go up the river than down, for going up the stream, the stream brings him scent of the fishes that are above him, and bearing his nose into the wind, he shall the sooner find any fault that is above him.

You should make assembly for the Otter as you do for that Hart, and it is a note to be observed that all such chases as you draw after before you find them, lodge them, or harbour them, you should make a solemn assembly to hear all reports before you undertake to hunt them, and then he which has found of an Otter, or so drawn toward his couch he can undertake to bring you unto him, shall cause his hounds to be uncoupled a bowshot or twain before he come at the place where he thinks the Otter lies, because they may skommer and cast about awhile until they have cooled their bawling and brainsick toys, which all hounds do lightly use at the first uncoupling; then, the Varlets of the kennel shall seek by the river's side, and beat the banks with their bounds until some one of them chance upon the Otter.

Remember always to set out some upwards and some down the streams, and every man his Otter spear or forked staff in his hand, to watch his vents, for that is the chief advantage, and if they perceive where the Otter comes under the water - as they may perceive if they mark it well - then shall they watch to see if they can get to stand before him at some place where he would vent, and strike him with their spear or staff, and if they miss, then shall they run up or down the stream as they see the Otter bend, until they may at last give him a blow; for if the hounds be good Otter-hounds and perfectly entered, they will come chanting and trailing along by the river's side, and will beat every tree root, every holme, every osier bed and tuft of bullrushes. Yea, sometimes also they will take the river and beat it like a Water Spaniel, so that it shall not be possible for the Otter to escape, but that either the hounds shall light upon him, or else some of the Huntsmen shall strike him, and thus may you have excellent sport and pastime in hunting of the Otter, if the hounds be good, and that the rivers be not over great. Where the rivers be great, some use to have a line thrown overthwart the river, the which two of the Huntsmen shall hold by each end, one on the one side of the river, and the other on that other, and hold the line so slack that it may always be underneath the water, and so go on with it, and if the Otter come diving under that water, he shall of necessity touch their line, and so they shall feel and know which way he is passed, the which shall make him be taken the sooner.

An Otter's skin is very good fur, and his grease will make a medicine to make fishes turn up their bellies as if they were dead. A good Otterhound may prove an excellent good Buckhound, if he be not old before he be entered.

Thus have you now as much as I can presently set down for that hunting of such chases as I think likely or possible to be hunted in this out country. Yea, some also percase which you will say are not in use with us at these days, but because I have sufficiently declared mine intent in mine epistle in the beginning of this book, therefore I will spend no more time in excusing of myself, but will pass over unto the Wolf and the Bear, which are as strange and stanger than any other I hitherto named. 

The Otter's Oration.

Why stand we beats abashed, or spare to speak?
Why make we not a virtue of our need?
We know by proof, in wit we are too weak,
And weaker much, because all Adam's seed,
- Which bear away the weight of wit indeed - 
Do daily seek our names for to disdain,
With slanderous blot, for which we beasts be slain.

First of myself, before the rest to treat,
Most men cry out, that fish I do devour,
Yea, some will say that Lambs - with me - be meat;
I grant to both, and he that has the power,
To feed on fish that sweeter were than sour,
And had young flesh to banquet at his fill, 
Were fond to fraunche on garbage, grains or swill,

But Master Man, who finds all this fault,
And strains devise for many a dainty dish,
Which suffers not that hunger him assault,
But fees his fill on every flesh and fish,
Which must have all, as much as wit can wish,
Us seely beasts, devouring beasts do call,
And he himself, most bloody beast of all.

Well yet methinks, I hear him preach this text,
How all that is, was made for use of man:
So was it sure, but therewith follows next,
This heavy place, expound it who so can:
The very scourge and plague of God his ban,
Will light on such as quaintly can devise
To eat more meat, than may their mouths suffice.

Now, Master Man, stand forth and here declare,
Whoever yet could see an Otter eat
More meat at once than served for his share?
Who sees us beasts sit bibing in our seat,
With sundry wines, and sundry kinds of meat?
Which breed disease, fostered in such feats,
If men do so, be they not worse than beasts?

The beastly Man must sit all day and quaff,
The beast indeed, doth drink but twice a day,
The beastly Man must stuff his monstrous mass
With secret cause of surfeiting always;
Where beasts be glad to feed when they get prey, 
And never eat more than may do them good,
Where men be sick and surfeit through food. 

Who sees a beast, for savoury sauces long?
Who sees a beast, or Chick or Capon cram?
Who sees a beast, once lulled to sleep with song?
Who sees a beast make venison of a Ram?
Who sees a beast destroy both whelp and dame?
Who sees a beast use beastly gluttony?
Which Man doth use, for great civility.

I know not I, if dying be my fault,
Methinks most men can dive as well as I;
Some men can dive in cellar and in vault,
On parlour, hall, kitchen and buttery,
To smell the roast, whereof the fume doth fly;
And as for gains, Men dive in every stream,
All frauds be fish, their stomachs never scream.

So, to conclude, when Men their faults can mend,
And shun the shame wherewith they beasts do blot, 
When Men their time and treasure not mispend,
But follow grace, which is with pains got, 
When men can vice rebuke and use it not;
Then shall they shine, like Men of worthy fame,
And else they be but beasts well worthy blame.