THE MASTER OF GAME

CAP. XI—OF THE OTERE AND HIS
NATURE

OTIRE is a comoun beest inow and perfore me
nedep nat to telle of his makynge she lyueth wip
ffsshe and dwellep nye pe Ryuers and ny be
poondes and s/angkes' and somtyme she fedep hur
wip gras of pe medowes and abiden gladly vndir
pe rootes of trees nye pe Ryuerse and goon in her
fedyng as dop anopere beest to pe gras only in pe
newe gras only in be new” gras tyme and to pe
fissh as I haue said. They swymmep in waters
and in reuers and som tyme dyueb vndir pe watir
whan she wole and perfore no fissh may eskape
hure pat she ne it taketh but it be to greet. He
doop greet harme namely in poondes and in
stangkes for a couple of oters without moor shal
wel destroy of fissh a poond or a greet stank, and
perfore men hunten hem. pei goon in her loue in
tyme pat ferettis don and so pei pat hold ferettis
in her houses may wel knowf the tyme perof pei
beren her whelpes as long as pe ferettis and som
tyme more and some tyme las pei welpen in hooles
vnder pe trees ny be Ryuers men hunte at hym
wip houndes by grete maistrie as I say here aftir®
and also men take hem oper while in Ryuers wip
smale cordes as men do pe fox withe nettis and
with oper gynnes. She hathe euel bityng and
venomes and of hure strength defendithe hure
myghtely fro pe houndes. And whan she is
take with nettis but men be pere anon she alto
rendyth hem hem (sic) with her tethe and delyuerep
hure self out of hem, lengere wil I make no men-
cioun of hure ne of hure nature for pe huntyng at
hure is pe best pat men may see of hure sauf only
she hap a foot as a goos for she hap a litel skyn
from pat oon cle to pat other and she hap non
hele, sauf pat she hap a litel lompe vnder pe foot
and men clepen pe steppes or pe marches of pe
Otere as men clepe pe trace of pe hert, and his
fumes tredeles or spraintes* be otere dwellep but
a litel inoo place for whan she goop soor aftrayed°
ben pe fisshe. Somtyme she shal swyme vpward
and dounwarde sechyng pe fisshe a myle or ii but
it be in a stanghe. Theremenant of his nature
T remitte to Milbourne® pe king otere hunte. As
of al oper vermyn I speke nat pat is to say of mar-

1 Stanks, t.e., pools or ponds. See Appendix: Stanks.

CHAP. 11.-THE OTTER AND HIS
NATURE

AN otter is a common beast enough and therefore
I need not tell of his making. She liveth on fish
and dwells by rivers and by ponds and stanks.!
And sometimes she feedeth on grass of the meadows
and bides gladly under the roots of trees near the
rivers and goes to her feeding as do other beasts
to grass, but only in a new grass time, and to fish
as I have said, she swimmeth in waters and rivers
and sometimes diveth under the water when she
will, and therefore no fish can escape her and that
she cannot take unless it be too great a one. She
doth great harm specially in ponds and in stanks,
for a couple of otters without more shall destroy
the fish of a great pond or great stank, and therefore
men hunt them. They go in their love at the time
when ferrets do, so they that keep ferrets in their
houses may well know the time thereof, they bear
their whelps as long as the ferrets and sometimes
more and sometimes less. They whelp in holes
under the trees near the rivers. Men hunt them
with hounds by great mastery, as I shall say here-
after.2 And also men take them at other times in
rivers with small cords as men do the fox with
nets and with other gins. She has an evil biting
and venomous and with her strength defends her-
self mightily from the hounds. And when she is
taken with nets unless men get to her at once she
rendeth them with her teeth and delivers herself
out of them. Longer will I not make mention of
her or of her nature, for the hunting of her is the
best that men may sce of her, save only that she has
the foot of a goose, for she has a little skin from
one claw to another, and she has no heel save that
she hath a little lump under the foot, and men speak
of the steps or the marches of the otter as men
speak of the trace of the hart, and his fumes tredeles
or spraints. The otter dwelleth but little in one
place, for where she goeth the fish be sore afraid.
Sometimes she will swim upwards and down-
wards seeking the fish a mile or two unless it be in a
stank.

Of the remnant of his nature I refer to Milbourne®
the king’s otter hunter. As of all other vermin I
speak not, that is to say of martens and pole cats for

2 Clerical error. ‘‘ Only in the new grass” is repeated twice.
2 The author of “Master of Game” does not say anything more hereafter about the otter.
4

See Appendix : Excrements.
® In the Shirley MS. the name is spelt Melbourne.

®° Frightened or scared.

In Priv. Seal 674/6456, Feb. 18, 1410, William Melbourne

is valet of our otterhounds. See Appendix: Otter, Hunt Officials.

 

 

OVP TB LARS

HUNTING