Major Hill seldom exhibited his hounds. They were seen now and then
at Birmingham; but, hunting as hard as they did through Shropshire,
Staffordshire, Cheshire, and into Wales, where they got their best
water, there was not much time for showing. Their famous Master has
been dead now many years, but his pack is still going, and shows great
sport as the Hawkstone under the Mastership of Mr. H. P. Wardell,
the kennels being at Ludlow race-course, Bromfield.

The leading pack in the Kingdom for the last sixty years, at any rate,
has been the Carlisle when in the hands of Mr. J. C. Carrick, who
was famous both for the sport he showed and for his breed of
Otterhound, so well represented at all the important shows. Such
hounds as Lottery and Lucifer were very typical specimens; but of
late years the entries of Otterhounds have not been very numerous
at the great exhibitions, and this can well be explained by the fact
that they are wanted in greater numbers for active service, there
being many more packs than formerly--in all, twenty-one for the
United Kingdom.

The sport of otter-hunting is decidedly increasing, as there have
been several hunts started within the last six years. There can well
be many more, as, according to the opinion of that excellent
authority, the late Rev. "Otter" Davies, as he was always called,
there are otters on every river; but, owing to the nocturnal and
mysterious habits of the animals, their whereabouts or existence is
seldom known, or even suspected. Hunting them is a very beautiful
sport, and the question arises as to whether the pure Otterhounds
should not be more generally used than they are at present. It is
often asserted that their continued exposure to water has caused a
good deal of rheumatism in the breed, that they show age sooner than