Mammiferous Animals, 507 



it is desirable to entrap it, in a river or place where fish are 

 common, but not crabs, the latter should be chosen for bait. 

 A white stone, or some rubbish [of old mortar, plaster, &c.] 

 sufficiently conspicuous, should be placed on the sand; the 

 animal will be attracted to examine this ; and it ends by 

 depositing on it its excrement. Within two or three feet of 

 this, a bank of sand should be raised, 1 ft. in width, and 1 in. 

 high ; on this the bait is to be set ; which bait, whether fish 

 or crab, must be fresh, for if it have been dead but a few 

 hours, the otter will not touch it. If it is found that the bait 

 has been taken, we next proceed to set the trap. This is a 

 common gin ; and, if baited with a crab, it should be alive, 

 somewhat ci'ushed, to prevent its struggles, and fastened on 

 its back. [We hope that not any naturalist will practise 

 this.] The gin should be secured, that the otter may not 

 drag it away. This animal has a singular habit of constantly 

 dropping its excrement in the same spot, and commonly near 

 a white stone that chance may have thrown on the shore. 

 The dung may be known by the remains of fishes and of 

 crabs' claws which it contains ; and, if it be found fresh, the 

 otter may certainly be taken the same evening. If not, how- 

 ever, a white stone or old plastering should be placed in the 

 road it is known to take. As night approaches, the hunter 

 should silently advance to his station, behind the shelter of a 

 tree or other blind, within fifteen or twenty paces of the 

 mark. A moonlight night should be chosen, as the otter is 

 slow to quit its hole. The sportsman will be informed of the 

 approach of the animal rather by his ears than his eyes ; its 

 diving to fish and rising again may be heard at a considerable 

 distance. At this time the eyes must be kept fixed on the 

 white mark on the sand ; for to that the animal will come at 

 last. If the creature be only wounded by the shot, so that 

 it retains strength to throw itself into the water, it is useless 

 to search for it in the morning ; for it certainly will not be 

 found. If it escape mortally wounded, it gets among the 

 immersed roots of trees or stones, and there continues at- 

 tached." The following notes are derived from my own 

 observation. The otter occupies, in the summer, and when 

 the weather will permit, a retired and quiet station near 

 where the land stretches into the ocean. Here it is able to 

 discover danger while at a distance, and to retreat in what- 

 ever direction it seems fit. It swims low in the water, and 

 will go a mile or more after prey. The neighbourhood of a 

 populous harbour is a frequent station ; and I have known it 

 repeatedly pass up the little river at Polperro, beneath my 

 parlour window^, undeterred by the numerous noisy children 



