16: OCCASIONAL NOTES. 



Nailsea, during the breeding season? And it is not only the caterpillars 

 they destroy, but likewise the would-be founders of vast colonies of these 

 ravenous creatures. How little then of this bird's history is known, or if 

 known, how meanly appreciated. Who has not seen a Sparrow in the 

 summer-time dart after a Cabbage Butterfly, and make a meal of him; 

 or convey the captive to their chirping little ones, which are perched on 

 an old apple tree close by, or pushing their little heads outside their feather- 

 lined nest. 



The Otter, (Lutra vulgaris.) In the early part of last spring, as Mr. 

 Tayler, brush- maker of this city, was walking by Dulcot river, accompanied 

 by his dog, he heard a sudden splash in the water. The dog started to 

 the spot, and having strong scent of something, instantly plunged into the 

 stream. The river here formed an angle, and ran under a thick cover of 

 alder brush-wood and nut bushes, and the water was about four feet deep. 

 The dog had not been hunting long before he started a fine Otter, which 

 plunged under the cover, but not quick enough to prevent being laid hold 

 of by his pursuer. The bushes were so thick that Tayler could only catch a 

 glimpse of his white terrier dragged under water by his powerful antagonist. 

 This was too much for Tayler; so he ran along the stream until he found 

 an easy place of access to the other side, which he soon did, and then ho 

 was an "eye witness" of the affray. His dog had still a firm hold of 

 the Otter, and in return the latter retained a firm grip of the former, 

 whose blood-stained skin plainly told how severely he had been punished by 

 his amphibious combatant. Although the Otter was toothfuUy engaged, 

 still he did not like the appearance of the dog's master, and strove to his 

 utmost to make both himself and the dog '^invisible" under cover, which 

 he now and then accomplished. But of course Tayler did not like to see 

 his little dog cut and hacked, and covered with blood, and the next moment 

 dragged under water to be washed white again; so he jumped into the 

 water, and succeeded in giving the Otter a few well-aimed blows with a 

 stout cudgel, which had the effect of speedily putting an end to the affair. 



He measured three feet nine inches from nose to tip of tail, and his 

 bulk altogether may be gleaned from the fact of his weighing something 

 more than twenty-eight pounds. It was thought for a long time before 

 that an Otter infested the stream, but it had not been clearly proved by 

 a sight of the animal before the above event. The remains of some fine 

 trout was occasionally met with lying on the banks. It seems that he fed 

 sumptuously on the aquatic inhabitants, as he was uncommonly fat. It 

 is more than probable that he would not have been taken ^by a single 

 dog, if Tayler had not assisted, as he was eight pounds heavier than his 

 assailant, which I believe was a great advantage on his side. 



The skin was well mounted by Frank Sheppard, Esq., in whose pos- 



