236 



34. — Notes on the Otter and Badgek in Heetfoedshire. 



By Alfred T. Brett, M.D., President. 



[Read 4th June, 1877.] 



As the otter and the badger are becoming somewhat rare in this 

 part of the country, I thought some notice of these animals might 

 interest this Society. 



The Otter. — I presume this animal was more common formerly 

 than it is now, as we have two localities named after it — Otterspool 

 and Little Otterspool. There is a curious pool at the former place, 

 interesting to geologists, but I do not know of any pool at the 

 latter. 



The otter is not very frequent at Watford. Mr. J. King and 

 other old inhabitants have never seen a wild otter. Mr. Alfred 

 Dyson tells me that one was killed in the osier beds past Tolpits 20 

 years ago. In 1875 a young one was killed in the Colne above 

 Watford. Mr. George Francis recollects his father shooting one 

 which escaped at Piggott's End, in the Gade, 60 years since. Mr. 

 Arthur H. Hibbert, of Munden Park, tells me that " a male otter 

 was shot in February, 1875, at Munden; it weighed 32 lbs. and a 

 few ounces, and it was 4 ft. 2^ ins. in length. It was shot after 

 a heavy fall of snow had melted and the floods were out. The 

 keeper had seen some strange tracks up and down the river Colne 

 by Little Munden, and he had found the head and tail of a large 

 jack. Mr. Haylock was going through the Grove, and the dog 

 bringing the otter to bay, he shot it, about 100 yards from the 

 water. The keeper looked out for the female, but could not find 

 her, nor did he see any tracks of any more." Lately, a large fish 

 — a carp — has been seen on the bank at Otterspool, partly con- 

 sumed, as if it had been eaten by an otter. The same thing has 

 been observed on a bank at Aldenham Abbey. 



It is a question whether the otter docs good or harm to a stream. 

 By doing good or harm, does he, I mean, increase or decrease the 

 absolute weight of fish in a stream ? There can be no doubt but 

 that the otter destroys a large quantity of fish ; but the fecundity 

 of fish is so enormous that almost any loss can bo readily replaced, 

 and by taking out the larger fisli he may actually be doing good ; 

 for the large ones do not grow in proportion to the food they con- 

 sume. Growth is more rapid in the young, and the food consumed 

 would go to produce more weight. Besides, the otter would 

 naturally catch those fish which were least active in avoiding liis 

 pursuit. The swifter and more healthy would get away, and in 

 this manner the breed of fish would be improved, according to the 

 law of tlie " survival of the fittest." I liave no doubt the otter 

 plays an important part in the plan of nature, and I hope he will 

 not be exterminated from our county. 



The Badger. — The badger appears to be more common in our 

 county than the otter. Miss Hibbert informs me that she recollects 



