BRITISH QUADRUPEDS. 45 



vrhcn he describes their numbers as tending to increase. The 

 badger, moreover, is an animal that has the bump of caution 

 largely developed, and is very difficult indeed to trap, especially 

 if it has once been in peril. It is omnivorous in its diet, and very 

 fond of wasp's nests, digging them out and devouring the larvae. 

 It is a remarkably clean animal, according to Mr. St. John never 

 allowing any dirt in its abode. 



The Otter {Lutra vulyarin), which is comprised in the family of 

 the Mustelidce, is of a rich brown colour, and has a long and thick 

 tail, eminently adapted to assist him in swimming. One has been 

 kindly lent to me by Mr. Schreiber. It has been admirably 

 mounted and gives an excellent idea of the animal. The length of 

 the otter, including the tail, is from 3|^ to 4 feet. This is another 

 animal "which is far more common than is, I think, generally 

 supposed. In Wales and in the western counties (and of course in 

 the north and in Scotland) otters are very plentiful, but they are 

 also found in most rivers where there happens to be adequate cover. 

 Dr. Brett has recorded the capture of one at Munden, of exceptional 

 size, in 1875, (it is now in Mr. Holland-Hibbert's museum,) and he 

 also mentions that two were seen near Cassiobury in 1883. Mr. 

 Holland-Hibbert tells me that the traces of one were seen at 

 Munden in 1880, but that none have been seen since. I have 

 myself seen four or five otters bolted by terriers in the course of an 

 hour in one piece of marsh-land in Wales, where there were a good 

 many drains. Three of these were killed by the hounds. My 

 experience of otter-hunting is very limited ; I have a strong 

 objection to standing for hom's together sometimes in very cold 

 water to prevent the animal escaping up or down stream, which 

 followers of the hunt are expected to do. Apart from this, the 

 sight of a pack of otter hounds on a fine autumn morning hunting 

 in a river in some lovely spot in Devon or Wales is one of the 

 prettiest and most interesting sights I have ever witnessed. The 

 dogs used are generally fox-hounds or stag-hounds with an admix- 

 ture of otter-hounds, and the sight of them swimming backwards 

 and forwards across stream examining every root and hole, and 

 every bank of flags or rushes, the bright uniform of the hunt 

 members, the frantic excitement of the terriers, and the scenery 

 combined, make up a picture not easily forgotten. The actual run 

 is (in my small experience at all events) not unfrequently dis- 

 appointing. The master sometimes finds it hopeless to keep his 

 field in order, and the otter is too often mobbed. The strength 

 and fighting powers of the animal are truly marvellous. The otter 

 is often seen in the very middle of the pack with half a dozen 

 dogs all tearing at it, and the next moment it has escaped, as if by 

 miracle, perhaps to be caught again, perhaps not. Like the 

 badger, the otter is nocturnal, and rarely shows itself voluntarily by 

 daylight. There may be plenty on a river which you may fish 

 constantly, and you would be lucky if you ever saw one. I had 

 the pleasure of seeing one this autumn in the Exe, near Dulverton. 

 I watched it for some time. Its action reminded me strongly of 



