BEAT?S 68 



in the New World. In the British Isles they inhabit 

 the banks of nearly every river, but by their agility 

 in the water and their shy, silent habits they escape 

 the sight of man, who is practically their only enemy, 

 and their presence is more often made known by the 

 havoc they commit amongst the fish in our streams. 

 Like the other members of their family they are fond 

 of slaughter and will despoil far more fish than they 

 can eat. Even in eating them the otter is wasteful ; 

 beginniug at the back of the neck of the fish — 'Hhe 

 otter's bite'^ — he eats only the best part of the flesh 

 around the shoulders, leaving the head and the tail, 

 and never eating the entrails or roe. 



Mr. Millais says^ : "It is very seldom that the 

 naturalist, however painstaking, has much chance of 

 observing this interesting animal in its quieter moods. 

 The nature of the beast is so shy and retiring that 

 opportunities of seeing the more interesting side of 

 its character are few and far between. The view 

 that the otter hunter gets, though certainly inter- 

 esting, is one in which the animal exhibits its wit, 

 swimming power and rapid movements, but not 

 necessarily the broader phases of its daily life. One 

 learns little of the stag by chasing it with hounds, 

 but a great deal by sitting on a stone with a telescope 

 at any season. 



"Disappointment, however, only awaits the man who 

 sits on stones and waits for the otter to appear. It 

 never comes out and disports itself when expected, 

 and only the evening fisherman, moving quietly up 

 the river, sees the round head of our seal-like friend, 

 * Loc. cit., vol. ii, p. 5. 



