NORTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAM. 133 
so, would not at once pronounce the otter’s seal to be that of a 
middle sized cur. 
“On examining the nostril of the otter it will be found that 
special provision is here made for his amphibious mode of lifes 
as the exterior flap of that organ is so constituted as to be 
capable of shutting like a valve, thereby completely excluding 
the water from the air passages during the animal’s diving 
excursions in pursuit of his prey. The teeth of the otter are 
large and powerful, while the muscles of the neck and those of 
the cheeks which compress the jaws are exceedingly powerful 
and well developed, giving a muscular power to the jaws equal 
to that of the bull-dog, so that he is enabled to bite with the 
cruelty and retain his grip with the pertinacity of that animal; 
while in tenacity of life, litheness of body, and sullen contempt 
of pain he is much his superior, and I am certain that a full 
grown dog-otter would be more than a match for any bull-dog 
of the same weight in a single-handed contest upon equal terms 
There is only one tender part in the body of the otter, where he 
can be assailed with fatal effect and it is a very fatal one, viz., 
the top of the skull, which is very thin and easily penetrated by 
the tusk of a dog, or broken by a blow from a stick; but on 
all the other parts of the trunk the skin is so thick and loosely 
attached to the integuments beneath that a whole pack of the 
hardest biting hounds may worry away at him for a whole day 
without ever penetrating it. 
“ That the otter can be reclaimed so as to become as familiar as 
a dog we have proof, provided he is obtained very young. A 
person in the village of Rothbury, Northumberland, had one a 
few years ago, which used to run about at his liberty, play with 
the dogs and gambol with the children, of whom he seemed 
particularly fond, and would come to his master when called 
by the name of Ben, and accompany him to the river Coquet, 
which was within a hundred yards of the house where he was 
kept, and after a dive at the fish would again emerge and 
follow him quietly home without ever evincing the slightest 
inclination to return to his natural mode of life. 
‘‘ Instances of pure white, and cream- coloured otters, although 
