142 Glimpses of Trout. [Sess. 



waited his opportunity and struck the retriever on the cheek 

 with great violence. Fearing that the dog's eyes might get 

 some injury, I called him back till I got sufficiently near to 

 despatch the heron with another shot. On examination, I 

 found the savage bird had penetrated the dog's cheek to the 

 bone, the wound bleeding profusely ; and had it struck the eye, 

 vision would certainly have been destroyed. 



Ducks, both wild and tame, are destructive to trout as well 

 as to spawn. Being nocturnal in their habits, it is most diffi- 

 cult to observe wild ducks feeding, but on several occasions I 

 have seen the tame breed killing trout, and it is certain that 

 their wild cousins will also do so. In the Braid Burn I saw 

 a number of my neighbour's ducks " guddling " with their bills 

 under the banks; and was amused to notice one bring out 

 a trout about 3 inches in length in its mouth. The trout 

 wriggled to escape, but for a long time the duck held it firmly 

 till it became quiet, when it was swallowed head first. On 

 another occasion, at Glencotho, in Peeblesshire, I saw a duck 

 run out from a streamlet with a trout wriggling in its bill. It 

 was evidently aware that it had an insufficient hold of the 

 trout, and knew that if it escaped in the water it was lost, for 

 it waddled 5 or 6 yards on to the grass, followed by half-a- 

 dozen companions wanting to share in the prize. As the old 

 adage has it, " There's many a slip 'twixt the cup and the lip," 

 for the trout escaped from the very mouth of its captor only 

 to be seized and swallowed by one of the " camp-followers." 



Otters also are very destructive to trout, and in small 

 streams which they frequent they destroy a great many of 

 the largest-sized ones. It is, however, a mistake to suppose, 

 as many do, that the food of otters is confined to fish. I have 

 seen on a small island in the Tweed, overshadowed by the ruins 

 of Norham Castle, nearly fifty spawned salmon lying dead, with 

 only a small bit eaten out of the back of the head by otters. 

 Within a few miles of the same place I have known them drag 

 the rabbits out of my traps, and my ingenuity was taxed to 

 the utmost until I discovered and secured the depredator. Fur 

 is generally found in the droppings of otters, and by tracking 

 them in snow it has been ascertained that, like the fox, they 

 can catch grouse in their roosting-places. 



There are other animals that may prey upon dead or sickly 



