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attempt made by an alligator, to pull down a large spaniel in the 

 river near Nagode in Central India, supposed that so active a 

 swimmer as an otter would easily escape from the larger creature. 

 Certainly both in Burmah and India otters are seen fishing, close 

 to and apparently utterly regardless of alligators : 



" Another unusual thing about these fish was that the presence of 

 otters seemed so little to disturb them, that I have taken fish from 

 a pool through which a pack of otters had just passed. 



There were a number of these animals in this river, and for some 

 time I was puzzled to know how they and the crocodiles managed 

 to get on together, as the latter have a peculiar weakness for dogs, 

 (of which the otter is a distant sort of connection) and indeed are 

 not fastidious about any animal not too large to be pulled under 

 water. One day, when sitting on the bank among the jungle, I 

 saw a number of otters fishing, and as I was much interested in 

 watching their graceful motions, I kept perfectly still. About a 

 hundred yards below where the otters were so busily at work I 

 suddenly saw the snout and eyes of a crocodile steal above the 

 water for a moment and then sink back. This occurred again, and 

 so much nearer to the fishing party that it was evident he was 

 stalking them, and I watched the result with much interest. 

 After a short interval the crocodile rose again, about thirty yards 

 from the otter ; but no sooner was the water broken by the hideous 

 head of the reptile than an otter, which evidently was stationed on 

 the opposite bank as a sentinel, sounded the alarm by a whistling 

 sort of sound. In an instant those in the water rushed to the bank 

 and disappeared among the jungle, no doubt much to the disgust 

 of the mugger.* It was curious how instantly they seemed to know 

 the form of danger by which they were menaced, and they evidently 

 did so from their leaving the water, which was the very last thing 

 they would have done had I suddenly shown myself." 



As these are the very irregular notes of a vagrant, I trust to 

 be pardoned for giving an account of the adventure of the spaniel 

 just alluded to ; although the tale has nought to do with the wild 

 mammals of India. 



* Hindustani for Alligator. VAGRAXT. 



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