374 PECULIARITY OF ITS TRACK ON THE SNOW. 



animals are everywhere found in the far interior. II is 

 certain, however, that when the brooks and rivulets are 

 sheeted with ice, and that the fish have retired to the 

 deeps, the Otter not unfrequently seeks other and larger 

 streams where the water is open or partially so. Very 

 often, indeed, when the snow has heen loose and deep, 

 have I met with his track far away from water ; and as he 

 at such times makes no use whatever of his hind legs, hut 

 trails them after him sledge fashion whereby the prints 

 of his forefeet are obliterated one would almost suppose, 

 from the look of his "spur," that instead of being his 

 own work, a log of wood, or something similar, had heen 

 dragged through the forest. 



The Otter seeks its prey for the most part at night. 

 During the day it generally lies concealed under the hank 

 of a river or lake, or it may he in the cleft of a rock at 

 some distance from water. Its food chiefly consists of 

 fish,* cray-fish, water rats, and the like, and in the spring 

 season, of eggs t and young water foul. The old birds at 

 times are also its victims. Three or four winters ago an 

 acquaintance of mine, when shooting in a tributary of the 

 river Gotha, killed a line male Smew a rare bird on the 

 western coast of Sweden which fell into the stream, then 

 partially frozen over ; and whilst he was pondering on 

 the best means of securing his prize, an Otter rose to 

 the surface and bore it tiway in its jaws. Beekman, the 

 fisherman mentioned in the note, assured me, moreover, 



* Thiit tl- ottrr is M very imwrlc'iine guest in a fkhponcl everyone 

 knows, for if loft undwturlied it will soon make a elean sweep of <-\. i\ 

 tiling in (lie water. lnSc.l,n it is -.ii.1 that if linely pulverized slag or 

 scori;>- iVoin the iron for^e i I mi tin- lianks of tin- (mini. In- will 



'me ni-.ir it. 



t Beckman, a fisherman at Storbergt-t on tin- \\Yin-rn, i> my authority 

 for tlii- statement. Ili^ eonelii.siojis wire iiiiiwn from having often found 



|iarti-le- of diii'k i-^j; -In-lU in tlie <lro|i|>in^- of tin- t Mter. 



