PKEYS ON ADULT WATER FOWL. 375 



that he himself saw one of these animals drag an old 

 Mallard under the water. 



Some may have doubts of the Otter preying on adult 

 water fowl, but what follows must go far to convince even 

 the most incredulous that such is the fact. " In the 

 beautiful gardens and pleasure-grounds at Stuttgart " 

 so we read in the well-known "Forst-und Jasrd Zeitunsr" 



O o 



" where the public derive the greatest possible enjoy- 

 ment that nature, embellished by art, can afford, are 

 several artificial ponds and lakes well stocked with fish, 

 and inhabited by many water fowl, both tame and wild, 

 which nest in numbers in sheds skilfully constructed for 

 the purpose either on the islands studding the several 

 pieces of water or on the shore itself. Even swans, both 

 domesticated and in a wild state, breed here. During the 

 summer of 1824, and for seven weeks together, the eggs 

 in the nests of the fowl, as well in those on the islets as 

 the mainland, were constantly broken and sucked ; the 

 ducklings and goslings rapidly disappeared, and yet 

 neither their bones nor their feathers could be discovered. 

 Equally unsuccessful was the search after the remains of 

 the fish. Not so, however, as regarded the other inhabit- 

 ants of the waters, as from two to seven old ducks were 

 daily found, of which only the heads and necks were eaten. 

 Geese and swans, moreover, which the depredator had 

 been unable to master, were wounded, and soon died in 

 consequence. During all this time not the slightest clue 

 could be found to the culprit. The individuals who had 

 the superintendence of the fowl, were unanimously of 

 opinion that a fox or marten must have been the author 

 of the mischief. 



" One moonlight night, about nine o'clock, the head 

 gardener, M. Bosch, proceeded alone to the spot where all 

 these spoliations had occurred, in the hopes of detecting 

 the robber. From nine to twelve the birds were in a 



