194 THE COMMON OTTER. 



these animals do not exclusively confine their de- 

 predations to fresh water. Otters which inhabit 

 the neighbourhood of sea coasts frequently visit 

 the ocean, and sometimes intermix with Seals, in 

 the pursuit of sea-fish. Mr. Stackhouse informs me 

 that he has seen six or eight Otters together, at the 

 Land's End in Cornwall, far removed from any 

 river. 



In very hard weather, when its natural sort of 

 food is not easily attainable, from the water's being 

 covered with ice, the Otter will kill Lambs, or 

 poultry; and, in one instance, an Otter was caught 

 in a warren, where he had come to prey on the 

 Rabbets. In the year 1793, as two gentlemen were 

 shooting, at Pilton in Devonshire, a large Otter 

 burst out of some brakes, was seized by one of the 

 pointer Dogs, and after severely biting the Dog, 

 was killed by the gentleman's beating him on the 

 head. This Otter was at the distance of at least 

 Jive miles from any river or pond that could supply 

 him with fish*. When animal food of all kinds is 

 wanting, which indeed can seldom be the case to 

 the Otter, he will eat the young branches, and the 

 bark, of such trees as grow by the sides of streams; 

 or sometimes he will even eat grass. 



The lungs of the Otter are larger and more deep 

 than that of most other quadrupeds. From this 



* Daniel's Rural Sports, i, p. 371. 



conformation 



