THE COMMON OTTER. 201 



much fish as entirely supported his family*. Dr. 

 Goldsmith speaks of having seen an Otter go to a 

 gentleman's pond, at the word of command, drive 

 the fish into a corner, and, seizing upon the 

 largest of the whole, bring it off in his mouth to 

 his masterf. An Otter belonging to a person of 

 the name of Campbell, who lived near Inverness, 

 has been known to catch for its master sometimes 

 so many as eight or ten salmon in a day. As soon 

 as one was taken from it, the animal immediately 

 dived in pursuit of another. When it was tired, it 

 would refuse to fish any longer; and was then 

 rewarded with as much as it could devour J. 



The hunting of the Otter was formerly consi- 

 dered an excellent sport in this country; and 

 Hounds were often kept solely for that purpose. 

 The sportsmen divided, and went some on each 

 side of the river, beating, in their progress, the 

 banks and sedges, with Dogs. If there was an Otter 

 in that quarter, the print of his foot (technically 

 called his seal) was soon to be seen in the mud. 

 Each hunter was armed with a spear, to attack 

 the animal when he vented, or came to the surface 

 to breathe. If the Dogs found, the sportsmen 

 viewed the animal's track in the mud, to find 



__ : ; __ 



* Melanges d'Histoire Naturelle, par M. Alleon Dulac, ii. 

 p. 252. 



f History of Animated Nature, iv. p. 146. 

 J Bewick's Quadrupeds, p. 452, 



which 



