204 THE COMMON OTTER, 



troller, and of other persons who happened to be- 

 on the spot, he drew the Otter to the shore com- 

 pletely exhausted*. 



The females go with young about nine weeks, 

 and produce them (usually four or five in number) 

 some time in the month of March. These, at first, 

 are ugly little creatures, and very different, both 

 in shape and appearance, from their parents. When 

 they are six weeks or two months old, the dam 

 drives them from her nest, to seek a residence and 

 procure food for themselves. Otter's cubs have 

 been known to be suckled and reared by Bitches. 

 An instance of this occurred a few years ago, near 

 South Molton in Devonshire. 



These animals differ from the Seals, with respect 

 to their amphibious nature, in the foramen ovale 

 of the heart: this is closed at the birth, and no 

 hestige of it is afterwards to be observedf. 



Th skin of the Otter is valuable at all times of 

 the year, except about Midsummer, when the ani- 

 mals change their fur. The flesh is an unpleasant 

 food, from its fishy and muddy flavour. The Romish 

 church permits it to be used on maigre-days ; and 

 Sonnini justly observes respecting it, that no kind 

 of food can be adopted which is better calculated 

 to express that mortification presides at the table. 



* Daniel's Rural Sports, i. p 374, 375. 

 t Rail. Syn. quad. p. 188. 



Otters 



