NOV. OTTER-HUNTING. 47 



trollable. The remembrance of former bites and 

 wounds seems to drive him frantic, and no sooner 

 does he come across the fresh track of one than he 

 immediately throws aside all control, and is off 

 venire a terre in pursuit. 



It is not often that an otter commits himself so 

 far as to be found during the daytime in any situ- 

 ation where he can be approached ; but one day in 

 this month I was out for a quiet walk with my 

 retriever, looking at some wide drains and small 

 pools for wild-ducks, when suddenly the dog went 

 off, nose to the ground, in so eager a manner that 

 I knew nothing but a fox or an otter could have 

 been the cause of his excitement; and I soon 

 found in a nearly dry open drain the quite recent 

 track of a very large otter. For a long time he 

 would not show himself, till suddenly the dog 

 rushed into a thick juniper bush, and the next 

 moment dog and otter were tumbling over each 

 other into a deep black pool. The otter escaped 

 from the dog in the water ; but the hole being 

 only about six feet square, though deep, I took my 

 retriever out by main force, and waited for the 

 water to become clear again. When it did so, I 

 looked for the otter for some time in vain, till at 

 last, having stooped down close to the pool, I was 

 startled by seeing his face within a few inches of 



