<ll M'TER XX. 



THE TAME OTTER. 



" Oh ! the gallant fisher's life, 

 It is the best of any ; 

 'Tis full of pleasure, void of ttrife. 

 And 'tis beloved by many." — 



JO. C'llAI.KHILL. 



One can imagine the above song being jovially rolled out 1\ a 

 rollicking otter, after a good day's hunting, just as well as by Isaak 

 Walton's old friend John Chalkhill ; for the otter is as fond of 

 hunting in the water as any hound is on land. He evident!] 

 hunts from the love of it, and not for the pot, for be eats a mere 

 k nut of each fish he catches, leaves it. and hunts for another. 

 Any one who has been much on the banks of rivers where otters 

 abound, will have seen many a fine fish little more than tasted 

 and left on the bank. Having watched five full sized wild otters 

 hunting together, calling cheerily to each other in the water, 

 gambolling on the sand together for a minute or so, and then in 

 again at a call, and going on calling cheerily again, shall I say 

 laughing, chaffing, and singing "jolly dogs are we," as they went 

 hunting down the river together, I could not doubt they were 

 thoroughly enjoying themselves, and following a propensity, a 

 sport, rather than working for their living. 



The otter picks up and follows the scent of a fish under water, 

 .just as a dog does that of game on laud. You may think a fresh 

 live fish has little or no odour. Perhaps not to man, and you may 

 be surprised at a scent being left in water. But water retains a 

 scent well, as may be seen from dogs readily recognizing the scent 

 of deer, and following it across a stream. And as to the powerful- 

 ness of different smells, it evidently depends on the capacity of 

 differently formed olfactory nerves for appreciating them, It is 

 astonishing how a dog will follow at speed the scent of his master's 



THE BOD IX INDIA. S 2 



