268 The Tame Otter. Chapt. XX. 



tiug them take too early to fish. When they are old enough to cost 

 me no more anxiety in re diet, I must try to find out by experi- 

 ment whether they prefer fishes or frogs, and how much of each they 

 voluntarily eat. It is beyond a doubt that otters are useful, in 

 destroying frogs, which are again great eaters of fry certainly, and I 

 think of spawn too; but the question is whether the good they do 

 in this way preponderates over the havoc they commit on fish. The 

 weight of general opinion is against the otter: but what of that, 

 who has not been misjudged ? He has a staunch friend above 

 quoted, and he is certainly entitled to an impartial trial. 



I have been asked to say what became of my otters. They 

 grew, and their numbers were added to, and they had a dog-boy 

 all to themselves, and went out walking with him, answering to 

 his call and following him, and playing round him, the admira- 

 tion and amusement of many, as they went out for their daily 

 walks. But I could not give them as much personal attention as 

 an experiment of this sort requires, and 1 had to lie away on 

 circuit for months at a time, and coming back, found my personal 

 intervention resented, and the dog-boy's authority lapsing. In an 

 evil moment I added to their number an otter puppy that had 

 been weaned by its own mother, and had thus seen a little too 

 much of the world. This one went about with a collar and chain 

 trailing to prevent its escape. But it taught my little .innocents 

 bad ways, till, having established the leadership of age, it one day 

 save a shrill whistle, which was a call to the others to follow'and 

 dashed into a well. All followed, and all were entangled in the 

 chain, and all were drowned together. It would have been better 

 if I had tried a single otter, with only dog companions to help in 

 its education ; and it is useless to attempt such a task by native 

 proxy as I did ; you must be able to u'ive much personal attention, 

 and to bring up the animal almost entirely in your own company, 

 and have hini much alone witli you. Numbers 'are against 

 you. 



