PREFACE x 



poor creature in her extremity crept into a 

 bungalow in the course of erection, and was there 

 found curled up dead. 



It seems to me a matter for regret that such 

 an interesting beast is not better known ; and 

 the present narrative is an attempt to portray it 

 amidst the wild surroundings that are so con- 

 genial to its shy nature. 



The critical reader will perhaps wonder at the 

 daring that essays to interpret the workings of 

 the most subtle of animal brains, but I submit 

 that the inferences are, for the most part, of a 

 very safe character ; and modest as they are, they 

 would not have been adventured on, had it not 

 been for my long familiarity with the ways and 

 habits of a creature that is by general consent 

 the most mysterious and inscrutable of our 

 fauna, for the incidents described embody the 

 gleanings of a lifetime of observation and inquiry. 

 It will be noted that I agree with those who hold 

 that in pursuit of fish the otter is guided wholly 

 by sight, though it may well be that the extra- 

 ordinary powers of scent which enable the creature 

 to detect the presence of fish in a stream or pond 

 by sniffing the surface are called into play during 

 immersion. 



The story of the otter is, I believe, now told 



b 2 



