238 THE NATURAL HISTORY 



ones have been seen by the keepers and other persons 

 in the Pond itself these were probably part of a litter 

 that had been reared in the spring of the same year in 

 the " Slips," one of the East Harting meadows, at a 

 considerable distance from any large stream from 

 which their supplies could have been obtained. In all 

 probability, however, as their habitation was close to a 

 large cover, their fare did not exclusively consist of 

 fish, the otter being an expert hunter on land as well 

 as in the water, and having no objection to a rabbit in 

 the absence of other animal food. Buffon, in his 

 " Natural History," appears to have drawn anything 

 but a flattering picture of the otter in its young state, 

 particularly dwelling upon what he terms its heavy/ 

 stupid expression, as contrasted with the appearance 

 of the young of many other animals, and its awkward, 

 sluggish movements. The accomplished author of 

 " La chasse a tir en France," in a paragraph, of which 

 we give the substance, protests against this libel of the 

 great naturalist. " If I venture," he says, " to differ on 

 any subject with so high an authority, it is because I 

 have made independent observations on that subject. 

 So far from the otter which I saw (a tame one belonging 

 to a gentleman at Verdun) being awkward and sluggish 

 in his movements, he was, on the contrary, particularly 

 graceful and lively, reminding one of the activity of 

 the squirrel. Playful as a kitten, he would twist and 

 turn his lithe and supple body in all directions with 

 the greatest ease and agility, more like a lizard than a 

 less sprightly creature. It was a rare treat to see 

 him gambolling with Don, a brown and white setter 

 belonging to the same gentleman. The tail of this 

 setter was very conspicuously tipped with white, and 

 any white object was particularly attractive to the 

 young otter. If a white handkerchief, for instance, 

 were waved in his presence, he would immediately 

 bound towards it, he would never even pass by a white 

 stone without curiously examining it : it naturally 



