HAUNTS OF THE OTTER 43 



different way. Any one who has seen a water-rat 

 come up on a bank after a dive will have a good idea 

 of the general appearance of the otter's fur. Now he 

 gives his coat a shake and combs his fur a bit with 

 his short webbed feet. That powerful tail of his 

 hangs half out of the water, and his head is turned in 

 my direction, looking for the moment just like that of 

 an infuriated tiger in miniature, as, with ears drawn 

 close to his head, he snarls and shows his teeth. 



When properly treated the otter is easily converted 

 into an affectionate and playful pet. For those who 

 may not be familiar with him, let me describe his 

 appearance more exactly. He is a trifle larger than a 

 cat, having a very cat-like head, only flatter, which is 

 provided with a fine set of teeth, and he can use them 

 with terrible force for his size. On his lip he has a 

 lot of strong bristles. His eyes are small and have a 

 watchful look about them ; the neck is almost as thick 

 as his chest ; his body is long and round ; the legs 

 are very short, strong, and flexible ; the toes webbed 

 for a great part of their length, and the claws on them 

 sharp. The tail is thick at the root and tapers off to 

 a point ; it is very powerful, as I said before, and is, 

 in fact, his swimming machine. In colour he is dark 

 brown as a rule, with the sides of his head and throat 

 brownish grey. 



