1 32 MORE ABOUT THE OTTER 
edge, picks at a bit of dead sedge just out of the 
water, flirts up her tail, clucks, and is returning to the 
bank again. She never reaches it, for she goes under 
the water most mysteriously seized, in fact, from 
below by the otter. 
Babbits and rats tunnel through the river banks, 
right down to the edge of the water ; and rabbits can 
well be spared for the otter when he needs them. 
That is my opinion of the matter at least. 
One more sketch of our friend before leaving him. 
I am standing idly by the side of a deep and narrow 
lagoon, formed by a river flowing up over a water 
meadow. A narrow inlet direct from the river sup- 
plied this bit of deep water. Three feet at the most 
in width the inlet is. At one end of this small lagoon 
water-lilies and bullrushes flourish luxuriantly. Good 
pike and eels are known to have their home here, but 
for some reason or other I have always failed to catch 
one. All at once, as I stand there, one of the lily- 
leaves dips under the water. I fancy a water-rat has 
gone over it ; but other leaves follow, the long stems 
writhe and sway to and fro, and the yellow flowers 
dip and nod. Something invisible causes a splashing 
on the surface ; then a moor-hen squatters up, and runs 
over the meadows, clucking loudly, evidently flustered 
by the commotion below. The leaves are agitated 
