328 Practical Game Preserving. 



a sport, should be considered vermin, and treated as such, 

 depends, of course, upon circumstances. Many rivers in 

 which they are excessively numerous never have an otter- 

 hound in their neighbourhood, much less a hunt, even one 

 day out of the three hundred and sixty-five. Naturally, under 

 such conditions, it becomes most necessary that some steps 

 be taken to put a check upon their numbers, and by capturing 

 a few scare the others to an extent to make them shift their 

 quarters. When undisturbed these animals increase in 

 numbers very rapidly, become more daring and destructive 

 in the capture of their prey, and very soon make no small 

 impression on the quantity of fish in the river. 



When otters are looked upon as vermin and it is deter- 

 mined to attempt to catch or kill some, it will be found to 

 belong to that long list of things " more easily said than 

 done," for the trapping of an otter is by no means so readily 

 effected as may seem. A good deal more depends upon luck 

 than anything else, except patience, which is, in this instance, 

 very necessary. 



The otter has a certain number of places along the river 

 bank at which it leaves the water, either with fish to con- 

 sume or for any other reason. These tracks are easily 

 discerned from the footprints of the animal, which are 

 distinguishable from those of any other by the peculiar 

 impression left by the round ball, constituting the pad of 

 the foot, and called the " seal." If there be a shelving bank 

 to the river, where a small level beach of sand exists, 

 or a fairly open space of similar nature, these will certainly 

 at some time be visited by lutra when leaving the water. 

 If the landing place be well frequented it will be found that 



