THE OTTER PLAYS ON 67 



ver; another time he was surrounded by several, 

 one or more of which had their teeth in him. 

 When he broke away he was being vigorously 

 mauled by a single beaver, which appeared con- 

 tent to let him go since the otter was bent on 

 escape. It was an achievement for the otter 

 to have held his own against such odds. The 

 beaver is at home in the water, and, moreover, 

 has terrible teeth and is a master in using them. 



Though originally a land animal, the otter is 

 now also master of the water. He has webbed 

 feet and a long, sea lion-like neck, which give 

 him the appearance of an animal especially 

 fitted for water travel. He outswims fish and 

 successfully fights the wolf and the beaver in 

 the water. He still has, however, extraordinary 

 ability on land, where he goes long journeys 

 and defends himself against formidable enemies. 

 There are straggling otters which invade the 

 realm of the squirrel by climbing trees. 



The otter is a mighty hunter and by stealth 

 and strength kills animals larger than himself. 

 He is also a most successful fisherman and is 

 rated Ai in water. Here his keen eyes, his speed 

 and quickness enable him to outswim and cap- 

 ture the lightning-like trout. Fish is his main 

 article of diet, but this must be fresh just 

 caught; he is a fish hog. He also eats crawfish, 

 eels, mice, rabbits, and birds. However, he is 



