322 Wild Life in Wales 



known cairn, beyond the source of the stream. Of course, 

 the dimensions of the stream, in such cases, make it of 

 practically no importance, as a means of escape in case of 

 surprise, so that everything has to be staked upon the 

 strength of the fortress ; and when they choose to lie up 

 away from the chance of escape by water, Otters generally 

 choose a very secure holt. As a rule, it will be amongst 

 rocks, and in this case, I believe, the collection of debris at 

 the foot of the Ddwallt precipice had been fixed upon ; where, 

 creeping about beneath the huge masses of tumbled rock, 

 the animals might safely have defied a whole army of 

 terriers for more than one day. These rocks are a well- 

 known stronghold of Foxes ; but the local hunters are all 

 averse to allowing their terriers to enter them, several dogs 

 having been lost there. In one place, where unusually 

 large slabs are piled one upon another, a terrier, which never 

 returned, is said to have been heard baying so far below the 

 surface, that it is thought the overlying rocks conceal a 

 buried precipice, and the place has received the name of 

 Afagddu-diphwys, or the bottomless pit. Naturally, such a 

 spot is not without its devil, and strange stories are told of 

 apparitions that have been seen there. A " Holy Man " is 

 said to have his residence, in a cleft, in another part of the 

 mountain, and to be constantly employed in keeping the 

 demon from works of evil. Not far away is the Lech 

 Offrwm, or stone upon which sacrifices are said to have been 

 offered ; and Y Beddaivhir, or the Ancient place of Burial, is 

 within easy distance. A corlan, or sheepfold, under the 

 shelter of the precipice, has also some curious tales attached 

 to it : a lamb born within it is said to be always more or 

 less black. On a river, the lying up place of an Otter is 

 almost invariably within touch of some stretch of deep water, 

 capable of affording a safe get away from any enemy, except 

 a crowd of people, or a man with a gun ; and most of us are 

 aware how often the animal may make play, even with these 

 backed up though they be by a pack of hounds and yet 

 escape with a whole skin. 



The track left by an Otter upon snow is, as might be 

 expected, rather a sprawly affair, plainly indicating the rather 



