284 LAKES AND STREAMS 



water, the otter comes up to breathe at any hole it can find. The animals cross the 

 country only to go from one piece of water to another ; and if mortally wounded 

 make for the river-bank, to die either there or in their burrow, which in some 

 districts is known as the " holt " and in others as the " couch." On fine days they 

 bask in the sun in dry places, generally by the side of deep water, and on such 

 occasions they sometimes fall asleep so soundly that they may be surprised and 

 caught. On land an otter runs lightly and silently, although not quickly, stopping 

 from time to time to look around and sniff, and on such occasions it may be easily 

 overtaken by a man. 



Sometimes, in parties of four or six, otters wander for miles over land or 

 swamps, visiting such water as may be accessible on the way. Such parties have 

 been seen in Silesia to cross the water-shed of the mountains in order to fish in the 

 Bohemian streams, whence they have returned after a fortnight's sojourn. If an 

 otter be surprised on a nocturnal expedition, it will hide beneath roots or in 

 some hollow trunk, sometimes even in the earth of a badger or fox, remaining 

 quietly in its place of refuge till after sunset, when it continues its pilgrimage. 

 Old female otters during the pairing-season always fish in the company of the 

 males ; old males sometimes live together in one burrow, and it has happened that 

 several have been found in the company of one female. Young otters are said to 

 remain for a long time under the protection of their mother. Wherever an otter 

 lives there are sure to be steep paths descending deep into the water, by which it 

 can slide down into the stream after a visit to the shore. Generally it makes its 

 own burrow in some hole or cavity on the bank, the entrance being about half a 

 yard below the surface of the water. This entrance leads to a dry lair heaped up 

 with grass and leaves, from which a second hole, as an outlet, opens into a passage 

 which leads to the surface. An otter generally has several burrows situated on 

 different waters, or at least several safe places of refuge which it inhabits alternately, 

 but apparently only floods drive it away from its original home. At the time of 

 a flood an otter either retires to some hole in the bank, or takes refuge in a tree 

 or hollow trunk. The favourite haunts of these animals are situated under old 

 willows and other trees with bare roots, or on stems lying across the water which 

 give sufficient room for a sunny resting-place. In alder-stumps an otter excavates 

 the side exposed to the sun, and then squeezes its body into a crevice of the same 

 colour as itself. If persistently pursued, an otter abandons its haunt to find, after 

 wandering overland, some other home, the existence of which is betrayed by the 

 smell of decaying fish. Otters do not seem to be exclusively flesh-feeders, and in 

 captivity have been observed to eat vegetables, and to display a special fancy for 

 carrots, pears, plums, and cherries. They will also eat birds and their eggs, and, 

 in case of need, water-rats and frogs. Their favourite food, however, is fish, trout 

 and carp being especially relished; but they will only eat fresh fish, or those 

 captured by themselves. They usually feed only at night, preferring moonlight, 

 but occasionally, when in very quiet waters, they will fish in the daytime. They 

 are not disturbed by the neighbourhood of human habitations, and will fish just 

 as industriously near a mill as in the lonely brooks of a silent forest, and will 

 bask in the sun on river-banks often visited by man as freely as in places remote 

 from human observation. 



