2G8 NATURALIST'S CABINET. 



Mode of catching fish. 



state of domestication, that to whatever distance 

 it went, it always returned, with the utmost 

 punctuality, to its kennel. 



When the otter, in its wild state, has caught a 

 fish, it immediately drags it ashore, and devours 

 the head and upper parts, leaving the remainder : 

 and when domesticated, it will eat no fish except 

 such as are perfectly fresh; but will prefer bread, 

 milk, 8cc. It generally hunts against the stream ; 

 and when more than one are fishing at the same 

 time, they frequently utter a sort of loud whistle 

 to each other, as if by way of signal. When 

 two of them are hunting a salmon, one stations 

 itself above, and the other below the place where 

 the fish is: and they continue to' chase it, till, 

 becoming perfectly wearied out, it surrenders 

 itself without resistance. When hunting singly, 

 the otter has two modes of taking its prey. The 

 first is by pursuing it from the bottom upwards ; 

 this is principally done with the larger fish ; 

 whose eyes being placed so as not to see under 

 them, the animal attacks them by surprise from 

 below, and, seizing them by the belly, drags 

 them c\way. The other mode is by driving them 

 into some corner of the pond or lake, and there 

 seizing them. The latter, however, can only be 

 practised in w r ater where there is no current, and 

 on the smaller fish; for it would be impossible 

 to force the large ones out of deep water. It has 

 been observed, that the otter is as noxious in. 4 



