OTTERS. 123 



with easy wavings of its tail and undulations of its 

 body, glides along with admirable ease and elegance. 

 It is seen to great advantage when at play with a com- 

 panion ; and as there are mostly some living Otters in 

 any Zoological Gar dens, there are plenty of opportunities 

 of seeing them. It is in these mock encounters that 

 the use of the webbed feet is best seen. As they twist, 

 and turn, and double beneath the water, the feet, and 

 especially the fore feet, are used for this purpose, just 

 as a swimmer alters his course by means of his hands. 

 The tail is all the while used for propulsion, and partly 

 for direction, but the doubling below the water is 

 achieved almost wholly by means of the feet. 



There are few more interesting sights than to 

 watch Otters at play with each other. The infinite 

 variety of graceful attitudes as they twine and undu- 

 late beneath the surface must be seen to be appreciated. 

 They pretend to fight, just like a couple of puppies at 

 play, grasp each other with feet as well as with teeth, 

 roll over and over, and then, with a single wave of the 

 tail, they shoot out of the water upon the bank, gallop 

 round and round, and then glide again into the water 

 to pursue their graceful sport. 



The shape of the head calls for some attention. It 

 is broader and flatter than in the terrestrial weasels 

 and has the nostrils placed high as well as the eyes, so 

 that it can both breathe and see without exposing 

 more than a few inches of surface. The same modi- 

 fication of structure is to be seen in the hippopotamus 

 and crocodile, both of which creatures, in spite of their 

 enormous size, expose so small a surface to the open 

 iiir, that even a good rifleman has to take his most 



