OTTER'S HAUNTS AND HABITS 



river in the next dale across the watershed, the 

 otter had not stopped once, but had kept toddhng 

 on. In the Lake District, otters regularly travel 

 the passes over the hills, visiting the mountain 

 tarns, and going from one dale to another. 



Otters are playful beasts, a favourite game of 

 theirs being sliding. They choose a steep clay 

 bank, or a smooth snow slope, and toboggan down 

 it on their stomachs with evident enjoyment. 

 Although one seldom sees these sHdes in this 

 country, they are very common in Canada where 

 we have often come across them. During the cold 

 weather of a Canadian winter, otters spend a good 

 deal of their time beneath the ice, being able to 

 breathe at the air-spaces round the shore. These 

 air-spaces are left when the water lowers after the 

 ice is formed. 



Concerning the otter's feeding habits, there 



appears to be a good deal of misconception. 



Some people imagine that the otter exists entirely 



on fish, and for this reason should be done to death 



as a river-poacher at every opportunity. We 



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