THE BOOK OF THE OTTER 



left there. The marks on such fish were known 

 as the " otter's bite." In that deHghtful book, 

 " Wild Sports of the Highlands " by Charles St 

 John, the author refers to the above practice as 

 follows : " I was rather amused at an old woman 

 living at Sluie, on the Findhorn, who, complain- 

 ing of the hardness of the present times, when ' a 

 puir body couldna' get a drop smuggled whisky, 

 or shot a rae without his lordship's sportsman 

 finding it out,' added to her list of grievances that 

 even the otters were nearly all gone, ' puir beasties.' 

 ' Well, but what good could the otters do you ? ' I 

 asked her. ' Good, your honour ? Why scarcely 

 a mom came but they left a bonny grilse on the 

 scarp down yonder, and the vennison was none the 

 waur of the bit, the puir beasts eat themselves.* 

 The people here call every eatable animal, fish, 

 flesh, or fowl, venison, or as they pronounce it 

 * vennison.' For instance they tell you that the 

 snipes are ' good vennison,' or that the trout are 

 not good ' vennison ' in the winter." 



Although an otter is a capable swimmer, he can- 



56 



