THE BOOK OF THE OTTER 



spawn, and he slays quantities of eels, which are 

 the worst vermin to be found in lake or stream. 

 Game is only an occasional item on his menu, and 

 nobody grudges him a few young rabbits. 



Otters, therefore, if kept within reasonable limits, 

 do their share of good, and, like the fox, provide the 

 very best of sport when hunted . When Reynard is 

 rolled over by hounds it is the debt he pays for 

 the privileged existence of himself and his kind, 

 and the same thing applies to the otter. Given a 

 good pack of hounds, hunting their district 

 properly, otters will be kept sufficiently in check, 

 and good sport will be enjoyed by riparian owners 

 and others. 



The only occasion on which an otter can do 

 really extensive damage is when he gets access to 

 a trout hatchery. Once he finds his way to the 

 breeding ponds he will kill fish right and left. If, 

 however, such places are properly fenced off — as 

 they should be — they will never suffer from the 

 attentions of otters. Swans and other wildfowl, 



herons, dabchicks, waterhens, kingfishers, frogs, 



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