THE OTTER. 109 



its way up the river, and revealing itself each time 

 at a greater distance, till fully a quarter of a mile 

 away I lost sight of it. 



FEROCITY. 



It is fairly certain that the stories one hears from 

 time to time about otters following human beings, 

 apparently intent on attack, are the result of this 

 animal's uncontrollable curiosity. I do not believe 

 that one otter in a hundred actually knows what 

 man is ; they know his scent, and fear it, taking to 

 deep water or to cover immediately that scent 

 assails their nostrils ; but man in the flesh is an 

 unknown quantity to them. I have myself, as 

 related, known otters to come close up in order 

 to investigate. Had I moved away, they would 

 probably have followed, not having caught my 

 scent, and it would have been an easy matter to 

 send a letter to the local press relating how an 

 otter, intent on mischief, had pursued me 1 



The most surprising facts concerning an otter's 

 ferocity came to my hearing in Yorkshire, and 

 when sifted proved to be genuine. A church- 

 sexton was one night fishing for eels near Ripon, 

 accompanied by his wife, when an otter was 

 observed to slide out of the water a few yards 

 away and come straight towards them, sneaking 

 through the long grass on its belly, much like an 

 eel crossing a meadow. The man at once rose, 

 shouting and clapping his hands ; but, hardly 

 pausing, the animal came on, refusing to turn 

 aside even when something was thrown at it. 

 The two people then withdrew, but the otter still 

 followed, till eventually the man tried to drive it 

 off by striking it with his wife's umbrella. The 

 umbrella was broken over the animal's back, but 



