110 THE OTTER. 



the otter did not desist till the two gained a foot- 

 bridge, which they crossed, the otter seeming for 

 a time still inclined to pursue. 



This must have been the case of a female whose 

 young were very near at hand ; but the story 

 merely goes to support my belief that the majority 

 of otters do not recognise man when they see him, 

 and would be as likely to attempt to drive him 

 from the vicinity of their young as they would be 

 to attempt to drive away any other trespasser. If 

 such acts of aggression on the part of otters were 

 out of sheer ferocity, it is curious that they never 

 attempt to attack sheep, &c., which they would be 

 much more likely to drag down and kill than they 

 would be to drag down a man. 



A gentleman with whom I am acquainted was 

 recently snipe-shooting in early autumn on a moor 

 near to Pateley Bridge, when, on reaching a small 

 tarn in the comer of an extensive bent-allotment, 

 he sent his spaniel into the water to flush any birds 

 that might be in the rushes. The dog, having done 

 its work, proceeded to swim about, grabbing at the 

 floating weed, and amusing itself as a hot and thirsty 

 dog will under such conditions. Suddenly it ap- 

 peared to be in great difficulties, thrashing the 

 water with its forepaws and yelping, but, in spite 

 of its frantic endeavours, making no progress 

 towards the bank. The bed of the peat-pool was 

 too treacherous for the owner of the dog to attempt 

 to wade in to the rescue, and he concluded that 

 the animal must have become entangled in some 

 submerged barbed wire or weed probably the 

 former, as it seemed to be in great pain. Shifting 

 his standpoint, however, the gunner was astounded 

 to see that a large otter had hold of the dog by the 

 shoulder, evidently intent on drowning the poor 



