124 THE OTTER. 



insinuated at the other end of the drain, while we 

 stood in expectancy by the coop. Sure enough, 

 scarcely two minutes had passed when something 

 entered the box, whereupon the door was jammed 

 home, and we had our otter ! 



Just what we meant eventually to do with him 

 I cannot recall, but our first act was to convey 

 him to the keeper's wash-house, where, having 

 stopped up the drain in the centre of the floor, 

 we climbed to the sink, and from this place of 

 security cautiously opened the lid. The poor 

 captive lay flat on the bottom of the coop, re- 

 fusing to blink an eyelid, when the brilliant 

 notion occurred to us of flooding the floor of 

 the place, trusting that the otter would feel 

 more at home when surrounded by his familiar 

 element. 



We pumped singly and together, and after 

 about half-an-hour's steady toil succeeded in cover- 

 ing the floor with an inch of water, whereupon 

 the otter slid cautiously out and began to investi- 

 gate. His mode of progress was much as described 

 in the pursuit across the snow. Lying flat on 

 his stomach, his forelegs tucked limply under 

 him, he propelled himself by spasmodic strokes 

 of the hind-paws, worming like a salmon into 

 the nooks and corners in search of a way of escape. 

 We spent a most interesting half-hour watching 

 him. 'But,' said the keeper, 'you wait till my 

 missus comes home and sees this mess ; then I 

 shall get otters ! ' 



We made the animal a prisoner for the night 

 in the yard, building a barricade of barrels, 

 weighted with large stones, closely around the 

 space containing him; but such was his strength 

 that he contrived to move two of the barrels 



