THE OTTER. 137 



by the crowds of -white gulls roosting full in his 

 course of travel. 



Let those who find pleasure in the otter-hunt 

 continue to do so, by all means. Sport is a natural 

 asset to the country, and the healthy outdoor 

 variety needs to be encouraged in every way ; 

 but there is positively no need for otter- hunting 

 enthusiasts, backed by the daily press, to court 

 popularity and support by emphasising the pastime 

 as a boon to our fisheries and a necessity from the 

 point of view of the angler. Such a course is un- 

 fair to the otter, and incidentally, by giving the 

 animal a bad name, does not improve the hunting. 

 How many otters are shot and trapped annually 

 owing to the bad repute in which they stand ? 

 Remove all ignorance on the subject, let the otter 

 multiply within reasonable limits, and there will 

 be better hunting and, I believe, better fishing. 



I have fished side by side with otters night 

 after night. I have never known the fishing to 

 deteriorate one jot owing to their presence. It is 

 the tyro in waders, who wades where he should 

 fish, and fishes for the most part in the trees, who 

 spoils water. The expert angler who takes, prob- 

 ably, ten times the number of fish does no per- 

 ceptible harm ; and the otter stands out as facile 

 princeps among all experts. 



LENGTH OF LIFE. 



What is the span of life allotted to the otter ? 

 Probably it lives longer than a dog, but not so 

 long as a badger. Its slow rate of maturity would 

 seem to argue long life, but I have never heard of 

 one of these creatures living in captivity for any 

 lengthy period. The only captive otter I knew 

 died in its ninth year. Death seemed to be from 



