266 THE ANGLER-NATURALIST. 



of frequent occurrence, whilst such a thing as a dead 

 female is hardly ever seen. 



The female, however, does not enjoy a total immunity 

 from danger; she is especially liable to the assaults of 

 that most terrible of all piscine foes, the Otter an enemy 

 who is particularly active at the spawning-season, when 

 the fish are heavy and unwieldy with roe. An account of 

 an attack by one of these animals upon two Salmon in the 

 spawning-beds is mentioned in the ' Field' of November 15, 

 1862 : 



" Last week, close to the weir of Foxford, on the Bal- 

 lina River, an Otter got into collision with two Salmon. 

 The first he seized hold of; but after a severe struggle, 

 lasting several minutes, it got away : he went in pursuit of 

 the fish again, and met a second Salmon, which, after 

 some hard work in a rapid stream, he succeeded in master- 

 ing, and carried to the weirs, where he left it on a wall. 

 He then immediately returned to the spot where he had 

 lost the first Salmon, and was not long before he found it ; 

 and as it was not able this time to make any fight, owing 

 to its previous injuries, he carried it off to where he had 

 left the other on the weirs. Then dropping it, he com- 

 menced to eat the one he had first brought there, for no 

 other reason, that I can see, than that it was the largest : 

 just, however, as he was enjoying himself, a keeper ar- 

 rived, and shot him. One Salmon was 15 Ibs., and the 

 other 9 Ibs. in weight, male and female both heavy in 

 spawn." 



