120 THE SEA OTTER. 



and will catch fish for him. It is said, however, that the old 

 ones can never be thoroughly tamed; and, if kept for the 

 purpose of fishing, are always apt to take the first opportunity 

 of escaping. The young ones, before they have got accustomed 

 to a life of independence, are, therefore, more easily managed. 

 When they are captured they are taken home, and carefully 

 nurtured with small fish and water. In proportion, however, 

 as they gather strength, Goldsmith tells us, they have milk 

 mixed with their food, the quantity of the fish provision is 

 reduced, and that of vegetables is increased, until at length 

 they are fed wholly upon bread, which perfectly agrees with 

 their constitution. It requires both assiduity and patience to 

 train them up to fishing ; but their activity and use when 

 taught, amply repays all trouble, and, perhaps, no animals 

 are then more beneficial to their master. The usual plan is, 

 first to teach them to fetch and carry, employing for this pur- 

 pose a piece of leather, shaped like a fish, and stuffed with 

 wool. When they have seized it with their teeth, they are 

 made to drop it at the word of command ; to run after it again 

 when thrown forward, and to return with it to their master. 

 They are next exercised with real, but dead fish, which are 

 thrown into the water for them to fetch from thence. Lastly, 

 living fish are thrown into the water, until the otters are per- 

 fectly disciplined into the art of catching fish for the benefit 

 of the lords of creation. 



THE SEA OTTER. (Lutra marina.} 



This animal, which is twice the size of the common otter, is 

 evidently of the same genus ; yet Schreber's figure of it, appa- 

 rently drawn from a badly-prepared specimen, presents an 

 exaggerated resemblance to the seal, and has induced some 

 zoologists to believe that its place in the systematic classifi- 

 cation should be near to the genus comprising the latter. 



Its body is very long j the hind feet are short, and the tail 



