90 With Rod and Gun in New England 



s 



required to keep in food a family of these animals. I have known of a 

 large pond in a preserve belonging to a fishing club, being completely 

 depopulated of trout before the presence of an otter in its neighborhood 

 was discovered. Although it is a valuable fur-bearing species, I, as an 

 angler, class it as a noxious animal, believing, as I do, that it kills during 

 its life, fish of vastly greater value than its pelt. 



The Canada or American otter, Lutra Canadensis (Sabine), is the 

 largest of the Mustclidce, or weasel family, in this country. It takes up its 

 residence in or near the bank of a river or pond, and, if possible, provides 

 a passage leading to it beneath the water. It is an expert swimmer, catch- 

 ing with ease the fishes, of which its food chiefly consists. It is a very 

 active, strong animal, although rather clumsy on the land. When attacked 

 by a dog it often proves more than a match for him, its sharp, strong teeth 

 inflicting an ugly bite, and its tough skin and thick fur covering affording 

 it protection from the attacks of its assailant. It is usually a cunning ani- 

 mal, trapping it being generally unsuccessful, unless the trap is set be- 

 neath the water or at the foot of its slide. A strange peculiarity of this 

 animal is its habit of climbing to the top of a steep bank or snow drift, and 

 sliding on its belly head foremost to the bottom ; this operation is 

 repeated many times and seems to afford it a very delightful recreation. 

 If caught when young it is easily tamed, feeding greedily on fishes, fresh- 

 water clams, and frogs. It breeds once a year, in early spring, and has 

 from two to four at a birth. 



The mink is another terribly voracious fish killer ; it is so expert that 

 no fish can escape from its pursuit. Some idea of its dexterity in this 

 respect may be had when I state that I once, while crossing Grand lake, 

 in Maine, in a canoe, shot a mink nearly, if not quite, a half mile from the 

 shore, which had a small salmon in its mouth it had caught in the deep 

 water of the lake. 



The mink destroys more fish than it can possibly eat and seems to 

 kill for the sake of killing. In one of my outings, in Nova Scotia, as I 

 sat on the shore of a stream awaiting the return of my guide, who had 

 left me for an hour or two, on an errand, I saw a mink come from the 

 water near by, with a trout at least a foot in length. 



It was a heavy load for so small an animal, but it carried and dragged 

 it up the shore and quickly passed into the thick undergrowth. Not five 

 minutes elapsed before it returned to the shore, went into the water, and 

 disappeared. 



It was not long before it reappeared with another trout as large as the 

 other, and I counted five good-sized fish that the mink brought to shore in 

 less than an hour. Probably the animal had a family near by, but its mem- 

 bers must have had good appetites. I once lost a handsome catch of trout 

 by one of these marauders, and the incident is another example, showing 



