48 FIELD-NOTES FOR THE YEAR. CH. XXIII. 



hanging bank. I tried to make him leave his 

 cover, but in vain ; so I sent the clog in again, 

 who soon found him, and after a short scuffle, the 

 otter left the pool, and went off along a wide but 

 shallow drain, and there the battle began again. 

 The dog, although unable to master the otter, who 

 was one of the largest size, managed to prevent his 

 escape, and at last I contrived to end the contest by 

 a well-applied blow fi-om a piece of railing which I 

 had picked up. 



Otter skins, when well dressed by a skilful furrier, 

 make a valuable addition to a lady's winter ward- 

 robe, the under fur being peculiarly soft, silky, and 

 of a rich brown colour. 



I am daily more and more convinced that the 

 otter is by no means so great an enemy to salmon 

 as he is supposed to be ; his general food being 

 trout, eels, and flounders ; although of course when 

 a salmon comes in his way, he is sufficiently an 

 epicure not to refuse taking it. An otter seldom 

 kills a salmon without leaving enough of the fish to 

 betray him, as most people who live near salmon 

 rivers know fiill well ; but the remains of the trout 

 and eels which he kills are not so conspicuous. I 

 am borne out in this opinion by Mr. Young, the 

 manager of the Duke of Sutherland's salmon fish- 

 ings, whose opportunities of observation, and acute- 



