THE OTTER. 





Hunting for Otters at the Cairn. 



In the British Islands they have but one species of Otter. But the members of the genus arc very 

 numerous, and spread respectively over every quarter of the globe — nor are all confined to fresh waters ; 

 on the contrary, some are fishers on the sea, and take up their abode, like seals, in the crevices of rocks on 

 the shore. Of these we may instance the Lutra stelleri, a native of the Polar Regions. 



The Otter is found on the wild shores of the western isles of Scotland. Among the Highlanders it is a 

 favorite sport to hunt this animal with dogs of the terrier breed. Parties will sally out with torches at, 

 night time, when the Otter leaves his hole to seek food. During the day he conceals himself under the 

 large bare stones or fragments of rock rinse to the margin of the sea, forming what is called a u cairn." 

 It is a difficult matter to force him from his retreat, The writer being in one of. the Hebrides, 

 accompanied a party of gentlemen, attended by gamekeepers, for the purpose of witnessing this sport, 

 It was a fine morning in September. Landing on one of the islands from a boat, the terriers were loosened 

 from the couples and left to their own instinct to find the otter's den. After scrambling a considerable 

 distance over masses of rock and loose pebbles on a remarkably wild and beautiful shore, the dogs by their 

 eagerness of manner and incessant barking, convinced the party that the game was within scent. The 

 gentlemen with guns cocked, then arranged themselves in convenient situations for intercepting the passage 

 of the Otter, should he attempt to take refuge in the sea; some mounted ou the tops of rocks, others stood 

 near the water or in the boat which had accompanied the party from the landing place. The keepers in 

 the meantime assisted the dogs in their efforts to discover the lurking hole of the prey. One of them, a 

 thick-set Highlander, displayed a very characteristic enthusiasm. Addressing the dogs in Gaelic, he set to 

 work with all the fervor of the animals themselves, tearing away large stones from the month of the hole, 

 and half burying himself to enable the dogs to come at their object; ffiiey in the meantime ran about, 

 yelping in the greatest excitement, and scratching at every aperture between the stones. "While this action 

 was going on at one hole, a lanje Otter poked his head out of another, and looked about with as much 

 as pnishment as his countenance was capable of expressing, until catching a glimpse of one of his enemies, 

 he suddenly retreated from the light. Tin's incident having been observed, the attention of the party was 

 (81)' 



