THE COMMON OTTER. 341 



It then always returned as speedily as possible to the 

 bank, where it shook itself like a Water-spaniel. 

 When it was obliged to continue in the v/ater for 

 any length of time^ it frequently raised its head to 

 the surface to breathe ; and he believes it would have 

 been killed had it been forced to remain under water 

 for half an hour *. 



When the Otter, in its wild state, has caught a 

 fish, it immediately drags it ashore, and devours the 

 head and upper parts, leaving the remainder : and 

 when domesticated, it will eat no fish except such as 

 are perfectly fresh ; but will prefer bread, milk, &c. 

 It generally hunts against the stream; and when 

 more than one are fishing at the same time, they are 

 frequently heard to utter a sort of loud whistle to 

 each other, as if by way of signal. When two of 

 them (as sometimes happens) are hunting a Salmon^ 

 one stations itself above, and the other below the 

 place where the hsh is : and they continue to chase 

 it, till, becoming perfectly wearied out, it surrenders 

 itself a quiet prey^-. The Otter, v^'hen it hunts 

 singly, has two modes of taking its prey. The first 

 is by pursuing it from the bottom upwards : this is 

 principally done with the larger fish ; whose eyes be- 

 ing placed so as not to see under them, the animal 

 attacks them by surprise from below, and, seizing 

 them by the belly, drags them away. The other 

 mode is by hunting them into some corner of the 

 pond or lake, and there seizing them. The latter, 

 however, can only be practised in water where there 



* Le Moniteur Uiiiversel, Nivose 21, Au vii. f Penu. Brit. ZoqI. 

 Z3 



