54 ANIMAL LIFE UNDER WATER 



market day, and on very rare occasions a roach. 

 If there was nothing else, she was given parsnips 

 or other vegetable food ; vegetarian diet does not 

 nourish an otter, but even in the wild state a 

 starved animal will take greenstuff to stave off 

 the pangs of hunger. 



When two years old this otter came into 

 my possession, and was conveyed from Maries- 

 ford to Ipswich without leaving the hutch, in 

 order that she should be disturbed as little as 

 possible. On her arrival, however, she was 

 savage and frightened, and for two days took 

 no food. After a time she became accustomed 

 to my man, Bullock, and would come to the 

 front of the hutch and feed from his hand. A 

 fortnight after her arrival she was transferred 

 to a tin-lined kennel. 



This kennel was placed against the enclosure 

 round the pond, so that when the grating in 

 front was open the otter was free to roam in 

 the enclosure. For a week it was impossible to 

 induce her to leave the kennel ;, then it occurred 

 to my man to pour water on her out of a water- 

 ing can. The animal so much objected to this 

 procedure that at once she shot out of the kennel 

 and retired to a hole among the rocks on the 



