112 WILD SPORTS OF THE HIGHLANDS chap. 



His track showed that he was a very large one, and he seemed 

 too cunning for the traps. The man's plan was to make him- 

 self a small hiding-place, opposite a shoal in the burn, where 

 the otter must needs wade instead of swimming. We had come 

 to the conviction from the tracks that the otters remained con- 

 cealed during the daytime a considerable way up the water, 

 and hunted down the burn during the night to where it joined 

 the river. 



It was a fine calm December night, with a full moon. The 

 old man, wrapped in a plaid, and with a peculiar head-dress 

 made of an old piece of drugget, which he always wore on occa- 

 sions of this kind, took up his position at six o'clock. Before 

 nine the otter was killed, having appeared, as he had calculated, 

 on its way down to the river. 



This is one of the surest ways of killing this animal when 

 he frequents a river or brook which in parts is so shallow as to 

 oblige the otter to show himself in his nightly travels. They 

 appear to go a considerable distance, generally hunting down 

 the stream, and returning up to their place of concealment be- 

 fore dawn. At certain places they seem to come to land every 

 night, or, at any rate, every time that they pass that way. In 

 solitary and undisturbed situations I have sometimes fallen in 

 with the otter during the day. In a loch far on the hills, I 

 have seen one raise itself half out of the water, take a steady 

 look at me, and then sink gradually and quietly below the surface,; 

 appearing again at some distance, but next time showing only 

 part of its head. At other times I have seen one floating down 

 a stream, with no exertion of its own which could attract notice ; 

 but passing with the current, showing only the top of its head 

 and its nose, with its tail floating near the surface, and waving 

 to and fro as if quite independent of all restraint from its owner. 

 If he fancies that he is observed on these >. ccasions, down he 

 sinks to the bottom, where he lies quietly as long as he can do 

 without air ; and when obliged to rise to breathe, he comes up 

 close to the bank, or amongst weeds, with only his nose above 

 water. If, however, the water is clear, and you persist in watch-, 

 ing him, and by quickly approaching him, oblige him constantly 

 to dive, the poor beast will at last in sheer despair crawl out 

 on the bank, concealing himself in the best manner he can. 

 But it takes some time to oblige him to do this. 



