MORE FISHING NOTES. 239 



so, I could have cleared it up for the persons con- 

 cerned. I know that otters haunt that place, and 

 have done so for years. Those who are familiar with 

 the otter and his ways know that he is very carnivor- 

 ous when the chance offers, like his distant relative 

 the badger, for they both belong to the weasel family. 

 Their dentition proves the fact conclusively. The 

 otter is the amphibious representative of the family. 

 Fur, feather, fish, or frogs, he devours all, as they come 

 in his way. A well-grown dog otter, from twenty to 

 thirty pounds in weight, is, for his size, a very power- 

 ful creature, especially in the water. When Mr and 

 Mrs Otter are " on the root " and sharp set — and as 

 a rule they hunt in pairs — live things can look out. 

 Those huge pike, free and unfettered, they would not 

 care to tackle. Smaller fish suit them far better, for 

 they can kill them easily ; whereas a big pike will 

 make a fi^t for it. But when they find one on a 

 night-line, they go for him, the pair of them. One 

 grips him by the gullet, the other near the tail, and 

 they tear him off the hook. Then they drag the 

 great fish to cover. If there is a large wood-pile or 

 fagot-stack near, so much the better; failing this, 

 the river tangle answers their purpose. A small 



