196 Are Otters useful or not? Chapi 1 . xv. 



"the wild state when they can get smaller more easily. 

 "Otters appear to grow for ahout two years, and they 

 "seem to differ considerably in weight. I once saw one 

 "killed in the Lune, near Lancaster, by Mr. Lomax's otter 

 "hounds, which was 28 lbs., and that excellent sportsman 

 "told me that the largest he had ever seen was a male, 

 "which weighed 30 lbs. It was found in a hollow willow, 

 "in Warwickshire, and was evidently a patriarch, from 

 "its teeth. I hope some day to hear of a. salmon being 

 "presented to Mr. Buckland's Museum of economic fish 

 "culture, killed by Mr. H's. otter.— F. H. Salvin. 



Are Otters useful or baneful to fisheries? "Sir, — Your, 

 "correspondent F. H. Salivin, in a very interesting ac- 

 " count which he gives of a fight between an otter and 

 "a pike heavier than itself, says of otters, 'I particularly 

 " 'regret their loss, for I know they do much more good 

 " 'than harm, and this knowledge I have gained by study- 

 " 'ing their habits for years, both in the wild and tame 

 "'state'. In common with the multitude, I was of the 

 "contrary opinion, and in a report which is now before 

 "the Madras Government, proposed, among other things, 

 "the offer of rewards for the destruction of otters and 

 "crocodiles. I was under the impression that the end 

 "which these two animals served was that of keeping the 

 "larger and predaceous fish like pike in check, and pre- 

 senting their so increasing as to denude the rivers of 

 "other fish in wild places where the population was nil 

 "or scanty; but that wjjere human beings were suffici- 

 "ently numerous to do this for themselves, they might 



