Chapt. xv. Otter's manner of feeding. 203 



A writer, in the same Journal, whose name I have 

 unfortunately not kept, adds the following to the dis- 

 cussion: — 



"That they are very destructive to trout and salmon 

 "I have every reason to believe, and as they are some- 

 "what dainty and fastidious of taste, rarely eating more 

 "of a captured fish than a very small bit that suits them, 

 "they must kill a great deal more than they actually 

 "consume. As to any good they do in eating >pike and 

 "frogs, as referred to by one of your correspondents, all 

 "I can say is, that in Orkney they have no frogs and no 

 "pike to eat. I have always observed, by the remains of 

 "trout found, that it is the best and biggest fish they can 

 "meet with that are destroyed." 



Another extract about the size of the otter's gullet 

 and his mode of feeding may be interesting to the angler 

 naturalist, and may possibly be one reason why the otter 

 half eats so little of so many fish in place of making a 

 good meal at once off the-first caught. 



"Sir, — I see in 'Land and Water' of to-day you notice 

 "the small size of the otter's gullet. I do not know if 

 "you have had good opportunities of watching an otter 

 "feeding, as his mode of doing so accounts for it entirely. 

 "I have now a perfectly tame one (not the first I have 

 "kept), which seems to devour all his food by suction, as 

 "it were — that is to say, when taking a bit of rabbit or of 

 "fish from my hand, he will hold it between his fore-paws, 

 "and so suck and champ at it till it disappears. I have 

 "never seen him swallow a piece of meat or fish as large 



26* 



