Chapt. xv. Domestication of Otters. 205 



"Scotland, and to hunt far out. In the south of England 

 "(Cornwall) the otter will go a mile from the shore in 

 "the summer and good weather after its prey, according 

 "to Mr. Couch. On the seashore, rocky coves with scat- 

 tered blocks, hollows and cavities under large stones are 

 "its haunts. These Marine Common Otters must not be 

 "confounded with the Sea Otter (Enhydra). 



"That the common otter is capable of domestication 

 "and attachment we have ample testimony. Albertus 

 "Magnus, Aldrovandus, Gesner, and others attest this. 

 "Every angler will remember the passage in Walton, 

 "where good Mr. Piscator is anxious to possess himself 

 "of one of the young otters which the huntsman, after 

 '"the death of the 'bitch otter' had found: — 'Look you', 

 "says the huntsman, 'hereabout it was she kennelled; 

 " 'look you, here it was indeed, for hereVher young ones, 

 "'no less than five; come, let's kill them all.' 'No,' ex- 

 "claims Piscator, 'I pray, £>ir, save me one, and I'll try 

 " 'if I can make her tamers I know an ingenious gentle- 

 "'man in Leicestershire, Mr. Nich. Seagrave, has done; 

 " 'who hath not only made her tame, but to catch fish, 

 '"and do many other things at pleasure.' Buffon, who 

 "could be as hard of belief in some points as he was 

 "credulous in others, disbelieves the otter's capability for 

 "domestication. The testimony above noticed has been 

 "confirmed by a cloud of modern witnesses. Goldsmith 

 "mentions an otter which went into a gentleman's pond 

 "at the word of command, drove the fish up into a corner, 

 "and having seized on the largest, brought it out of the 



