THft OTTER. 9 



11 Many people are hard on the Otter on account of its fish-killing pro- 

 pensities, but, from long experience, I maintain that they do comparatively 

 little harm in a mighty river like the Shannon. During the last twenty- 

 five years I have heard of only one instance of a spring or summer Salmon 

 having been killed by Otters. I admit that they will sometimes kill a 

 spawned salmon or well-mended kelt in the winter or spring; but what of 

 that ? I have many times seen my Otters fish in parts of the river that 

 were full of salmon and trout, and yet they would be satisfied with an eel." 



One of the most remarkable incidents in the life of an Otter 

 occurred in the case of a tame one that learned to hunt one of its 

 own species. Mr. J. Davison, of Andover, has given the following 

 account of it in ' The Field': — 



" One Sunday afternoon, taking a walk down by the Thrum Mill, near 

 Eothbury on the Coquet, to exercise our dogs, on getting to the top of the 

 rocks one of the puppies gave tongue, and out came an Otter with two 

 whelps by her side, making for the river. We got in front, when the 

 mother gained the rocks ; but we secured the two whelps. We took them 

 home, and put them with * Bell,' an otter-hound, who had a litter of three 

 puppies. One of the whelps died, but the other took to the hound, and 

 throve famously ; he mixed with the puppies, but fought like a demon, and 

 was soon master of the situation. Wherever they went he went with them, 

 fighting everything that he met with. He also became a pet with all the 

 householders, who never missed a chance of feeding him. His special 

 treat was bowls of milk and broth; to get these he would find his way into 

 dairies, larders, &c. Thus he went on, until we had to enter the puppies 

 for otter-hunting. We had him fastened in a yard with high walls, as we 

 felt sure, if we took him with us, he would join his own species. On our 

 return he bullied and fought the entire kennel of five. About a week after 

 I had to go to Brinkbarn Priory, and took the dogs with me. ' Sandy,' the 

 tame Otter, would go, and into the Coquet they soon got on the lair of an 

 Otter. They swam him through a deep pool, when he took to the bushes. 

 Soon I saw ■ Sandy ' side by side with • Rufus,' close to the wild Otter. I said 

 farewell to « Sandy,' but presently I heard the pleasant sound ' worry, worry.' 

 I thought * Rufus ' had him, but on coming in sight, to my astonishment, 

 * Sandy ' had him fast by the neck, and held him till the dogs came up. From 

 that time he was the leader in all our hunts, and was in at the death of 

 nearly twenty Otters. But, alas ! poor Sandy soon came to his end. Love 

 of broth led him into the larder of the Star Inn. The cook, finding him 

 wallowing in the broth, struck him with the wooden ladle — more to frighten 

 than to hurt him ; but his skull was fractured, and, after lingering for some 

 days* he died, to the inexpressible regret of all who knew him." 



