92 A HAND-BOOK OF THE MANAGEMENT OF ANIMALS 



briek-on-edge or cemented floor sometimes suffer from a kind of foot 

 disease, no doubt brought on by constantly walking on the hard stone 

 floor. 



Observations on the habits of Otters. 



Otters are extremely active, inquisitive and noisy animals. Al- 

 though in their wild state they are to a great extent nocturnal in habits, 

 in captivity they are lively during the greater part of the day. They 

 sleep during the day just as any other diurnal animal does. Although 

 otters are amiable creatures in appearance and extremely graceful in 

 their movements, they are sometimes very pugnacious and combative. 

 When one is allowed to remain for some time by itself, it becomes very 

 exclusive in its ideas, and strongly objects to the intrusion of strangers. 

 Attempts to accustom two or three of them to live together have several 

 times failed. It was thought that if one were introduced in a cage it 

 would be protected, and the older inmate of the premises would get 

 accustomed to its presence. No sooner, however, was this plan tried 

 than the cage with the new otter inside it was dragged by the old one 

 into the water and held under as if to drown the poor creature. Hence 

 difficulties arise in housing otters, and often they have to be kept in 

 places not particularly suited to their habits. Towards feeding-time 

 otters become very impatient and restless, and may often be seen 

 rapidly pacing up and down the cage, and every now and then standing 

 up in front of the door anxiously looking forward to the direction from 

 which their food is brought, and uttering shrill cries. As the familiar 

 figure of the keeper approaches with a bucketful of fish, the otter 

 becomes still more restless and impatient, cries louder and incessantly; 

 as the man reaches the door, the otter jumps into the water and dives 

 after each fish as thrown in. It brings up the fish in its mouth and 

 commences eating it from the head. Though extremely fond of fish 

 and mostly living upon them, otters have been observed to eat crabs 

 and small tarrapins with evident relish. Two tame otters, having once 

 escaped from an unfinished cage in which they were placed on arrival, 

 were allowed the freedom of the lake for a day or two, when, having 

 caught and eaten fish to their hearts' content, they would divert them- 

 selves with extracting crabs and eating them. An otter has also been 

 found eating a bird. A number of whistling teals had at one time 

 been placed in the otter enclosure as an experiment. For the first day 

 or two nothing particular happened ; early on the morning of the third 

 day one of the teals was missed, but no suspicion fell upon the otter until 

 on the morning of the fourth day it was found in the act of eating one. 

 The remaining birds were, of course, removed to a safer place. 



There is an anecdote on record of an otter making friends with a 

 crocodile. Peggy, the oldest otter then living in the garden, once 

 managed to escape by digging a hole in one corner of the cage where 

 the bars rested on the mud. The operation having been performed under 

 water, it passed unnoticed till after the escape of the animal. Having 

 gained its freedom it took to amusing itself in the water, and baffled 

 all attempts of the keepers to recapture it, a large island overgrown 

 with shrubs and undergrowth giving it a great advantage over its 

 pursuers. Night supervening, the pursuit had to be abandoned 



