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The Naturalist, 



Brighouse since then. Over 60 years since, James Turner and John 

 Nutton, of Greetland, were rat-hunting on the Oalder under North Dean 

 Wood. Their dog went up a drain from which there was a small stream 

 flowing. They soon heard a fierce combat going on, the water became 

 muddy and stained with blood, and . out bolted a bitch otter and two 

 cubs. The mother escaped, but the cubs were caught and kept alive for 

 a short time. In September, 1873, some men were strolling on the banks 

 of a small stream at Cotton Stones, Ripponden, They had two dogs — a 

 lurcher and a terrier — the former weighing 50ft)s, and the latter 22tt)S. 

 The dogs were set behind the remnants of an old burr-wall, and whilst 

 they were digging in at each end, an otter made its way out at the top, 

 between the wall and the bank, and made for the stream, which was so 

 shallow that it could not dive. The fight then commenced. The strength 

 and tenacity of the otter were remarkable ; it could have both dogs down 

 at once. It soon had them both covered with blood, got from them and 

 ran up a drain, from which they dug it out. It again made for the 

 stream, the dogs and men after it ; and whilst the dogs worried, the men 

 struck it across the back with a rail-pole, which rebounded as if they 

 were striking at a tight-blown football. One man, who held it by the 

 tail so that its hind feet could not touch the ground, said if it had been 

 tailless they could not have captured it ; but holding its feet from the 

 ground placed it at a disadvantage with regard to its wrestling powers. 

 The otter weighed I74fbs, and measured 4ft. 6in. from tip to tip. The 

 skin was not perforated by the dogs' teeth. On Aug. 19th, 1876, a large 

 otter was caught in a box-trap on the Calder. It had been seen to go up 

 a drain near Messrs. Clay's dyehouse at Sowerby Bridge. In the winter 

 of 1881 an otter was seen by the night-watchman at North Dean station, 

 which, on being followed, ran into the Calder. It was traced on 

 the snow and on the mud by the river-side, but not caught. — C. C. 

 Hanson. 



Bird-Notes from Newton Kyme, near Tadcaster. — The Rev. J. W. 

 Chaloner, rector of Newton Kyme, writing on the 2nd or 3rd of March, 

 says that the week before last he saw nine goosanders together at that 

 place, which is very unusual. The week of his writing he noted a pair of 

 black-spotted woodpeckers. He has now in his yard a fine specimen of a 

 wild duck having assumed the plumage of a mallard. 



NOTICES OF BOOKS, &c.—Hepaticce Britannicce Exsiccates.— Fasc. 

 III. of this useful set of specimens has just been issued by Messrs. 

 B. Carrington, M.D., and W. H. Pearson, and contains some very rare and 

 interesting specimens, amongst them being Cephalozia ceraria, G. Fran- 

 cisci, Nardia {Marsnpella) Stahleri, Lepidozia Fearsoni, Fttalophyllum 

 Ralfsiiy &c. , &c. — in all 65 species and varieties. Subscriptions may be 

 sent to Mr. W. H. Pearson, 6, Seedley Park Road, Pendleton, Man- 

 chester. 



