42 
THE CANADIAN NATURALIST. 
is fishing ; and by his diving he appears to be successful. 
It is a curious fact, that the otter will not eat the hind part 
of a fish, rejecting all but the head and shoulders. This is 
the only brute animal that appears to enjoy play for its own 
sake, merely for amusement, in adult age. Some years ago, 
I was travelling on foot in Newfoundland, from St. Mary's 
on the southern coast, to Trinity Bay. It was in the month 
of January, and there was a considerable depth of snow on 
the ground. The old furrier, who acted as my guide, showed 
me many " otter slides." These were always on a steep 
sloping bank of a pond or stream, where the water remained 
unfrozen. They were as smooth and slippery as glass, 
caused by the otters sliding on them in play, in the following 
manner: — Several of these animals seek a suitable place, 
and then each in succession, lying flat on his belly, at the 
top of the bank, slides swiftly down over the snow, and 
plunges into the water. The others folio w^ while he crawls 
up the bank at some distance, and running round to the 
sliding place, takes his turn again, to perform the same evo- 
lution as before. The wetness running from their bodies 
freezes on the surface of the slide, and so the snow becomes 
a smooth glitter of ice. This sport, I was assured, is fre- 
quently continued with the utmost eagerness, and with every 
demonstration of delight, for hours together. 
C, — Is not the otter a slow-moving animal on land ? 
the shortness of its legs seems to adapt it but poorly for 
running. 
F, — On the contrary, it is said to run with considerable 
speed : but if I am rightly informed, it occasionally aids its 
velocity in a very ridiculous manner. A neighbour, on whose 
word I could rely, told me that he once saw an otter on a 
pond in these townships, which he pursued. It was winter, 
and the snow was about knee-deep, but had a slight crust. 
The otter would run a few yards, then rearing himself up, and 
