6 
CANADA OTTER. 
towards the spot on which we stand, through the swiftly dividing ele- 
ment. It has not observed us : we remain perfectly still, and presently 
it is distinctly visible ; it is an Otter, and now within the range of our old 
gun “Tear Jacket,” we take but one moment to raise our piece and fire ; 
the water is agitated by a violent convulsive movement of the animal, 
our dog plunges into the river, and swimming eagerlj' to the Otter, seizes 
it, but the latter dives, dragging the dog with it beneath the surface, 
and when they reappear, the Otter has caught the dog by the nose and 
is stiuggling violently. The brave dog, however, does not give up, but 
m a few moments drags the wounded Otter to the shore, and we imme- 
diately despatch it. Being anxious to figure the animal, we smooth its 
disordered fur and proceed homewards with it, where, although at that 
time we had not drawn many quadrupeds, we soon select a position in 
which to figure the Otter, and accordingly draw it with one foot in a 
steel-trap, and endeavour to represent the pain and terror felt by the 
creature when its foot is caught by the sharp saw-like teeth of the trap. 
Not far from the town of Henderson, (Kentucky), but on the opposite 
side of the Ohio river, in the State of Indiana, there is a pond nearly one 
mile in length, with a depth of water varying from twelve to fifteen feet. 
Its shores are thickly lined with cane, and on the edge of the water stand 
many large and lofty cypress trees. We often used to seat ourselves on a 
fallen trunk, and watch in this secluded spot the actions of the birds and 
animals which resorted to it, and here we several times observed Otters 
engaged in catching fishes and devouring them. When pursuing a fish, 
they dived expertly and occasionally remained for more than a^minutJ 
below the surface. They generally held their prey when they came to the 
top of the water, by the head, and almost invariably swam with it to a 
half-sunken log, or to the margin of the pond, to eat the fish at their ease, 
having done which, they returned again to the deep water to obtain 
more. 
One morning we observed that some of these animals resorted to the 
neighbourhood of the root of a large tree which stood on the side of the 
pond opposite to us, and with its overhanging branches shaded the water. 
After a fatiguing walk through the tangled cane-brake and thick under- 
wood which bordered the sides of this lonely place, we reached the oppo- 
site side of the pond near the large tree, and moved cautiously through 
the mud and water towards its roots : but the hearing or sight of the 
Otters was attracted to us, and we saw several of them hastily make off 
at our approach. On sounding the tree with the butt of our gun we dis- 
covered that it was hollow, and then having placed a large stick in a 
s anting position against the trunk, we succeeded in reaching the lowest 
