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COMMON OTTEE® 
Common otter. 
The common otter is about two feet in length, 
from the nose to the insertion of the tail ; and the 
length of the tail is nearly sixteen inches. It is a 
native of almost every part of Europe, and is still 
to be met with in some parts of England. Its legs 
are short, but strong and muscular. The head is 
broad, oval, and flat on the upper part ; and the 
body is long and round. The legs are so placed as 
to be capable of being brought into a line with the 
body, and of performing the office of fins. The 
toes are connected by webs. The general co- 
lour of these animals is a deep brown. 
This voracious animal is never found but at the 
sides of lakes and rivers, but particularly the for- 
mer, for it is seldom fond of fishing in a running 
stream ; for the current of the water having more 
power upon it than the fishes it pursues, if it hunts 
againstthe stream, it swims too slow, and if with 
the stream, it overshoots its prey. However, 
when in rivers, it is always observed to swim 
against the stream, and to meet the fishes it preys 
upon rather than to pursue them. In lakes it des- 
troys much more than it devours, and is often seen 
to spoil a pond in the space of a few nights. But 
the damage they do by destroying fish is not so 
great as their tearing in pieces the nets of the fish- 
ers, which they infallibly do whenever they happen 
to be entangled. The instant they find themselves 
caught, they go to work with their teeth, and in 
a few minutes destroy nets of a very considerable 
value. 
The otter has two different methods of fishing ; 
the one by catching its prey from the bottom up- 
ward, the other by pursuing it into some little 
creek, and seizing it there. In the former ease. 
