COMMON OTTER. 
888 
water at forty or fifty paces distant, while he cat* 
pects to find it just before him 
We learn from M. Buffon, that this animal, ia 
France, couples in winter, and brings forth in the 
beginning of spring. But it is certainly different 
with us, for its young are never found till the lat- 
ter end of summer ; and Goldsmith frequently, 
when a boy, discovered their retreats, and pursued 
them at that season. He is, therefore, more in- 
clined to follow the account given us of this ani- 
mal by Mr. Lots, of the academy of Stockholm, 
who assures us that it couples about the middle of 
summer, and brings forth at the end of nine weeks, 
generally three or four at a time. 
In the rivers and the lakes frequented by the 
otter, the bottom is generally stony and uneven, 
with many trunks of trees, and long roots stretch- 
ing underneath the water. The shore also is hol- 
low, and scooped inward by fjic waves. These are 
the places the otter chiefly chooses for its retreat ; 
and there is scarce a stone which does not bear the 
mark of its residence, as upon them its excrements 
are always made. It is chiefly by this mark that 
its lurking places are known, as well as by the 
quantity of dead fish that are found lying here and 
there upon the banks of the water. To take the 
©Id ones alive is no easy task, as they are extremely 
strong, and there are few dogs that will dare to en- 
counter them. They bite with great fierceness* 
and never let go their hold when they have once 
fastened. The best way, therefore, is to shoot 
them at once, as they never will be thoroughly 
> and if kept for the purposes of fishing, 
are always apt to take the first opportunity of es- 
caping. But the young ones may be more easily 
taken, and converted to very useful purposes. 
The otter brings forth its young generally under 
