U90 
COMMON" OTTER, 
increased, until at length, they are fed wholly upon 
bread, which perfectly agrees with their constitu- 
tion. The manner of training them up to hunt 
for fish requires not only assiduity, but patience ; 
however, their activity and use, when taught, 
greatly repays the trouble of teaching ; and, per- 
haps, no other animal is more beneficial to his 
master. The usual way, is, first to learn them to 
fetch as dogs are instructed ; but, as they have 
not the same docility, so it requires more art and 
experience to teach them. It is commonly per- 
formed by accustoming them to take a truss stuffed 
with wool, of the shape of a fish, and made of 
leather, in their mouths, and to drop it at the word 
of command ; to run after it when thrown forw ard, 
and to bring it to their master. From this they 
proceed to real fish, which are thrown dead into 
the water, and w hich they are taught to fetch from 
thence. From the dead they proceed to the live, 
until at last the animal is perfectly instructed in 
the whole art of fishing. An otter thus taught is 
a very valuable animal, and will catch fish enough 
to sustain not onjy itself, but a whole family. 
Goldsmith saw one of these go to a gentleman's 
pond at the word of command, drive up the fish 
into a comer, and seizing upon the largest of the 
whole, bring it off, in its niouth, to its master. 
In some parts of North America, otters are seen 
in winter at a distance from any apparent open 
water, both in woods and on plains ; but it is not 
known what leads them to such situations. If pur- 
sued, when among the woods where the snow is 
light and deep, they immediately dive, and make 
considerable way under it ; but they are easily 
traced by the motion of the snow above them, and 
soon overtaken. The Indians kill numbers of them 
with clubs, by tracking them in the snow ; but 
some of the ©Id ones are so fierce, when closely 
