THE AMERICAN OTTER. 
In holes on river banks the Otter makes his home; 
From solitude — wild nature haunts — he never cares to roam; 
But swimming in the waters and sliding down the hills, 
He plays the games of boys and girls, and fishes in the rills. 
Alas! the hunter sets his traps, to take him unawares, 
With springs of wire and teeth of steel unhappily he fares; 
His fur is fine, and soft, and warm, and ladies vain adore it, 
With ne'er a thought of pity for the little beast that bore it! 
C. C. M. 
IN ALL parts of temperate North 
America this, the most interesting 
of the Otter family, makes its 
home on the banks of nearly all 
streams except those from which it 
has been driven by man. It is much 
larger than the European Otter, has a 
longer tail, and has a nasal pad be- 
tween the nostrils which is larger than 
that of any other species. Though 
closely allied to the common species, 
it has distinctive differences which en- 
title it to be classed as a separate 
species. Its habits resemble those of 
its cousins, but it has one peculiarity 
that is noticed by naturalists who have 
studied this animal, which is the habit 
of sliding or coasting down hill, in 
which it displays a remarkable skill. 
In Canada, and other sections where 
the snow is plentiful, Otters indulge 
freely in this sport, and, says Godman, 
they select in winter the highest ridge 
of snow they can find, scramble to the 
top of it," lie on their bellies with the 
forefeet bent backwards and then, 
giving themselves an impulse with 
their hindlegs, glide head-foremost 
down the declivity, sometimes for the 
distance of twenty yards. This sport 
they continue, apparently with the 
keenest enjoyment, until fatigue or 
hunger induces them to desist." 
The young are born in April in the 
northern, and earlier in the southern 
part of the Otter's range, and a litter is 
composed of from one to three young 
ones. 
Authorities agree that the number 
of the Otters is rapidly decreasing in 
America, because of the systematic 
way in which they are pursued by trap- 
pers for the value of their fur. The 
skin of the American Otter is in high 
reputation and general use with fur- 
riers, but those from Canada are said 
to be more valuable than those from 
the more southern sections. 
The Otter, when taken young, is 
easily tamed. Audubon had several 
young Otters which he says "became 
as gentle as Puppies in two or three 
days. They preferred milk and boiled 
corn meal, refusing fish or meat till 
they were several months old." They 
became so tame that they would romp 
with their owner, and were very good- 
natured animals. 
Rivers whose banks are thickly 
grown with forests are the favorite 
home of the Otter. There, says 
Brehm, it lives in subterraneous bur- 
rows, constructed in accordance with 
its tastes and mode of life. "The place 
of exit is always located below the sur- 
face of the water, usually at a depth 
of about eighteen inches; a tunnel 
about two yards long leads thence, 
slanting upwards into a spacious cham- 
ber, which is lined with grass and 
always kept dry. Another narrow 
tunnel runs from the central chamber 
to the surface and aids in ventilation. 
Under all circumstances the Otter has 
several retreats or homes." When 
the water rises, it has recourse to trees 
or hollow trunks. 
The Otter is the fastest swimming 
quadruped known. In the water it 
exhibits an astonishing agility, swim- 
ming in a nearly horizontal position 
with the greatest ease, diving and dart- 
ing along beneath the surface with a 
speed equal, if not superior, to that of 
many fishes. 
The Otter, said an eminent natural- 
ist, is remarkable in every way; in its 
aquatic life, as well as in its move- 
ments; in its hunt for food and in its 
mental endowments. It belongs with- 
out question to the most attractive 
class of animals. 
175 
