this character, which we have person- 
ally noticed, are worthy of mention 
here. 
NE winter, while trapping with a 
fur trader in the losegun River 
country, one of the few good otter 
streams in the Athabasca district, we 
noted where an otter had been traveling 
overland from the Little Smoky River 
to Buck Lake, a distance of six miles, 
over pretty rough going. The snow was 
all of a foot deep and there 
“was no chance to exercise 
the “hop and slide” method 
) of travel. It was all work. 
The animal left a trail in 
the snow similar to what 
would result from drag- 
ging a small dog behind 
one. At that time, along 
in November, I didn’t at- 
tach much importance to 
the presence of this trail, 
but when later I noticed 
/a repetition of the per- 
formance, I began to do 
some thinking. Investiga- 
tion proved this: the ot- 
ter left the Little Smoky 
| River and, instead of fol- 
lowing up Buck Creek 
which would have taken 
him, by a devious route, 
to the lake of that name 
(and from the latter 
‘stream flowed, emptying 
‘into the river) he trav- 
,eled overland, crossing 
swamps, pine ridges, hog- 
‘backs and fallen timbers 
without end. We caught 
‘this fellow where he went 
Into Buck Lake through a 
hole in the ice at the out- 
let of Buck Creek. 
Another time we dis- 
covered where an otter had 
been traveling overland 
from the Little Smoky to 
Kimberly Lake, a distance 
of eight miles in a direct 
‘route. It is interesting 
‘and educational to figure 
out, as nearly as possible, 
just what causes such 
phenomenal happenings in 
connection with wild life, and what led 
these animals to travel overland instead 
of via the water route, their natural 
way. In both instances we had been 
fishing, with nets, on the lakes men- 
tioned, and we finally decided that, in 
some mysterious way, both these otters 
had become acquainted with the fact. 


, Ss otter is a shy, wary creature at 
all times and usually his habitat is 
,far removed from the haunts of man. 
_Even in the wilds a trapper rarely gets 
A fresh-caught specimen. 
sufficiently acquainted with his habits 
to keep in touch with his movements. 
For instance, during the month of No- 
vember, the trapper may have pretty 
fair luck with otters, but along in De- 
cember they suddenly disappear and the 
tyro will be at an absolute loss to ac- 
count for this disappearance. And 
then, when the first spring thaw visits 
the land, otter signs appear miracu- 
lously from nowhere. 
This sudden disappearance of the ot- 

with valuable fur 
ter has led some men to advance the 
idea of migration to the ocean, and we 
have actually met trappers who firmly 
believed the land and sea otter were 
one and the same animal. The sea ot- 
ter is so much larger and heavier furred 
than the land otter there are no grounds 
on which to make a comparison. True, 
we were once misinformed enough to 
wonder if it were not possible for the 
above-mentioned notion to be an actu- 
ality. But when, after careful investi- 
gation, we discovered an occasional sign 
Note the thick tail which is covered 
of the land otter in midwinter, the 
truth dawned upon us. Here is what 
actually happens in our opinion, after 
carefully considering the problem. 
HE otter winters along streams 
where he can be assured of getting 
fish at any time. In the north country 
such streams as the Athabasca and its 
tributaries freeze over when the cold 
weather is in full swing, and, except 
along very swift rapids, there will be 
no opening to the outside 
from the watery realm. 
An otter might travel for 
miles without finding an 
airhole through which he 
could get back into the 
water, once he left the 
river where rapids had 
kept it from freezing over. 
In consequence, the animal 
must decide on one of two 
things: either he must 
live off the land or from 
fish in the water. It is 
patently impossible for an 
otter to hunt land animals 
when the snow is deep, 
that’s why he’s content 
with fish any day in the 
week instead of waiting 
for Friday. 
Now the otter cannot re- 
main indefinitely beneath 
the surface of the water. 
He has dens along the 
bank, entrances to which 
are below the point where 
the ice forms. He enters 
the long tunnel, say four 
or five feet below the sur- 
face of the water, and 
ranging back into the bank 
on an upward slope finally 
reaches a point above the 
water mark where his bur- 
row has been hollowed 
out into a cozy den. In the 
summer time these dens 
have entrances from the 
outside, above the surface, 
but in severe weather they 
are only approached by 
means of the water en- 
trance, the other being 
_closed to keep out the 
severe cold. 
One would naturally suppose the ot- 
ter would be toughened to any degree 
of cold, but a study of wild life reveals 
this fact: 
N2 animal will come directly from 
the water out into the frost at a 
time when the thermometer would reg- 
ister anything near zero. Water ani- 
mals are very susceptible to cold at 
such times. A mink will travel in the 
coldest weather at times, but only when 
he has first been in a place where his. 
211 
