THE OTTER 233 
one has adapted itself to pastures, and the other to 
marshes. The Sundew lives in places where it has 
little chance of getting anything but water by way 
of its roots, so it has arranged to catch insects and 
absorb their juices for food. The Scentless May- 
weed (Matricaria inodora), when it grows by the 
sea, becomes quite fleshy in accommodation to its 
marine situation. I’m not going to give you a 
lecture on this subject at this hour of the evening, 
but I mention the matter to set you thinking, and 
to indicate how much more there is to know about 
plants than their mere names. 
I think I must have been a little tired when we 
were at the river to-day, or I should certainly have 
told you that it was a haunt of the Otter. Anglers 
tell me they often see Otters there, securing fish 
galore, when they themselves can catch nothing. 
These animals prefer to fish in the twilight ; they 
are seldom seen near the water during the day. 
Once they sight a fish they seldom lose it. The 
animals have jaws that close upon the victim like a 
vice. When a fish is caught it is usually dragged to 
the land, and dainty parts of it eaten at leisure. 
The Otter has a flat, broad head, with whiskers on 
the muzzle, short rounded ears, and small, black, 
glistening eyes. Its limbs are short and strong, and 
its toes are webbed for swimming purposes. The 
coat underneath is pale grey, shading into brown. 
The male is bigger than the female, and may weigh 
a couple of stones or more. ‘The nest is generally 
made in a hole in a river-bank, and composed of 
leaves, grass, and other easily gathered herbage. 
Four or five young are born about the month of June, 
30 
