189

OTTER.

Tuts animal, as is well known, is extremely destruc-
tive of fish, on which it principally lives. It has, however,
been known to prowl into farm-yards, and destroy poultry
and young lambs and pigs; walking, according to Izaac
Walton, six or ten miles ina night. In Canada, during
the winter, they often travel a long distance; and the
Indians track them in the snow, and kill them with
clubs, for they cannot run very fast on the land, though
in the water they are wonderfully agile and swift.

Otters may easily be tamed, and taught to catch fish
for their masters. Thus, in an Edinburgh magazine it
is stated, “Otters can be easily tamed and instructed to
fish. A person who kept a tame otter accustomed it to
associate with his dogs, who soon became upon the most
friendly terms. It would accompany him in different
excursions, along with his canine attendants. He was in
the habit of fishing in rivers with nets, when the otter
proved highly useful, by going into the water, and driving
trout and other fish towards the net. Even dogs accus-
tomed to otter hunting refused to hunt any other otter
while it remained in their company; on which account
the owner was under the necessity of parting with it,
although so useful in its avocations.” Again, William
Collins, who resided at Kilmerston, near Wooler, in
Northumberland, had a tame otter which used to follow
him. He frequently took it to fish in the river for its
own food; and it never failed to return to him. One
day, in the absence of Collins, the otter, being taken
out to fish by his son, refused to come at the accus-