I HAVE no doubt, as each of our wild animals has come before us, we have felt how wonderfully God has adapted every one for the sphere in which it is destined to live, both for procuring food suited to it, and for defending itself against its natural enemies. This is especially true of the animal I have now to describe. The Otter is aquatic; that is, it spends much of its time in the water. Hence we see that from its nose to the very tip of its tale it is so formed as to be admirably adapted to aquatic habits. Let me describe its shape and make. From the snout to the end of the tail it is three feet three inches long, the tail being no less than sixteen inches in length. The head and nose are broad and flat, the neck short, and equal in thickness to the head; the body long, the tail broad at the base, tapering off to a point at the end, and it is flattened the whole way from the top to its point. Now no shape could be more adapted for swift motion through the water that this. The eyes are very small, and placed nearer the nose than is usual with quadrupeds—just in that position that, whether the animal is behind, above, or below the fish it is in pursuit of, it can with slight effort see where it is—the ears are extremely short and their opening narrow. The opening of the mouth is small, lips strong and capable of being brought very close together; the nose and the corners of the mouth are supplied with very long whiskers. It has no fewer than thirty-six teeth. Its legs are very short but remarkably strong and broad, and the joints so constructed that the animal is capable of turning them quite back, and bringing them in a line with its body, so as to perform the same service as fins to a fish. Besides this, each foot is supplied with five toes, connected with strong, broad webs, like those of a swan. It would be impossible to conceive of an animal more perfectly fitted to live on the land, and at the same time find its food in the water.
As fish is its natural food, it must live near the water; and to be able to catch its slippery, but most active prey, it must have wonderful agility and power when in the water. Such we find to be the case. It swims and dives with great swiftness. Then its fur, too, is just fitted for the water. It consists of an under coat of close, short, and waterproof wool, and an outer one of long, coarse, glossy hairs. The Otter is exceedingly shy, as much as possible retiring from all observation. On this account, it wanders forth and seeks its food more in the night than in the day. It displays great sagacity in forming its habitation; burrowing underground on the banks of some river or lake, the entrance to which it always makes below the surface of the water. This burrow it continues a great distance, working upwards towards the surface of the earth. Along this lengthy passage the Otter will make a number of lodges, that in case of high floods he may have a place of safe retreat. One singular feature about the Otter's habits is that, fond as it is of the water, where it must spend so much of its time, no animal is more particular to provide itself with a comfortable, dry nest. You may wonder how it manages to get air to breathe, seeing the entrance to its nest or lodge is always below the water. Thus it provides for by making a very small opening from its lodge to the surface of the ground, just large enough to admit sufficient air, and no larger. Such is its sagacity that even this small opening is always made in the center of some thick bush, so as more effectually to conceal its retreat. It is here, in a snug, dry bed of leaves, the female Otter brings forth and rears her little family of four or five young ones. She is very motherly in all her attentions; caring for their wants with solicitude, and defending them with great courage.
History tells us that the Otter was plentiful when the Romans first invaded our Island, now, as you know, more than 1900 years ago. Our wild, and almost naked, forefathers spent much of their time in hunting the Otter; indeed this sport was one of his chief sources of amusement. And the Otter was as wild as them, and proved himself game worthy of their mettle. But now let me tell you how destructive he is to the fish in our rivers and lakes. He is voracious, bold and active; in the deepest waters, though he must live on the land and breathe the air, he is as much at home as the fish themselves; and swimming with the greatest swiftness and skill, he never misses his prey.
"Cassell's Popular History” aptly describes the great havoc the Otter makes in our waters. "It follows up its prey silently, and with indomitable perseverance, through every turn and maze, ever keeping the victim in sight, which, after a chase of longer or shorter duration, is exhausted, captured, and killed. Nor is the Otter less remarkable for its graceful elegance than for the vigour of its movements in the water. Whoever has witnessed the feeding of those kept in the gardens of the Zoological Society cannot fail to have remarked the fine sweep of the body as the Otter plunges into water, its undulating movements beneath the surface while exploring for the prey, the abrupt and arrow-like velocity of the pursuit, and the easy return to the surface with the captured fish, which is taken to its den and devoured. The Otter then returns to the water and takes another, to be dealt with in the same manner, and this process is repeated till no more fish are left. Sometimes, however, instead of catching them separately, it contrives to bring up several at a time, managing not only to seize them with great dexterity, but to carry them hanging from its mouth. Eight or ten fish serve for a single meal; but it is well known that, in a state of freedom, an Otter slaughters a much larger number of fish than it devours; and thus some idea may be formed of the annual havoc occasioned by a pair of Otters in a river, or preserve for fish, in order to supply the wants of themselves and their young ones."
In more modern, as well as ancient times, Otter-hunting has been a favorite sport. In England the numbers have greatly decreased; but in Wales and Scotland it is still hunted with great and cruel avidity.
Formerly a breed of rough-haired, powerful dogs were employed in aiding the exertions of the hunters. As the water is the congenial element of the Otter, a single dog has there little chance against so active and resolute a foe; nor, indeed, could any number bring him to bay. When forced from his retreat, it is to the water, therefore, that the Otter takes refuge; here a host of dogs assailing him would oblige him to swim beneath the surface as long as he could hold his breath, and, on his rising to breathe, he would be met by a shower of spears, launched at him by the hunters on the bank. Thus attacked on every side, still his activity and resolution would, under ordinary circumstances, enable him to baffle for a long time the most vigilant pursuit of his enemies, and not unfrequently to escape. But, at length the poor animal perished, as too often happened, wounded and oppressed by numbers, yet fighting to the last. In the Highlands of Scotland it is still hunted with dogs of the terrier breed. Parties will sally out with torches at night-time, when the Otter leaves his hole to seek for food. During the day he conceals himself under large bare stones or fragments of rock close to the margin of the sea, forming what is called a cairn.
It is a difficult matter to force him from his retreat.
The Otter hunt, like most others, is an exceedingly cruel sport, and more to be condemned as it answers no useful purpose, and only serves to inflame the bloodthirsty and cruel passions of those engaged in it. If Otters are found in our rivers or places where fish are preserved, traps, nooses, &c., can easily be used to rid the pond or river of so destructive a guest.
The Otter is not confined to fresh water, but in both Scotland and Wales it frequents the sea, and will sometimes be seen a mile from the shore, hunting with great vigour its prey.
It has long been a well-known fact that the Otter can be easily trained when taken young, and taught to hunt fish for his master. Mr. Bell, in his "History of Four-footed Beasts," states how this may be accomplished. "For this purpose," he says, "they should be procured as young as possible, and be first fed with small fish, and water. Then bread and milk is to be alternated with the fish, and the proportion of the former gradually increased till they are led to live entirely on bread and milk. They are then taught to fetch and carry, as dogs are trained; and when they are brought to do this well, a leathern fish, stuffed with wool, is employed as the thing to be fetched. They are afterwards exercised with a dead fish, and chastised if they attempt to tear it. Then they are sent into the water after living fish."
Bishop Heber tells us he once saw nine or ten beautiful Otters, tethered with straw collars and long strings, on the banks of the Mattacolly.
"Some were swimming about at the full length of their strings, or lying half in and half out of the water; others were rolling themselves in the sun on the sandy bank, uttering a shrill whistling noise, as if in play. I was told most of the fishermen in this neighbourhood kept one or more of these animals, who were almost as tame as dogs, and of great use in fishing, sometimes driving the shoals into the nets; sometimes bringing out the larger fish with its teeth."
James Campbell, near Inverness, procured a young Otter, which he brought up and tamed. It would follow him wherever he chose; and if called on by its name would immediately obey. When apprehensive of danger from dogs, it sought the protection of its master, and would endeavor to spring into his arms for greater security. It was frequently employed in catching fish, and would sometimes take eight or ten salmon in a day. If not prevented, it always made an attempt to break the fish close to the tail; and as soon as one was taken away, it dived in pursuit of more.
It was equally dexterous at sea fishing, and took great numbers of young cod and other fish there. When tired, it would refuse to fish any longer, and was then rewarded with as much as it could devour. Having satisfied its appetite, it always coiled itself round, and fell asleep, in which state it was generally carried home. A domesticated Otter belonging to a poor widow, when led forth, plunged into the water and brought out all the fish it could find. Another, belonging to a gentleman in Scotland, was also very tame, and though he often stole away at night to fish by the pale light of the moon, and associate with his kindred by the river side, his master, of course, was too generous to find any fault with his mode of spending his evening hours. In the morning he was always at his post in the kennel, and no animal understood better the secret of keeping his own side of the house. Indeed his pugnacity gave him a great lift in the favour of the gamekeeper, who talked of his feats wherever he went, and avowed, besides, that if the best cur that ever ran "only dared to ‘grin’ at his protege, he would soon make his teeth meet through him." To mankind, however, he was much more civil, and allowed himself to be gently lifted by the tail, though he objected to any interference with his snout, which was with him the seat of honour.
A person who kept a tame Otter taught it to associate with his dogs, who were upon the most friendly terms with it on all occasions, and it would follow him on different excursions in company with his canine attendants. He was in the practice of fishing rivers with nets, on which occasion the Otter proved highly useful to him by going into the water and driving fish into the net. It was very remarkable that dogs accustomed to Otter hunting were so far from offering it the least molestation that they would not even hunt any other Otters while it remained with them; on which account, the owner was under the necessity of parting with it.
Do not all these remarkable incidents tell us the power of real kindness even with some of the wildest of animals !
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