The Red Cloud chief., 1882-03-09
iROCI OFFERS.


ABOUT OFFERS.
Among the animals that live partly
III the water and partly on the land.
that can RIM about on the shore and
breathe lie air iu>t Is well as we an.
and.yct dive under the water and swim
like a fish, one of the most interesting
i the otter. a common otter is about
the size of small dog, havin" a mar
row body two feet long. and very short
legs. Ii Is covered with handsome fur
next to IFS skin, and outside of this
there j. a coat of long, coarse hair.
As this animal il very fond of the
water, and lives principally on fish, il
makes its home on the shore of a creek
or river. This home is u hole under
ground, generally quite close 10 the
wafer. The entrance 10 In" burrow is
always under water, and leads upward
10 the main apartment, which i due
ont aS high up in Il bank as possible. 50
that. inrase of a flood in the stream.
the water will not rise up along the en-
trancr-way and into the offers house.
Sometimes the animal makes two or
three chambers, one above another. So
that. ia case the water should rise in Il
lower room. h" and his family could 90
up higher. and keep dry. He does not
mind being under the water for "A time,
hut he cannot live under wafer. From
the top of his house up TO the surface
Of the ground he makes u small hole To
let in air: so. yOu see. the otter is a
cry clever creature. The entrance to
his house is hidden under water. where
no doc nor other enemy is likely Ia find
it, or To get in if they do find it; and
his home is 81 we'll planned that some
part IF II is always dry and well ven
tilatrd.
When the OTTER wants his supper
for. aS hr eats only At night. it may bc
said that he takes neither breakfast nor
dinner he slips quietly into the water.
and a. soon Is he sees u fish. n" mivcS
chase To it. He has large, full eyes like
a seals. and he can see in the water as
well as on land. He is wcb-footcd. and
his long, flexible body and stout tail en-
able him 10 move through the water
with II motion very much like that of a
fish. He can thus swim very fast, and
few fish are able 10 escape him.
During the daytime, the otter GEN
orally STAYS quiet in his burrow. but ut
night he out, and makes il very
lively for the fish. Sometimes. when
fish are scarce. lac will do his midnight
hunting on land, and will be glad 10
catch a chicken or II other small ami
NAL he may meet.
If a otter is caught when it is quite
young, ii may be- tanned. | oncc saw a
couple of tame ones in New York. and
they We're rs lively and playful as Il pair
of terrier dogs. Sometimes tame offers
are trained to catch fish for their mas
tiers. In-thiS kind of fishing, the otter
slips quietly into the water, and general
~ catches first all the fish he wants To
eat himself. When he has had enough,
he brings the next one he catches Ia his
master. \ very well-traincd otter will
go into the water several times in this
way, and frequently will bring out a
large fish each time. Offers are occa-
~sionallv employed by fishermen who use
nets. The nets are first set. and then
the offers 90 into the water and dive
the fish into the nets. where they are
caught.
There is a story told of u man in En-
gland who had a tame otter which fol-
lowed him about ON shore like a doc.
and which, also, used to fish for him.
The two companions would 30 out on
the river in a boat. when the otter would
jump overheard, and bring fish back
10 the man. If the animal Staid AWAY
too long. his master would call him bv
his name, and he would immediately re-
turn.
One day the man was away from
home. and his youn- son thou~ht it
would b t good idea la take his fathcr's
otter and 90 fishing. 30 he took the lit
tie animal into tie boat. and rowed ont
upon the river. The otter jumped into
the river exactly as he used 10 do for
the ho! 5 father. but hc staid below "A
long time, and when the boy called him
he did not come back. Either he did
NOT know his name when spoken bv a
strange Voice. or he did not like the hoy
wei enough to come back 10 linn. for
he remained out of sight. and after the
boy had called him in vain for a lonr
time. he was obliged TO return 70 shore
without him.
Several days after this. the man was
walking along the rirer-bank near the
place where his son had gone fishing.
he was greatly grieved ut the loss of his
pet otter, and expect the boy had been
whipped. The man stood at the edge
OF the water, and began TO call the otter
by his name He did not think there
was any p~articularuSe in doing this. but
nremnded him of his little friend and
OF old fishing times. But YOU can
scarcely imagine his establishment when.
ln ~ few moments. his faithful otter
came swimming III of the water. and
iay down on the shore nj his feet. IL
he had brought 4 string of fish along
with him, do not think the man could
nave been more surprised and de-
lighted.
In India and some other Eastern
countries, this fishing with tame offers
is made quite a business. Bishop Heber
tells us that on the bank of a river in
Hindostan he once saw eight or nine
fine large offers tied TO stakes driven
into the sand. These handsome fellows
We're either lying asleep on the shore or
swimming about in the water as far as
their ropes would let them. 1t is likely
that when these offers were used for
fishing. their native masters did not set
them loose and allow them to swim
about as they pleased. but made them
20 into the water with the long cord
still fastened to their necks In this
way the otter could swim far enough to
catch fish, and his master would be al.
ways sure of-having his otter, whether
he got any fish or not.
In England, otter-hunting used to be
. favorite amusement, and in some parts