The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-10-26
HOW OFFERS CAPTURE PREY.
They Are Great Strategists, and
Fertile of Resources.

They Are Great Strategists, and
Fertile of Resources.
London Fishing Gazette.
Il may claim some right" says H.
r. Frances, ito speak confidently of
the offers proceedings when in pursuit
of his prey, since was the first person
to record, from the testimony of iii
telligent eyewitnesses the course of his
dealing with his victims, both by land
and by water. 1t is unlucky that Maj.
Fisher who writes on such subjects
with the keenest interest of a sports
man, should not have seen this testi-
nlony, which would have saved him
the gratuttious error Of denying that
the otter seeks his prey on land as we'll
as in the water
mo doubt this error has been en-
couraged by the position Of Lutra' s
eyes, which look upward from above a
rather fiat snout. Naturalists at once
inferred that this arrangement was for
the convenience of the otter in Selling
his slippery victims from below. This
being demonstrably mistake, we are
tempted to suggest that this upward
gaze enables him in his long dives to
keep in view the course of the eddies
and the outline Of the bank-matters
Which closely concern him. But, of
course, this is mere conjecture. We
know, however, that, whether on land
or in the water, he seizes his prey
from above. inf1icting almost In half
moment his four claws, and inf1icting
with eager haste what is designed to
be fatal bite. When he was watched
while Selling a rabbit on the bank of
the Mole he seemed not to have bitten
deep enough, and dragged his victim.
piteously squealing, into the river,
where he deliberately drowned it, and
then ate 1t at his leisure, washing the
flesh from time to time, so as to sug-
geSt that the warm blood was over
strong for his digestion
The observer on this occasion.
whose attention was first drawn by
the cries of the rabbit, was Fortunate
~ himself a master Of otter hounds.
used to watching the stealthy man
euVers Of the enemy. He had with
him sharp fox terrier, and though
on the opposite side of the stream to
that on which the otter was dining,
rather expected the latter to make him
self scarce when the dog appeared. But
the marauder showed amusing cool
ness; he dropped into the stream. raised
his head above water few yards from
the bank, and watched the terriers
proceedings. Having satisfied himself
that the dog had, no taste for anything
beyond dry shikar, he returned tran
GULLY to his dinner Here we had a
depredator bold as, well as cunning,
and obviously clean feeder OF
course, l do not assume that the otter
usually, or even frequently, seeks his
prey on landa I am content to know
that he is capable of doing SO as oc-
casion serves and that In such a case,
at all events, he does not seize his vic
tim from below
About the same date at which this
curious rabbit incident was reported to
me, 1 received from the same neighbor-
hood an account, equally well authenti-
Gated, of the offers modus operandi
when in pursuit of the fish, which, We
may safely assume, form his principal
dict. A pike, guessed at some seven
pounds, was seen basking under an
overhanging tree on the Mole Nearly
above him ran d bare bough. Along
that bough an otter was seen to creep
| wish | could find some apter word
to express the providers steaIthy, sin
nous movement-till he was close above
the pike, down on whose back he drop
ped or slid, at once fastening all his
claws in the fish, and, as l fully be-
lieve, though the spectators eye could
not note the movement with certainty
fixing the long grip of his jaws just over
the junction Of his skull and spine"