Rocky Ford enterprise., 1896-10-29
THE OTTER AND HIS PREY.
How = Rabbit Wa. Drowned and Their
Eaten.


Eaten.
1T may claim some right" said Mr..
NJ. r. Frances. in the London Fishing
Gazette, "to speak confidently of the
ottsr's proceedings when In pursuit OF
his prey, since was the first person
to record, from the testimony OF INTEL
llgent eyewltnesses, the course OF MS
dealing with his victims, both by land
and by water. It is unlucky that Maj.
Fisher, who writes on such subJHcps
with the keen interests Of sportsman,
should not have seen this testimony.
which would have saved him the gra-
tritous error of denying that the otter
seeks his prey on land as well as In
water. No doubt this error has Deen
encouraged by the position OF Lutras
eyes, which look upward from above
a rather fiat snout. Naturalists Mt
once inferred that this arrangement
was for the convenience OF the otter
In seizIng his slippery victims rom
below. This being demonstrably
mistake, we are tempted to sugg ut
that this upward gaze enables MIN
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 water. he
seizes his prey from above mixing In
almost half a moment his four claws
and intlicting with eager haste what is
designed to be fatal bite. When ne
was watched while SELLING rabbit on
the bank Of the Mole he seemed not to
have bitten deep enough and dragged
his victim. piteously squeahng. into
the river, where he deliberately drown
ed 1t and then ate 1t at his leisure.
washing the flesh from time to time.
SO as to suggest that the warm blood
was over-strong for his digestion. The
observer on this occasion, whose atten-
tion was first drawn by the cries u the
rabbit. was fortunately himself mas
ter of otter hounds. used to watching
the stealthily maneuvers OF the enemy.
He had with him a 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 himself scarce when the dog ap-
peared. But the marauder showed
amusing coolness: he dropped into the
stream, raised his head above the wa
ter q few yards from the bank and
watched the terriers proceedings. Hav-
ing satisfied himself that the dog had
no taste for anything beyond dry shi-
kar. he returned TRANQUILITY to his din
ner. Here we had depredator boid
as we'll as cunning and obviously
clean feeder. or course do not as
sumo that the otter usually, or even
frequently seeks his prey on land.
am content to know that he Ia capable
Of doing SO as. occasion serves and
that in such a case. at all events, he
does not seize his victim from below.
About the same date at which this
curious rabbit incident was reported
to me I received from the same neigh
borhood an account. equally well au-
thenticated, of the otter's modus oper-
andi when in pursuit OF the fish, which.
We may safely assume. form his prin-
cipal diet. A pike guessed at some
seven pounds. was seen basking under
an overhanging tree on the Mole. Near
ly above him ran bare bough. Along
that bough an otter was seen to creep
i wish could find some apter word
to express the prowler's stealthy. sin
uous movement-till he was close
above the pike. down on whose back
he dropped or slid. at once fastening
all his claws in tie fish. and, as fully
believe, though the spectators eye
could not note the movement with GER
tainty, fixing the long grip Of his jaws
Just over the junction Of his skull and
,pine."