St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1896-11-07
HOW oTTERs CAPTURE PREY.
They Ara Great strategists, and fertile
OF Resources. Il

=
They Ara Great strategists, and fertile
OF Resources.
| Il may claim SOME right, says H. R.
Frances, ito speak confidently of the
otter's proceedings when N pursuitso Of
his prey, since. I was the first person 10
gent eyeWitnesses, the course of his
dealing with his victims, both by land
and by water. 1t is slnlucky that Maj.
Fisher, who writes on such subjects
with the keenest interest OF a sports
man, should not have seen this testi-
mony, which would have saved him the
graf tuituos error of denying that the
otter seeks his prey ON land as well as
in the water.
No doubt this error has been encour-
aged by the position of Lutra's eyes,
which look upward from above q rather
/ fat snout. Naturalists at once in
ferred that this arrangement was for
the convenience Of the otter IN seizing
lis slippery victims from below. This
being demonstrably a 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-.nafters
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, infAings almost in half q mo-
ment his four claws, and inficting with
eager hasts what is designed 10 be
fatal bite. When he was watched while
seizing a rabbit on the bank of the
Mole he seemed not to have bitten deep
enough, and dragged his victim, piteous-
ly squealing, into the river, where he
deliberately drowned it, and then ate
it at bis leisure, washing the flesh from
time to time, SO as to suggest that the
warm blood was overstrong fer his di-
gestion.
! ssIhe observer on this occasion, whose
attention was first drawn BY the cries,
of The rabbit, was fortunately himself
master Of otter hounds, used to watch.
ing the stea1thy manellvers of the enc
N.Y. He had with him a sharp fox ter
rier, 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
appeared. But the marrauder showed
amusing eoolness;s he dropped into the
stream, raised his head above. the water
a few yards from the bank, and watched
the terrier s proeeedin ings. Having sat.
isied himself that the dog had no taste
for anything beyond dry shikar, he re-
turned TRANQUILITY to his dinner. Here.
wei had adepredator bold aswell ascun-
ming, and obviously aelean feeder. Of
course, I do not assume that thesotter
usually, or even frequently, seeks his.
prey on land. ! am content TO know
that be is capable of doing SO as oc-
casion serves, and that in such n case,
tim from below.
"About the same date at which this
curious rabbit incident was reported
to me, T received from the saline ne igh-
zborhood an account, equally well au-
thel1ticated, OF the 5olter's mofius OPP
erandi when in pursuit of the fish,
which. we may safely assume, form his
prineipa A pike, gguessed at
seven pounds, was seen bassltng under.
on4oYerhanging tree on the Mole. Near
ly-above him ran a bare bough. Along
that bough an otter was seen TO creep
Il wish I could find some apter word
to express the prowler's staalthy, sim
nous movement It'll he was close above
the pike, down on whose back he
dropped or slid, at once fastening saIl
mis- elamssin the fish, and. as / fully be-
lieye, 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. london Fishing Gazette. .