Greenbrier independent. [volume] (Lewisburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1980, 1897-11-04
CUNNING Offers.
They Ar Stratrr'" and i'"rt'l" Of Rc
sourc,. I'm (urtu,rm.. Ih.. ~ Frey.

| Ii. Il. Frances, "tu speak confident
/ " of tho ottcr'> proceedings whom
in pursuit Of his prov, since | was
tho first person to record, from tho
testimony of intelligent eyewitness
cS. tho cour:,o of his dealing with
( his victims, both by land and by
water. 1t Is unlucky that Major Fish
or, who writes ON such subjects
( with the kCUnUst interest of u sports
man, should not havo scCn this tos-
/ tim0ny, which would have saved
him the gratuitOuS error of denying
that the otter seeks his prey on land
aS we'll as III the water.
mo doubt this error has been on
COuragcd by the position of Lutra's
oyoS, which look upward from above
rather fiat SnOut. NaturaliSts at
once inferred that this arrangement
was for the convenience of the ottor
i'll sciZing his slippery victims from
below. This hoing dcmonstrably
mistake, We arc tempted to suggest
that this upward gaZo enables him
i'll his long dives to keep in Wow the
course of tho cddicS and the outline
of the bank-mattors which closely
| concern him. But, of course, this is
moro conjecture. Wo know, how
cVUr, that, whether on land or in
the water, he sCiHcs his proy from
above, intiXing almost i'll half mo-
mont his four claws and inflicting
with eagor haste what is designed
to be fatal bite. When he was
watched whilc Selling u rabbit on
the bank OF the MolC, no seemed not
to have bitten docp enough and
dragged his victim, pitoously squeal-
ing, into the river, where he dolib-
Cratoly drowned it, and then alto it
at his leisure, washing tho flesh from
time to time, so aS to suggest that
the warm blood was overstrong for
his digestion.
"Thu observer on this occasion,
whose attention was first drawn by
tho cries of tho rabbit, was fortu-
natcly himself n master of otter
hounds, used to Watching tho stcalthy
mancuvcrs of the enemy. He had
with him u sharp fox terrier, and,
though on tho opposite side of
tho stream to that on which the OF
ter was dining, rather expected the
latter TO mako himself scarce when
the dog appeared. But the maraud-
or showed amusing GOODNESS. He
dropped into tho stream, raised his
head above water few yards from
the bank and watched the torrior's
proceedings. Having satisfied him
self that the dog had no taste for
anything beyond dry shikar, he re-
turned TRANQUILITY to his dinner.
Hero wo had u dcprcdator bold as
VOL rs cunning, and obviously a
clean feeder. OF course / do not as
sumo that tho otter usually or even
frequently seeks his prey on land. 1
am content to know that no is capa.
| bio of doing so 'as occasion serves,
and that i'll such case, at all events,
he does not seize his victim from be-
| low.
About the same date at which
this curious rabbit incident was re-
ported 10 mo | received from the
same noighborhood an account,
equally we'll authenticated, of the
otter 5 modus operandi whom in pur-
suit of the fish, which, we may safe
ly assume. form his principal diet.
A pike, guessed at some seven
pounds, WAS soen basking under an
overhanging tree on tho mole. Near
ly above him ran bare bough.
Along that bough an otter was seen
to crocp-l wish l could find some
apter word to express the providers
stealthy, sinuous movement-till he
was close above the pike, down on
whose back he dropped or slid, and,
as fully believe, though the spec
tator's eye could not note the move
mont with certainty, fixed the long
grip Of his jaws just over the juno.
ton of his skull and spine. Lon