the Indian previously referred to, described to me a desperate fight which he
witnessed between an Otter and a beaver whose domain had been invaded.
When below the surface the air clings to the coat .of the animal, and as it
emerges on land it appears to be very wet and glistening, especially about the
back and root of the tail. However, the moisture is only superficial, for it just
gives itself a quick shake, and is nearly dry at once. The gait of the Otter is a
brisk trot or the usual ‘ mustelid ’ gallop, somewhat lumbering but performed at a
fair pace. The cry is a long-drawn whistle; but when brought to bay it hisses
like a cat. ‘ " . .. .
Mr. Gerald Lascelles has described the Otter as the ‘wiliest and toughest of
British animals,’ and in conversation I have heard him say that he regarded it not
only, proportionately speaking, as the strongest, but as the most agile. An Otter
released had by the following morning explored every nook and cranny in the whol
room. It had even surveyed the mantelpiece and knocked a lot of bottles off the
upper shelves of the room. In fact it visited parts of the room which none but
an animal possessed of great leaping powers and agility could have reached. In
America and Canada the Otter’s power of climbing is well known, for in hard
weather it has often been seen high up in trees. In such case's it is in pursuit of
and grouse, which are usually tame or sleeping in times of frost.
Otters breed only once a year and in any month. In fact statistics go to
prove that young have been found in every month of the year. In England births
in spring are rare; the most usual times are the late autumn and winter months.
Mr. Thos. Southwell' says: 'In forty-eight instances which have come under my
observation, in which the date of birth could be fixed with tolerable accuracy,..and
of which forty-two were quite reliable, I find that in thirty-seven certainly, and in
two probably, the birth took place in the months of October to February, both
inclusive, and in five well-established-instances and four less certainly between March
and September, both included.’ 2
This, too, was the experience of the late Geoffrey Hill, who hunted the famous
Hawkstone pack, and worked it with great success for a number of years, as also
of Mr. Gerald Lascelles, who is a no less experienced Otter hunter, and who has
found young Otters in every month.
Captain MacDonald of Waternish says that in his experience female Otters
1 Field, December 19, 1903. .
* For further information on the subject of gestation and breeding of the Otter I must refer my readers to Zoologist,
1877, pp. 17, 100, 172 ; A. H. Cocks, Zoologist, 1882, pp. 201-204; A. H. Cocks, Proceedings Zoological Society, February
1882; Thos. Southwell, Zoologist, 1888, pp. 248-251; Harting, Zoologist, 1894, pp. 2-10 and pp. 4* -47-
litter in a wild state at two seasons, spring and autumn, and I believe that his
view is correct as regards the Hebrides, Orkney, and Shetland.
The gestation lasts for sixty-three days, and the female Otter produces from
one to three young ones at a birth. The last number is rarely exceeded, but several
cases of four are known, and one of five. As in the case of the marten the maternal
instinct to make a nest asserts itself in the female Otter when ready to breed. She
then goes about with little bits of straw in her mouth, which, according to Mr.
Cocks, she methodically deposits here and there in an amusing fashion. The
place of ‘ accouchement ’ usually chosen is a hole in the bank of a stream or pond,
the lower part of a hollow tree, an old drain, or a dry bed of moss, leaves, rushes,
or grass in England; and in a cairn of stones, a crack in the peat-hags, or some
small sea cave in Scotland.
The young cubs constantly squeal during the first days of life. Apparently
they grow slowly at first, those first bred by Mr. Cocks being only about eight
inches in length at thirteen days old. They are . at first covered with a very fine
silky coat, but this becomes more ‘ rough ’ as the hair grows in length. They are
blind until about thirty-five days, and the mother frequently moves them in her
mouth, sometimes swimming with the young immersed—a circumstance that seems
to have no effect on its respiratory organs. Cubs born in Mr. Cocks’s menagerie
on October 12 were one foot long and tail six inches on November 29. These
cubs suckled until the spring, but entered the water of their own accord on
December 9, and on the 13th of the month the mother attempted to get them to
eat two small roach, * taking first one fish, then the other, then both together in
her mouth, and moving them about close in front of the cubs to attract their
attention, at the same time uttering a peculiar whine or growl, or something
between the two, which sounded ferocious.’ This she continued to do every day
up to January 15. About December 28 they began to eat a little every day, but
were shy and bit fiercely. After this their education was rapidly completed, and
they were considered adult in June.1
As soon as they can see, the mother Otter takes her cubs to the water and
teaches them to swim. At first they are said to be very reluctant to enter the
water, and as a preliminary training she often makes an exit hole upon the bank
above her holt, where she allows them to play and run about for a few days
before enticing them to mount on her back and embark on a voyage of discovery.
For the first few days in the water she swims with them, but soon dives and
1 A. H. Cocks, Zoologist, 1882, p. 203.