. Animal Life and the World of Nature; A magazine of Natural History. Uncommon Pets 295 surface of the water, and swimming for a considerable distance below the surface before coming to the top for breath. In districts where otter-hounds are few and far between, an excursion along the banks of a stream will often result in several otters being seen gambolling about or else hunting for fish, provided only that perfect silence is preserved and the footfalls on the banks made as noiselessly as possible ; the best time is about half-an-hour after sunset, so that the watch be made during the gloami
. Animal Life and the World of Nature; A magazine of Natural History. Uncommon Pets 295 surface of the water, and swimming for a considerable distance below the surface before coming to the top for breath. In districts where otter-hounds are few and far between, an excursion along the banks of a stream will often result in several otters being seen gambolling about or else hunting for fish, provided only that perfect silence is preserved and the footfalls on the banks made as noiselessly as possible ; the best time is about half-an-hour after sunset, so that the watch be made during the gloaming, when the opposite bank can be just seen without unduly straining the vision. AVhen otters are captured young they are easily tamed, and soon get strongly attached to those who may have the looking-after of them ; so much so, in fact, that many instances are on record where they have been trained to enter the water in search of fish and bring back their spoils to their owner. Indeed, in India and China the systematic training of otters for this purpose has been reduced to a fine art, and the}' are kept almost as frequently as cormorants are in the same countries and for the same purpose. The training, according to Bishop Heber, is very similar to that adopted for falcons; the otter is taken when very young and dieted on bread and milk alone, fish being particularly eschewed. After a time the actual training com- mences ; an artificial fish is tied to a cord and the animal persuaded to chase it and return with it to its master. After awhile, a real fish is used in place of the artificial one ; should the otter mangle it while hunting it or bringing it to its owner it is punished, whilst if the fish is brought back uninjured the animal is encouraged by some particular dainty. The bishop relates in his journal that the otters were to be seen lying on the banks of the rivers with collars on their necks, plaited or woven out of straw, to which were attached long cords or ropes to
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