. The book of the animal kingdom. Mammals; Mammals. 276 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM Although possessed of indomitable courage, and exhibiting a fierce, wild and shy disposition, which gives to the animal the greater part of its charm when in the full enjoyment of its liberty, it makes a tame and docile pet when kept in captivity, but, as such, looks strangely out of place to those who have watched it by some sylvan stream where the wind sighs through the tall rushes, and Nature is seen unadorned through non-interference by mankind. A burrow close to the edge of the water is usually the retr
. The book of the animal kingdom. Mammals; Mammals. 276 THE BOOK OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM Although possessed of indomitable courage, and exhibiting a fierce, wild and shy disposition, which gives to the animal the greater part of its charm when in the full enjoyment of its liberty, it makes a tame and docile pet when kept in captivity, but, as such, looks strangely out of place to those who have watched it by some sylvan stream where the wind sighs through the tall rushes, and Nature is seen unadorned through non-interference by mankind. A burrow close to the edge of the water is usually the retreat of this animal, the burrow extending some wTay under the bank and being nicely hidden by the surrounding herbage. Otters do not restrict their attention to a diet of fish when hunger presses and food is scarce, for birds' eggs, frogs, fresh and salt water crustaceans, water-fowl and poultry are preyed upon, and, it is said, even young lambs and pigs. The worst accusation that can be brought against these animals is that—like the Fox—they kill more food than they can eat, and one can understand how galling it must be to the owners or tenants of angling waters to find a partly eaten salmon or trout left by an Otter on the prowl. If such a habit as this were not possessed by the Otter, surely any other misdeeds might be overlooked, and the abominable practice of hounding the creature to death put a stop to. v~y&*. Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not perfectly resemble the original Westell, William Percival, 1874-1937. London, J. M. Dent & sons, ltd. ; New York, E. P. Dutton & co.
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectmammals, bookyear1910
