Before considering the influence of the otter
upon our fisheries I would draw attention to but
one other point, and that is the remarkable
agility of the animal under the water. To
illustrate these rapid movements eight pictures
are shown, cut from three feet of cinematograph


film.
Otter turning in the Water after a Fish.
(From Cinematograph Film.)


THE OTTER AND SEAL 81


The movements illustrated occupied two or
three seconds.
In the first photograph (No. 2 in the illustra-
tions) the otter has spotted the fish above him
and has checked his progress by planting his
fore feet on the ground. The fish, after a few
rapid movements, as shown by the attitudes of
the animal, shot down under a stone on the left.
The otter now left the ground with a kick-off of
his hind legs and a downward swish of the
rudder, and finally scrambled on to his fish, as
shown in photograph No. 9.
Fish are undoubtedly the favourite food of
the otter. Of fresh fish he much prefers the eel.
When my captive otters were shown eels they
at once became excited and their shyness to a
great extent disappeared. They also have a
partiality for trout and grayling, particularly the
latter, but no coarse fish comes amiss. Otters
also feed on frogs, and young birds and even
small animals are taken when fishing fails.
Fond as I am of the otter, there is no gain-
saying the fact he takes a terrible toll of sizable
fish, and in a small stream a protracted visit from
a family will ruin the fishing.
