SOME BOOKS OF THE WEEK.
- [Notice in this column does not necessarily preclude subsequent review.]
The Book of the Otter. By Richard Clapham. (Heath Cranton. 78. 6d. net.)—Mr. Clapham has written an interesting book, partly about the otter's habits, partly about otter-hunting, which has become more and more popular because it is a poor man's sport. The otter, we are told, does good by killing and eating many sickly fish, especially salmon and trout. Otters will kill pheasants, grouse, ducks and rabbits. The author is inclined to think that they occasionally kill lambs. He disputes the statement, made by Mr. Gordon elsewhere, that the otter cannot move quickly on land, and recalls a case in which a large otter completely outpaced the hounds. He says that there is at least one private pack which hunts both the otter and the fox : it is in the Snowdon country, where the fox must be followed on foot. The book is well illustrated.
Previous page
