AN OTTER STORY.
• [To aare Rome or me "Sezersroa."i
Sin,—The review of the book, Secrets of Animal Life (Spectator, April 10th), expresses so much sympathy with the otter that am tempted to tell a story which may rouse kindly interest in -this often maligned and persecuted creature. We had a school- master who was a keen sportsman, and yet a humane naturalist. Op one occasion Jae was out "on the back of a snowstorm" (as he teemed it), knowing that was a likely time for otters to seek the " mooth o' the burn" leading into the Firth. He hid among the rocks, and presently saw a fine otter in the surf making tor the burn- mouth, where trout were sure Us be found. When 'the creature. was dose inshore he got his ehot—a fatal one. The poor otter made no attempt to escape, but heedless of its wounds strove to guide a tiny cub into shelter of a crag. The effort was vain. She rolled over on the shore dead, and the little one, whimper- ing, crawled close to her -side. Shocked at what he had done, the man popped the baby into his Pocket, and took up its dead mother with a pang of reproach. He brought the baby otter up on his baby's bottle, and it throve and became very tame and playfuL It followed him about like a dog, and, in every way an animal can, showed much affection for its master. It would accompany him to the shore and sport in the sea, but always came to him when he whistled to it. Indeed be found he must shut it up whenever he went a-hunting as it eagerly persisted in being with him. At first dog, cat, and fowls looked with disfavour on the little otter, but they soon learned to admit it as a member of the schoolmaster's household.
When it was about two years old a day "at the back of a snowstorm" occurred again, and, as usual on such favourable occasions, the sportsman went off to the shore in pursuit of game. He had not been long in his hiding-place among the (wage when he spied an otter sporting close inshore. The surf was tumbling in, white and broken on the saricL and often the creature seemed buried in the waves. To steal near enough for a "sure shot," to Are and kill the creature, was soon done, but when he ran into the- water to secure his victim as the waves tossed it within reach, what was his .horror and grief to find he had killed his loving little pet Some one had care- lessly allowed the otter to escape from the house, and it had followed its master. Not finding him at same, it had gone, as often before, tosanjoy a swim in the sea. The sohoolmaster was an old man when he told me this tragic, tale of earlier days, but the tears rolled over his face and his voice broke as he said : "I never killed another otter all my days."—I am, Sir, &c.,
SEMI M. E. SAWS% Wullver's Hoot, Baltasound, Shetland Isles.
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