But swimming-in the waters and sliding down the hills,
He plays the games of boys and girls, and fishes in the rills.
Alas! the hunter sets his traps, to take him unawares,
With springs of wire and teeth of steel unhappily he fares;
His fur is fine, and soft, and warm, and ladies vain adore it,
With ne'er a thought of pity for the little beast that bore it!
C. C. M.
IN ALL parts of temperate North America this, the most interesting of the Otter family, makes its home on the banks of nearly all streams except those from which it has been driven by man. It is much larger than the European Otter, has a longer tail, and has a nasal pad between the nostrils which is larger than that of any other species. Though closely allied to the common species, it has distinctive differences which entitle it to be classed as a separate species. Its habits resemble those of its cousins, but it has one peculiarity that is noticed by naturalists who have studied this animal, which is the habit of sliding or coasting down hill, in which it displays a remarkable skill. In Canada, and other sections where the snow is plentiful, Otters indulge freely in this sport, and, says Godman, "they select in winter the highest ridge of snow they can find, scramble to the top of it, lie on their bellies with the forefeet bent backwards and then, giving themselves an impulse with their hindlegs, glide head-foremost down the declivity, sometimes for the distance of twenty yards. This sport they continue, apparently with the keenest enjoyment, until fatigue or hunger induces them to desist."
The young are born in April in the northern, and earlier in the southern part of the Otter's range, and a litter is composed of from one to three young ones.